China Eastern Airlines Cancellation & Reimbursement 

China Eastern Airlines cancellation policy allows you to cancel your ticket and receive a full refund in the following scenarios, regardless of what type of ticket you’ve purchased. 

Below is an overview of China Eastern’s flight cancellation policy: 

• You can cancel your flight and receive a full refund (without paying any cancellation fee) if your flight is rescheduled and the new schedule does not suit you or if China Eastern Airlines fails to arrange an alternative flight that is acceptable to you.
• If your flight is cancelled or delayed, or if China Eastern fails to provide you with your reserved seat/class or stop at your destination, or causes you to miss a connecting China Eastern flight on which you have a confirmed seat, you have the option to:
  • Take the next available flight offered to you at no additional charge. 
  • Extend the validity of your ticket free of charge.
  • Change your destination as long as you pay the difference in fares (if your new ticket is cheaper, the excess amount will be refunded. 
  • Travel on a different airline if China Eastern agrees. 
  • Ask for a penalty-free refund (without paying any cancellation fee).
• You can cancel your flight ticket to/from the United States within 24 hours of purchasing it and claim a full refund (without paying any cancellation fee) if you purchase your ticket at least 7 days before departure.
• You can cancel your flight without paying any cancellation fee in case of illness or death, i.e., if:
  • You (or a co-passenger on the same flight booking) fall ill and you can provide a valid medical certificate issued 48 hours before departure.
  • Your co-passenger (on the same flight booking) dies and you can provide a valid death certificate. 
• You can cancel a fully refundable flight ticket without paying a cancellation fee if the fare conditions of your ticket permit you to do so. 
• If you cancel a non-refundable ticket, the entire fare (except taxes) will be forfeited, unless you’re cancelling within the 24-hour window (see below) or your ticket falls in one of the above-mentioned sections. 
• You’re travelling with a pet and the temperature conditions prevent your pet from travelling, you can cancel your flight and ask for a full refund (or request a change of flight) without having to pay any penalty. 

China Eastern Airlines 24-Hour Cancellation

Does China Eastern Airlines have a cancellation policy within 24 hours?

China Eastern Airlines 24-hour ticket cancellation policy applies to all flight tickets to or from the United States. Under the policy, you’re entitled to a full refund of your ticket (without paying any cancellation fee) if you:

• Purchase your ticket at least 7 days before departure, and
• Cancel your ticket within 24 hours of purchasing it

China Eastern’s 24-hour cancellation policy applies to all types of tickets, including non-refundable ones. 

China Eastern Airlines Cancellation Due to Illness

What is China Eastern’s flight cancellation policy if I fall ill?

If you fall ill and are unable to travel, China Eastern Airlines allows you (and up to 2 co-passengers travelling with you) to cancel your flight and ask for a penalty-free refund (without paying any cancellation fee). 

To qualify for this benefit: 

• You must provide a signed medical certificate issued by a Grade II, Class A Hospital (or higher) within 48 hours of your flight’s departure, stating that you are not fit to travel. 
• You must submit your refund application with China Eastern Airlines before your flight’s departure. 

If you’re travelling with a passenger on the same flight booking and the passenger falls ill, you and one more passenger on the same booking are allowed to cancel your flight and apply for a full refund (without being charged a cancellation fee) if you can submit—along with the sick passenger’s refund application—a copy of: 

• The sick passenger’s ticket and medical certificate, and 
• Your ticket 

China Eastern Airlines Cancellation Due to Death 

What is China Eastern’s flight cancellation policy if a passenger dies?

If a passenger dies before travelling, the next-of-kin or the deceased passenger or passengers accompanying the deceased passenger are allowed to cancel their flight and apply for a penalty-free refund (without paying any cancellation fee), as long as they: 

• Produce a valid copy of the passenger’s death certificate 
• Produce supporting documents, such as a copy of the deceased passenger’s ticket 
• Apply concurrently for the refund within 45 days of the passenger’s death 

How to Cancel a Flight on China Eastern Airlines

If you want to cancel your flight, you must do one of the following:

• Call the local China Eastern Airlines office in your area, or 
• Get in touch with the airline’s branch office in your city, or 
• Get in touch with the travel agent from whom you purchased your ticket 

Note. China Eastern Airlines does not permit online cancellations through its website or mobile app.

China Eastern Airlines Reimbursement Policy

What is China Eastern Airlines reimbursement policy? 

• On most routes (except the EU), if your China Eastern Airlines flight is delayed or cancelled due to reasons within the airline’s control (aircraft maintenance, flight deployment, crew or business), you’re entitled to receive compensation of:
  • CNY 200 if your flight is delayed by 4 – 8 hours. 
  • CNY 400 if your flight is delayed by 8 hours or more.
• If your flight operating within the European Union (EU) or departing from the EU to a non-EU country is cancelled, you have the right to choose between:
  • Reimbursement of your ticket plus a return flight to your airport of departure if you have a connecting flight,
    or
  • Rerouting to your final destination on the next available flight at no additional charge,
    or
  • Rerouting to your final destination at a later date of your convenience at no additional charge, provided it is under comparable conditions and the seats are available

