Shenzhen, April 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 20, Trip.com International signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Spring Airlines at the "Spring Airlines Internet Aviation Press Conference." The two well-known private listed companies in the industry have officially established a multi-faceted partnership.
Trip.com International and Spring Airlines Officially Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement
After entering the capital market, Spring Airlines has accelerated its business expansion, including setting up a base in Shenzhen, tapping into the Central and Southern China markets, and vigorously adding new domestic and international routes. To keep up with this pace of development, Spring Airlines is seeking stronger cooperation in distribution channels. Trip.com International is the second-largest ticket agent in China, having acquired or established branches in over 30 major cities, and is capable of providing nationwide on-the-ground services. It maintains comprehensive and stable customer bases across OTA, TMC, and B2B channels. Spring Airlines chose to collaborate with Trip.com International in hopes of leveraging its robust sales channels, national service network, and technological development capabilities to promote its products. Trip.com International will integrate its OTA and TMC sales channels with Spring Airlines and establish technical connections to online distribute its domestic and international routes. B2B distribution channels will also be included in future collaborative efforts. As the first low-cost airline in China, Spring Airlines offers highly competitive pricing that has been widely welcomed by consumers. The addition of Spring Airlines' products will meet the needs of different consumer groups within Trip.com International’s various sales channels. A Trip.com International representative stated that after establishing the strategic partnership with Spring Airlines, its products will also be distributed to subsidiaries across the country through the Trip.com TCP Cloud Product Platform for nationwide sales.
Another important aspect of the strategic cooperation between Trip.com International and Spring Airlines is the integration of Trip.com’s third-party payment platform, Tenpay Connect, into Spring Airlines’ B2B reservation system. Previously, Tenpay Connect had already been successfully integrated into the B2B reservation systems and mobile reservation apps of Shenzhen Airlines and Juneyao Airlines, marking a major breakthrough in combining Trip.com International’s internet finance division with the travel industry. Based on its own industrial characteristics, Tenpay Connect’s payment solutions tailored for the airline ticketing industry offer advantages over similar platforms. In addition to its extensive business experience in airline ticket e-commerce, Trip.com International has also accumulated mature technology R&D expertise, including independently developing the OTA website Trip.com Flyer, the mobile app Trip.com Travel, the Trip.com Business Travel Management System, and the GSS Super Distribution Tool for business travel. Backed by solid infrastructure and continuous technological innovation, it has earned titles such as Municipal “Enterprise Technology Center” and “Guangdong Innovative Enterprise.” In 2011, following its listing, Trip.com International launched its internet finance business, obtained a national third-party payment license, and created the Tenpay Connect third-party payment brand. To help airlines improve the efficiency of processing large volumes of B2B channel orders and maximize payment speed while reducing labor costs, last year Tenpay Connect assembled a team of professionals in both business and technology to conduct R&D improvements on airline B2B payment projects. The payment system now includes a fully automated ticketing plugin, meaning that once users complete their reservations and payments, the system will automatically handle the entire process of order verification, entry, submission, and ticket issuance without manual intervention. To date, Tenpay Connect has completed or is about to complete integration with several airlines. The massive flow of funds in airline ticket reservations will drive rapid growth in the transaction volume of the Tenpay Connect platform.
A relevant person in charge from Trip.com International speaks at the press conference
Trip.com International helps upgrade the industry through internet and financial methods, including continuous cooperation with upstream airlines, supporting ticket agents, and actively promoting information technology reforms in the industrial chain. Trip.com International maintains an open and inclusive attitude to establish mutually beneficial relationships with upstream partners, including unique, new-type airlines like Spring Airlines. Beyond ticket distribution, collaboration and integration span multiple areas such as marketing, IT technology, and financial services to achieve win-win outcomes. By forging new collaborations with more domestic and international airlines, Trip.com International will continue to expand and further realize its strategic vision of “Travel × Internet × Finance,” building a comprehensive ecosystem for the broader tourism industry.