Brightline Partners With AccesRail To Become Bookable on GDS Platforms

The new partnership with AccesRail arrives at an opportune time, as Brightline marks the one-year anniversary of its expanded route connecting Miami to Orlando. It was in September 2023 that the rail provider expanded its service all the way to Orlando, linking together the “Theme Park Capital of the World” and the “Cruise Capital of the World”. Besides Miami, other South Florida downtown stations can be found in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura.

Brightline’s Orlando station is situated right inside Orlando International Airport, which also connects directly to Port Canaveral. Meanwhile, from Miami International and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airports, riders can book shuttles to their respective Brightline stations. Brightline rail terminals are also located in close proximity to Port Miami, Port Everglades and the Port of Palm Beach.

AccesRail is a distribution company that makes it possible for partner rail companies to distribute their products via the primary screen on Global Distributions Systems (GDS), which typically used for booking air travel. “They are, I would say, the world leader in the distribution space, where they make it seamless for air and rail intermodal opportunities,” said Julie Sharenow, Brightline’s Vice President of Sales. “And, they work with a variety of other rails internationally. So, they have the experience, they have the relationships and, with us being such a new company, it was a great opportunity to partner with a world leader like themselves.”

The new arrangement with AccesRail enables Brightline tickets to be accessed via booking code “9B” on leading GDS platforms, like Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. This makes Florida’s intercity rail services bookable in the same way as flights, providing travelers with a streamlined option for easy transportation between key city centers.

“Brightline connects travelers from around the world to two of the most popular tourism regions in the United States that attract millions of visitors from around the world each year,” said Sharenow. “Our partnership with AccesRail enables travel partners from across the globe to easily reserve seats with effortless efficiency on the standard network by simply using code 9B.”

Sharenow told us the company’s data showed that 1.4 million people from across six continents rode on Brightline trains last year and part of the impetus for getting Brightline integrated into prominent GDS systems was to expand the company’s reach to more international visitors who are headed to the Sunshine State.

She said, “For us, a big opportunity is the international markets, where they’re learning about our service and how now it’s going to be easier to be able to not have to choose between Orlando and Central Florida or South Florida. You now can stay a couple of days and go to the theme parks, and then take Brightline down and go on a cruise.” She said that, with the new global GDS visibility, “We’re able to make this easy connection that we are now educating people all over the world about our service, and how easy and flexible it is for travel arrangements.”