Note. You are also entitled to compensation if you were informed of the cancellation less than 14 days before departure and cancellation occurred due to reasons within the airline’s control (and not due to extraordinary reasons outside its control, like weather, airport strike, etc.). The compensation will depend on the flight distance, as shown below: 

• If your flight operating within the European Union (EU) or departing from the EU to a non-EU country is delayed, you are entitled to compensation, depending on the length of the delay.
  • If you reach your destination at least 3 hours after your original flight’s scheduled arrival time, the compensation will be: 
  • € 250 if your flight is up to 1500km
  • € 400 if your flight is more than 1,500km within the EU or between 1500 – 3500km for all other flights
  • € 600 if your flight is more than 3500 kilometers

Note. If your flight is delayed or cancelled due to reasons within the airline’s control—and not due to extraordinary situations beyond its control (weather, etc.), the airline will (in addition to the compensation) arrange food and accommodation services for you free of charge. 

China Eastern Airlines Refund Policy 

According to China Eastern Airlines ticket cancellation policy:

• Refunds will be issued on the unused portion of tickets within their validity period, subject to the fare conditions mentioned on your ticket. 
• Refunds to a passenger’s trustee named on the ticket or the ticket payer are permitted. If you entrust someone else to apply for a refund on your behalf, that person/trustee must produce a valid power of attorney and a copy of your Identification Certificate.
• Paper tickets refunds must include the full Flight Coupon and Passenger Coupon for the unused flight segments. When applying for a refund, you must produce the original Identification Certificate(s) you used for purchasing your ticket. 
• If you lose your ticket and can provide evidence of the loss and have paid all the applicable service charges within the set time limits, China Eastern will refund your ticket after the expiry of the ticket’s validity, subject to the following conditions:
  • You have already paid the full fare to China Eastern. 
  • You have not used or refunded the lost ticket before applying for the refund.
  • You have filled out the Reissuance/Refund Application Form for Lost Tickets.
  • You have indemnified China Eastern Airlines against any losses that may be caused on account of your lost ticket. 
• You must apply for a refund no more than 13 months after the starting date of your first travel or the date of issue of the ticket if you haven’t used the first flight segment yet. Refunds made after this period will not be accepted. 
• The place of refund:
  • For voluntary refunds (i.e., refunds triggered by the passenger) will be the original ticketing place or any local China Eastern Airlines ticket office. 
  • For involuntary refunds will be a China Eastern Airlines sales agent at the original purchase place, place of departure, stopping point, or any ticket office at the place of arrival or incident that triggered the refund. 
  • For tickets purchased online via the airline’s website, mobile app, or hotline will be via the channel through which the ticket was purchased. 
• In case of involuntary refunds (i.e., refunds triggered by the airline), the amount of refund will be:
  • The full fare plus taxes, with no refund charges if the ticket has not been used. 
  • The full fare paid minus the fare and taxes paid for the used flight segment(s) if a part of the ticket has been used (with no refund charges). 
• In case of voluntary refunds (i.e., refunds triggered by the passenger) that qualify for a refund, the amount of refund will be:
  • The fare paid by you minus the applicable refund service charges if the ticket is fully unused. 
  • The original fare paid by you minus:
    • The fare and taxes paid for the used flight segments, and
    • The applicable refund service charges

Note. If the fare for the used flight segments is higher than or equal to the full fare paid by you, only the taxes and charges paid by you for the unused flight segments will be refunded. 

• The refund service fees (based on China Eastern Airlines’ tariff) will be:
  • Nil for lap infants travelling on a fare equal to 10% of the regular ticket fare. 
  • The same for children as for adults. 
  • Nil for refunds due to a passenger’s illness if the passenger can provide a signed certificate of diagnosis/illness issued by a Grade II Class A hospital or higher within 48 hours of departure stating that the passenger is not fit to travel on the ticketed flight. 
  • Nil for up to 2 co-passengers accompanying the sick passenger (above), subject to their submitting copies of the sick passenger’s ticket and relevant documents and applying for a refund concurrently with the sick passenger’s refund application. 
  • Nil in case of a passenger’s death, as long as the next-of-kin applying for a refund can provide a death certificate issued by a valid legal authority. Passengers accompanying the deceased passenger will also not be charged a refund service fee, as long as they submit photocopies of the deceased passenger’s ticket and supporting documents, and apply for the refund concurrently with the deceased passenger’s refund application. Refund applications must be made within 45 days of the passenger’s death, or they will not be entertained. 
• Special Fare Tickets will be subject to a refund service fee. 
• Refunds will not be made if:
  • A passenger voluntarily terminates the trip at a stopover point, meaning that no refund will be made on the unused flight segment(s). 
  • You’re travelling on a non-refundable ticket (only taxes are refundable with zero refund service charges). 
  • You apply for a refund (unless specified otherwise) more than 30 days after your ticket’s expiration date.
  • Your ticket includes a city in which you were refused entry or deported. 
• Refunds will be made (in most cases) in the same currency that was used for purchasing the ticket or in the currency of the country in which the ticket was originally purchased. 
• Refunds for tickets purchased by credit cards or other non-cash methods will be credited to the original source of payment.

Frequently Asked Questions on China Eastern Airlines Cancellation Policy