This autumn, Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany’s national railway company, will begin rolling out a new digital infrastructure that it says will streamline international rail bookings.

The move is part of a long-awaited push to simplify travel across Europe’s patchwork of national railway networks.

“[You will] be able to book an international journey just as easily as a domestic one,” Michael Peterson, DB’s board member for long-distance transport, told German press agency DPA.

“This brings us closer to a major goal,” he continued: seamless cross-border rail travel across Europe, powered by a unified digital system and regulations backed by the EU.

What’s changing, and when?

Starting this autumn, DB will adopt a new data-sharing standard known as OSDM (Open Sales and Distribution Model). This EU-endorsed interface is intended to give European rail operators instant access to each other’s ticketing systems.

Using the OSDM as a framework, DB says it aims to offer integrated ticketing for virtually all major European railways by the end of 2026, including local transport, through its website and DB Navigator app.

Rail expert Jon Worth is quick to point out that this will not be a single ticket, but rather “a better way to stitch together tickets from different railways,” however.

DB will initially integrate with Austria and Switzerland’s national operators – the ÖBB and SBB, respectively – with other operators to follow in the coming months.

Currently, booking international train tickets through DB’s platform can be confusing, limited and, in many cases, expensive.

While passengers can already buy some cross-border tickets running through Germany, many popular routes still require piecing together fares from different companies or making sense of multiple national rail sites. No single rail provider can cover a journey from Berlin to Barcelona, for example.

Why does this matter?

Aside from convenience, the new system could begin to address a gap in passenger rights.

Currently, travellers using separate tickets for different legs of a cross-border trip risk losing protection if a delay causes a missed connection. Addressing this issue – and ensuring full passenger rights throughout the journey, including rebooking and reimbursement – is such a priority that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has made it a cornerstone of her second term.

“Cross-border train travel is still too difficult for many citizens,” she wrote in 2024.

“People should be able to use open booking systems to purchase trans-European journeys with several providers, without losing their right to reimbursement or compensatory travel.”

But such protection isn’t yet guaranteed.

Worth says that the OSDM doesn’t compel rail operators to sell unified tickets. It also doesn’t ensure consistent enforcement of passenger rights.

“What DB is doing is welcome for Germany, in particular, but it is insufficient,” he explains.

“To get genuine portals on which you can book any train anywhere in Europe, we need more than a technical standard – which is what DB is implementing, essentially – but [rather] binding rules for data sharing, commissions for ticket re-sale and better passenger rights if something goes wrong in a multi-operator rail journey.”

Cross-border rail travel still faces some friction

The initiative comes amid increasing pressure from Brussels.

EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas has said he plans to propose legislation to create unified platforms and make full passenger rights mandatory.

That’s causing some concern for DB – “already one of the best” rail operators in Europe, according to Worth.

Peterson warned that a digital standard other than the OSDM could undermine years of investment. “That costs money, that costs time,” he said.

Despite the lingering challenges, DB is optimistic. The company recently launched a direct high-speed ICE route between Berlin and Paris and plans further expansions.

In 2024, DB also saw a 22 per cent increase in cross-border ticket sales compared to pre-pandemic levels – its best year yet.

Now, with better tools, more collaboration and upcoming legislation, Europe’s railways could finally begin to catch up with the expectations of climate-conscious travellers – and deliver on the promise of a truly connected continent.

Published on 28/05/2025 – 16:00 GMT+2

There are plenty of frustrating behaviours from air passengers that fellow flyers frequently debate.

When is it ok to recline your seat? Who should get the use of the middle armrests? Should passengers disembark row by row?

On one controversial habit, Türkiye’s aviation authority has now made its opinion clear.

The national body has introduced penalties for passengers who stand up before the fasten seatbelt sign is switched off upon landing.

This is a custom that not only disrupts other passengers, it says, but also poses a safety risk.

Türkiye prohibits passengers from standing up before the seatbelt sign is switched off

The Turkish Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) says it has brought in the new regulation to improve safety and reduce disruptions during the disembarkation process of planes.

When passengers rush to stand up while the plane is still moving, they frequently jostle other flyers or risk causing injuries by attempting to open the overhead compartments.

The ruling also intends to reduce the need for cabin crew to repeatedly issue safety instructions that are frequently ignored.

Under the new rule, passengers must remain seated with their seatbelts fastened until the aircraft reaches its designated parking spot and the fasten seatbelt sign is deactivated.

They must also wait for their row to be called to disembark the aircraft.

The regulation, based on Article 143 of the Turkish Civil Aviation Law No. 2920, affects all carriers operating flights into Türkiye.

Passengers who violate new rules face fines

“According to the regulation, airlines are obliged to remind passengers to fasten their seatbelts during and after landing until they reach the parking position and to explicitly point out that any infringement will be reported to the aviation authority, and a fine will be imposed,” the CAA states.

Passengers violating the rules risk a $70 (€62) fine.

Turkish Airlines has already updated its landing announcement, which now explicitly warns passengers about potential penalties for non-compliance with the ruling.

