SINGAPORE, 2 July 2024: Collinson, owner and operator of Priority Pass, is expanding its partnership with China Eastern Airlines, which will add 24 airport lounges in mainland China to the Priority Pass network.
These new additions complement the current China Eastern Airlines-operated lounge at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport, which was made available to the Priority Pass network last year. Of the 24 newly added airport lounges to the Priority Pass network, 20 are live today.
The expanded partnership comes at a time when the travel market in mainland China continues to recover at pace. China’s domestic travel is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year, as evidenced by the recent May Day holiday, where 295 million domestic trips were made – an uptick of 28.2% versus the same period in 2019.
Inbound travel volumes are expected to recover to 50% of 2019 levels in 2025, while Chinese outbound travel volumes are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels next year.
A recent Collinson consumer insights report revealed that airport lounge access is the number one most desirable travel benefit at the airport — 65% of travellers in mainland China feel valued as a customer when they are given access to an airport lounge.
“This is an exciting time for the travel industry in mainland China, particularly with the travel market recovering at pace and with the increased demand for travel experiences – such as access to airport lounges,” said Collinson International Global Chief Commercial Officer and Asia Pacific President, Todd Handcock. “We’ve made significant strides in enhancing the travel experience via our partnership with China Eastern Airlines, and we are delighted to continue elevating every journey to something special.”
This news follows Collinson’s recent announcement of their strategic joint venture with Joyful Journey Group, a leading air and rail digital travel experiences partner, to form ‘Joyful Journey Priority Pass’ in mainland China. The strategic alliance brings multiple value-added benefits including market-specific agile technology, an expanded inventory of airport lounges and an enhanced traveller experience.
To date, Priority Pass has a network of more than 550 airport lounges and travel experiences in Asia Pacific and over 1,500 globally across the world’s major travel zones.
