On September 8, the official WeChat account of "Beijing Market Supervision" released a message stating that consumer associations in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei recently issued a notice on the rectification of overbooking of airline tickets. The notice stated that as of August 31, all 10 airlines and 5 online ticketing platforms that had been previously summoned for talks had completed the rectification of overbooking of airline tickets on schedule. Outstanding issues in areas such as informing customers of overbooking rules, on-site handling, compensation and settlement, and complaint mechanisms have been addressed in a targeted manner. Consumers can now clearly understand the overbooking rules when purchasing tickets and have clear handling and compensation guarantees when encountering overbooking of airline tickets.

Previous investigations revealed issues in the overbooking of airline tickets, including excessively small or obscured risk warnings and unclear compensation standards. On July 24, consumer associations from Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei jointly summoned 10 airlines—Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Spring Airlines, and Hebei Airlines—as well as five online ticketing platforms—Tongcheng, Ctrip, Fliggy, Qunar, and Meituan—demanding they complete rectification by August 31.

Based on the feedback, all four rectification requirements have been implemented:

Ticketing process: Overbooking rules explained

From "passive query" to "mandatory confirmation"

Airlines and online ticketing platforms have strengthened the display of rules on their ticketing pages. China Eastern Airlines and other airlines have incorporated overbooking rules into their comprehensive ticket sales notification system; Sichuan Airlines and other airlines have set up a separate primary menu for overbooking rules in their apps and mini-programs; platforms like Ctrip have set up a separate "must read" pop-up on their ticketing pages, requiring passengers to read and confirm before continuing to purchase tickets; and platforms like Qunar have leveraged official media to conduct special educational campaigns on airline overbooking.

Handling Steps: On-site Procedures

From "lack of standards" to "full process traceability"

Airlines have clearly adhered to the principles of "first recruiting volunteers" and "priority boarding rules," and the entire process of handling overbooking is documented. Airlines such as Hebei Airlines have established overbooking handling systems, clearly defining the entire process from pre-overbooking preparation, volunteer passenger recruitment, on-site handling, and information reporting, as well as the authority of each staff member. Airlines such as Air China have set up system identification tags for elderly, infirm, disabled, and pregnant passengers and provided them with priority care. Airlines such as Hainan Airlines have pre-screened passengers with special needs on board and reserved seats for them. Airlines such as Juneyao Airlines have optimized on-site handling procedures and improved the flexibility of on-site staff. Platforms such as Meituan have incorporated special passenger information entry functions into their ticketing process and synchronized this information with the airline systems.

Compensation process: Compensation standards

From "vague negotiation" to "clear standards"

All airlines have clearly stated that they offer multiple options for passengers who are unable to board due to overbooking, without charging handling fees or price differences. Online ticketing platforms have also clearly displayed compensation standards and appeal portals on order details pages and after-sales channels. Airlines such as Spring Airlines have included catering arrangements and airport transfer requirements after overbooking in their "Overbooking Handling Manuals." Airlines such as Xiamen Airlines require priority notification of cash compensation options and have simplified the on-site compensation initiation process. Platforms such as Fliggy have conducted case studies to ensure that customer service personnel are proficient in handling overbooking issues.

Complaint Process: Feedback Mechanism

From "unclear processes" to "traceable records"

All airlines and online ticketing platforms have established special ledgers for overbooking complaints. Online ticketing platforms and airline complaint systems share information, clearly defining acceptance, processing, and feedback timelines to ensure timely handling and resolution of passenger complaints. Airlines such as China Southern Airlines continuously optimize their overbooking management models to reasonably control flight overbooking ratios; airlines such as Tianjin Airlines fill out ledgers and record handling procedures for overbooking incidents; and platforms such as Tongcheng have set up passenger appeal and feedback portals on their booking pages to facilitate passenger submission of requests.

Consumer associations in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei stated that they will conduct follow-up inspections to verify the effectiveness of the rectification efforts. Addressing common issues exposed in this overbooking incident, such as insufficient information disclosure and inconsistent handling rules, the three consumer associations will propose improvements to relevant regulations to the industry regulatory authorities, promoting the introduction of unified standards for overbooking information disclosure and handling rules. This will provide long-term institutional regulation of overbooking behavior by airlines and online ticketing platforms. Simultaneously, the three consumer associations will continue to conduct consumer education based on the rectification results, helping consumers understand overbooking rules, master avenues for rights protection, and effectively safeguard consumers' right to know and right to choose. (Source: CNR.cn)