News
China's “Big Three” airlines roll out policy offering refund if ticket prices drop within 24 hours
March 20th 2026
This week, Air China, China Eastern Airlines (CEA), and China Southern Airlines (CSA) introduced new consumer protection rules allowing passengers to request a free refund if they find a lower fare for the same ticket within 24 hours of purchase. Read More » The new policy allows passengers who buy tickets through the airlines’ official channels to apply for a free refund of their original ticket after purchasing a lower-priced ticket for the same itinerary within 24 hours.
In its report, Yicai Global explains that the move is mainly aimed at addressing problems associated with ticket purchases through online travel agency (OTA) platforms. OTA platforms currently account for more than 70% of airline ticket sales; however, they often resort to aggressive sales practices, such as agents marking up tickets obtained through points redemptions, using low prices to attract customers, and then profiting by raising change and cancellation fees. Chinese regulators explicitly prohibited agents from charging passengers fees beyond the ticket price as early as 2016. Such practices have persisted and have not been effectively resolved because OTA platforms generally rely on spot checks rather than comprehensive supervision of suppliers, leaving room for violations. Yicai reports that some airlines have asked OTAs to introduce a whitelist system, limit the number of suppliers, or even eliminate the supplier model, but these proposals have not received meaningful responses.
In recent years, China's “Big Three” airlines have stepped up efforts to strengthen their direct sales channels, trying to regain market share from OTAs. The carriers have been expanding exclusive member discounts, enabling inter-airline ticket sales, and improving the ticket-purchasing experience on their apps through enhanced refund policies. The policy introduced this week is the latest measure to lure customers to use airlines' direct sales channels.
