Galileo International announces participation of Shandong Airlines

Galileo International today announced that it has reached an agreement with China's Shandong Airlines to distribute its services to Galileo-powered travel agencies. Based in northern China and serving 60 Chinese cities, Shandong Airlines is the 15th airline in China to join the Galileo system.

Shandong Airlines joins Galileo at a level known as Interactive Sell, the highest level which directly impacts the sell process. Interactive Sell™ is the same level used by all mainland Chinese carriers within the Galileo system. Interactive Sell enables agents to process real-time bookings and offer instant confirmation to passengers. Additionally, the airline provides its own reference number to agents to guarantee bookings. Interactive Sell enhances yield management for airlines by giving them the opportunity to sell every last seat on a flight. With its travel agency subscriber network currently extending to 47,000 agency locations in 115 countries, Galileo will provide global distribution to Shandong Airlines.

Janie Kaung, executive vice president and managing director of Galileo's Asia Pacific region, said: "China is a strategically important market for Galileo and we are delighted to be the only foreign global distribution system in which Shandong Airlines is currently participating. As China's airlines grow, they require worldwide distribution and our worldwide reach allows us to market key Chinese airlines very effectively. The addition of Shandong Airlines enriches our content and immediately benefits our travel agency customers."

Su Zhongmin, executive vice president of Shandong Airlines, added: "Shandong Airlines has grown rapidly in the past few years and now is the right time to participate in Galileo. Their worldwide presence will bring global exposure for our brand as our network grows."