AirPlus International, the leading global business travel payment provider and Air China, the leading national flag carrier, have announced their strategic partnership by unveiling the Air China AirPlus Company Account. The solution provides the airline’s corporate clients with a new travel payment option on all national and international Air China flights and tariffs. The joint product is the first lodge account based payment solution in China and will be released in July 2008 prior to the Olympic Games. Furthermore, AirPlus has founded a subsidiary company in China - the AirPlus Payment Management Co. Ltd. based in Shanghai. The new subsidiary will intensify the customer liaison and support the local roll-out of the joint payment solution.

The Air China AirPlus Company Account provides corporate travel managers with a convenient central payment tool for air travel and access to aggregated data through internet based travel expense reporting and electronic invoicing. With this consolidated data, clients can achieve comprehensive analysis of their travel related expenses; thereby saving time and recognising tangible cost reduction. The joint solution will be accepted as a form of payment at TMCs, the airline’s website, Air China reservations and other merchants, giving clients exclusive access to special corporate net rates and Air China loyalty programme.

“The Air China AirPlus Company Account empowers our corporate customers by providing them with a convenient payment system and access to the most comprehensive travel reporting in the industry,” said Mrs Zhang Lan, Senior Vice President of Air China. “The joint payment solution is another example of how Air China is introducing innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our corporate customers.”

Within the framework of the collaboration, Air China corporate clients will also gain access to the AirPlus Information Manager. This powerful MI product enables analysis of all travel services; helping companies recognise cost cutting opportunities and optimise the controlling of their business travel costs more effectively than ever before. Another unique feature of the product is that it will provide access to Air China's flown data so that companies can track whether their tickets have been used, thereby speeding up the refund process and cutting down on the volume of unused tickets.

Yael Klein, Managing Director AirPlus International Ltd, commented, “We are delighted that Air China has chosen us as their preferred payment provider. AirPlus strives to give our customers the key to business travel management efficiency and provide them with superior data quality. We stand ahead of our competitors in this development and look forward to working with our newest airline partner.”