Travelport, a leading provider of critical transaction processing solutions and data for the global travel industry, has announced a new multi-year, global content agreement with China Eastern Airlines (MU), one of the leading carriers in China, and Shanghai Airlines (FM), a fully owned subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines. The agreement ensures travel agents worldwide using Travelport platforms -- including Galileo, Apollo and Worldspan -- have access to the airlines' web fares and published inventories.

China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines have also partnered with Travelport to upgrade its GDS connectivity to the highest level, delivering travel agents with the most accurate inventory information with the ability to view and sell last-seat availability in real time. Both airlines also intend to implement other Travelport functionalities such as Online Check-in, allowing travelers to check-in via Travelport ViewTrip™ - a flexible online itinerary tool that gives access to itineraries, flight status and destination details.

"We are delighted to partner with Travelport to continue expanding our global distribution chain for China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines, as well as enhancing accessibility of our flights to both agents and consumers worldwide," said Mr. Pu Jian, Senior Manager, System Development Branch, Network and Revenue Management Department at China Eastern.

"One of our key business priorities is delivering unrivaled content to our travel agency subscribers whilst providing airline partners with effective channels to reach out to travelers worldwide," said Damian Hickey, Travelport's Vice President, Distribution Sales and Services for Asia Pacific. "China Eastern is one of the leading carrier groups in China, and this agreement provides significant content for our travel agency customers."

China Eastern Airlines carries close to 70 million travelers each year, servicing 197 destinations across China, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Oceania.

Shanghai Airlines merged with China Eastern in 2009. Its substantial network serves over 170 domestic and international destinations within China, and across Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Thailand.