It states, “passengers who do not comply with the rules will be reported to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation through a Disruptive Passenger Report, and an administrative fine will be imposed in accordance with the applicable legal regulations.”

Reactions to the new ruling have been mixed.

While some have praised the move, comments on social media suggest there is also scepticism as to the effectiveness of the measure to rein in the frustrating flyer habit.

It is yet to be seen if other airlines will introduce similar warnings to Turkish Airlines for flights arriving in Türkiye.

If you have been to Rio de Janeiro’ beaches, this probably sounds familiar: samba music drifting from a nearby kiosk, caipirinha cocktails sold by hawkers, chairs sprawled across the sand.

Now that may become harder to find, unless the vendors have the right permits.

Mayor Eduardo Paes issued a decree in mid-May establishing new rules for the city’s waterfront saying he wants to preserve urban order, public safety and the environment, as well as promote peaceful relations between tourists and residents.

The new measures are due to come into force on 1 June, and they outlaw food and drink sales, chair rentals, loudspeakers and even live music in kiosks without official permits.

Beach huts will only be allowed to have a number rather than the often-creative names many are currently known by.

Vendors say crackdown ‘silences the soul’ of Rio’s beach culture

Some have welcomed the move to tackle what they perceive as chaotic activity on the beach, but others say the decree threatens Rio’s dynamic beach culture and the livelihoods of many musicians and local vendors who may find it difficult or impossible to get permits.

The move to regulate music on Rio’s beachfronts has struck a particular nerve.

“It’s difficult to imagine Rio de Janeiro without bossa nova, without samba on the beach,” said Julio Trindade, who works as a DJ in the kiosks. “While the world sings the Girl from Ipanema, we won’t be able to play it on the beach.”

The restrictions on music amounts to “silencing the soul of the waterfront. It compromises the spirit of a democratic, musical, vibrant, and authentic Rio,” Orla Rio, a concessionaire who manages more than 300 kiosks, said in a statement.

Can the new rules be stopped or changed?

Some are seeking ways to stop the implementation of the decree or at least modify it to allow live music without a permit. But so far to little avail.

The nonprofit Brazilian Institute of Citizenship, which defends social and consumer rights, filed a lawsuit last week requesting the suspension of the articles restricting live music, claiming that the measure compromises the free exercise of economic activity.

A judge ruled that the group is not a legitimate party to present a complaint, and the nonprofit is appealing the decision.

Last week, Rio’s municipal assembly discussed a bill that aims to regulate the use of the coastline, including beaches and boardwalks. It backs some aspects of the decree such as restricting amplified music on the sand but not the requirement that kiosks have permits for live musicians.

The proposal still needs to formally be voted on, and it’s not clear if that will happen before 1 June.

If approved, the bill will take precedence over the decree.

Economic activity on Rio’s beaches, excluding kiosks, bars and restaurants, generates an estimated 4 billion reais (around €621 million) annually, according to a 2022 report by Rio’s City Hall.

Millions of foreigners and locals hit Rio’s beaches every year and many indulge in sweet corn, grilled cheese or even a bikini or electronic devices sold by vendors on the sprawling sands.

Local councilwoman Dani Balbi lashed out against the bill on social media.

“What’s the point of holding big events with international artists and neglecting the people who create culture every day in the city?” she said last week on Instagram, in reference to the huge concerts by Lady Gaga earlier this month and Madonna last year.

“Forcing stallholders to remove the name of their businesses and replace it with numbers compromises the brand identity and the loyalty of customers, who use that location as a reference,” Balbi added.

Anger, fear and sadness from vendors

News of the decree seeking to crack down on unregistered hawkers provoked ripples of anger and fear among peddlers.

“It’s tragic,” said Juan Marcos, a 24-year-old who sells prawns on sticks on Copacabana beach and lives in a nearby favela, or low-income urban community. “We rush around madly, all to bring a little income into the house. What are we going to do now?”

City Hall doesn’t give enough permits to hawkers on the beach, said Maria de Lourdes do Carmo, 50, who heads the United Street Vendors’ Movement — known by its acronym MUCA.

“We need authorisations, but they’re not given,” said Lourdes do Carmo, who is known as Maria of the Street Vendors. The city government did not respond to a request for the number of authorisations given last year.

Following the outcry, the city government emphasised that some rules were already in place in a 21 May statement. The town hall added that it is talking to all affected parties to understand their demands and is considering adjustments.

Maria Lucia Silva, a 65-year-old resident of Copacabana who was walking back from the seafront with a pink beach chair under her arm, said she had been expecting City Hall to act.

“Copacabana is a neighbourhood for elderly people (… ). Nobody pays a very high property tax or absurd rents to have such a huge mess,” Silva said, slamming the noise and pollution on the beach.

For Rebecca Thompson, 53, who hails from Wales and was visiting Rio again after a five-week trip last year, the frenzy is part of the charm.

“There’s vibrancy, there’s energy. For me, there’s always been a strong sense of community and acceptance. I think it would be very sad if that were to go,” she said.