On the problem of exorbitant ticket refund and change fees, the China Air Transport Association is leading the drafting of new industry standards planned for release and implementation within the year. The new standards will require all ticketing platforms and airlines' official channels to proactively disclose refund and change fee rates, restrictions and free-refund scenarios before passengers pay for an order - through prominent typography and mandatory pop-up notices - safeguarding passengers' right to know and to choose.
Refund and change fees for international tickets are a priority. The association will push for cross-border rule transparency, urging domestic airlines and sales platforms to refine refund rules for international routes, and coordinating with foreign airlines to make cross-border and cross-airline refund services more standardized and transparent.
According to statistics from the Black Cat complaint platform, complaints about airports and airlines in the first half of 2026 concentrated on high refund fees, with more than 13,000 related complaints - nearly half of the total. Consumers report being charged steep handling fees even when applying for refunds more than a week, sometimes more than ten days, in advance - far above the 5% cap set by the civil aviation regulator. In addition, refund and change rates for international tickets are typically higher than for domestic ones.
Users book tickets through airline websites and apps, third-party travel platforms and other channels, and refund rules differ across airlines, fare classes and prices. The complicated conditions and procedures deter many travelers. On quite a few channels, refund policies are displayed inconspicuously, and users often discover the high fees only after purchase. Industry insiders point out that information asymmetry and unclear rules leave consumers' right to know unprotected, with some terms bordering on unfair clauses.
At present, domestic airlines generally use tiered refund fees - the earlier the refund application, the lower the fee. But in practice, transparency is insufficient: rules are buried on online platforms and agency channels, and the terminology is obscure. Moreover, the international ticket refund system is complex, with some foreign airlines' deduction rules unpublished and rates opaque.
Some airlines have begun improving refund services. China Eastern Airlines, for example, issued new rules in early August allowing domestic tickets sold on or after August 6, 2026 to be voluntarily changed or refunded up to 14 days in advance - making it the first domestic carrier to offer such a service.
The association will also roll out further measures: studying and issuing refund standards, promoting passenger-friendly policies, strengthening industry compliance training, and standardizing service practices. These measures aim to comprehensively improve rule transparency, guide the industry to upgrade its services, and resolve the pain points travelers care about most.
