Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Consumers Association: 10 airlines and 5 ticketing platforms have all completed the rectification of overbooked tickets on schedule

China News Service, Beijing, September 8 (Reporter Lu Shaowei) The reporter learned from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Consumers Association on the 8th that on August 31, all 10 airlines and 5 online ticketing platforms that had been interviewed previously completed the rectification of overbooking of air tickets as scheduled. The Consumers Association organizations of the three places stated in the report that each company has completed self-examination and rectification according to the four rectification requirements proposed in the interview. Outstanding problems in overbooking rule notification, on-site handling, compensation settlement and complaint mechanism have been targeted. Consumers can clearly understand the overbooking rules when purchasing tickets, and there are clear disposal and compensation guarantees when encountering overbooking of tickets.

Previous investigations have found that in the area of ​​overbooking of air tickets, there are problems such as too small risk warning text, hidden location, and unclear compensation standards. On July 24, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Consumers Association organized a joint interview with 10 airlines including 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 including Tongcheng, Ctrip, Fliggy, Qunar, and Meituan, requiring that rectifications be completed before August 31.

Judging from the feedback, the four rectification requirements have been implemented:

During the ticket purchase process, the overbooking rule notification has changed from "passive inquiry" to "must read confirmation". All airlines and online ticketing platforms have strengthened the disclosure of rules on the ticket purchase page. Airlines such as China Eastern Airlines have incorporated overbooking rules into the omni-channel notification system for ticket sales; airlines such as Sichuan Airlines have set overbooking-related rules as a first-level independent menu in APPs and mini-programs; platforms such as "Ctrip" have set up independent must-read pop-ups on the ticket purchase page, and passengers must read and confirm before continuing to purchase tickets; platforms such as "Qunar" rely on official media to carry out science popularization on aviation overbooking.

In the disposal process, the on-site process has changed from "lack of standards" to "leaving traces throughout the process". All airlines clearly follow the "recruit volunteers first" and "priority boarding rules" and keep records of the entire handling process. Hebei Airlines and other airlines have established an overbooking disposal system, clarifying the full process specifications of overbooking preparation, voluntary passenger collection, on-site disposal, information notification, and position disposal authority; Air China and other airlines have set up system identification signs and provided priority protection for special passengers such as the elderly, the weak, the sick, and pregnant women; Hainan Airlines and other airlines have checked in advance the special protection objects on the flight and reserved seats; Juneyao Airlines and other airlines have optimized the on-site handling process and improved the flexible handling ability of on-site staff. Platforms such as "Meituan" have set up special passenger information entry functions in the ticket purchase process and synchronized them to the airline system.

In the compensation link, the compensation standard has changed from "fuzzy negotiation" to "clear standard". All airlines clearly provide a variety of options for passengers who are unable to board due to overbooking, and do not charge handling fees and price differences; all online ticketing platforms simultaneously clearly display the compensation standards and appeal entrance on the order details page and after-sales channel. Airlines such as Spring Airlines have incorporated after-sales catering arrangements and airport transfer requirements into the "Overbooking Disposal Manual"; airlines such as Xiamen Airlines require priority notification of cash compensation plans and simplify the process of on-site compensation initiation; platforms such as "Fliggy" use case drills to ensure that customer service personnel are proficient in the process and methods of handling overbooking problems.

In the complaint process, the feedback mechanism has changed from "unclear process" to "traceable ledger". All airlines and online ticketing platforms have established special accounts for overbooking complaints. Each online ticketing platform and the airline's complaint system have implemented information exchange and clarified the time limit for acceptance, disposal, and feedback to ensure that passenger complaints are accepted in a timely manner and resolved on schedule. Airlines such as China Southern Airlines continue to optimize overbooking management models and reasonably control the overbooking ratio of flights; airlines such as Tianjin Airlines fill in accounts for overbooking incidents and record the disposal process; platforms such as "Tongcheng" set up passenger complaints and feedback portals on the booking page to facilitate passengers to submit complaints.

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Consumers' Association stated that the next step will be to organize "look back" inspections to track and verify the effectiveness of rectifications. In response to common issues such as insufficient information disclosure and inconsistent disposal rules exposed in this air ticket overbooking problem, the consumer associations in the three places will make suggestions to the industry authorities to improve relevant systems, promote the introduction of unified overbooking information disclosure standards and disposal rules, and regulate the overbooking behavior of airlines and online ticketing platforms from the institutional level in the long term. At the same time, the consumer associations in the three places will continue to carry out consumer education based on the rectification situation to help consumers understand the overbooking rules, master the ways to protect their rights, and effectively safeguard consumers' rights to know and choose.