Consumer Rights Protection Guidelines for Overbooked Flights

You can cancel or change your ticket for free, and you have the right to ask for cash compensation. If you are stranded, the airline will have to bear the cost of food, accommodation and transportation.

If your flight is overbooked, please check this guide to protect your rights and interests.

"Worker Daily" (Page 04, July 10, 2026)

Beijing, July 9th (Reporter Yang Zhaokui) The results of a special survey on awareness of overbooking of civil aviation tickets released by the Consumers Association of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei today show that consumers enjoy five major rights and interests after a flight is overbooked, but more than 70% of passengers lack a full understanding of their legitimate rights and interests when a flight is overbooked and are confused about effective ways to protect their rights.

The survey shows that although nearly 90% (84.85%) of passengers have heard of overbooking, nearly 70% (67.12%) do not fully understand the rules of flight overbooking. Only nearly 30% (26.96%) of passengers are clearly aware of relevant rights and interests such as full refund and change of tickets after overbooking, accommodation, accommodation, financial compensation and other related rights.

During the ticket purchase process, more than 70% (71.61%) of passengers reported that the overbooking risk warning text was too small, in a hidden position, and with low visibility. In terms of notification text, more than half (55.89%) of passengers thought the statement was vague; more than 20% (20.89%) of passengers said that key information such as compensation standards and disposal procedures were deliberately hidden, and some ticket purchasing channels did not have any overbooking related prompts throughout the process.

It is reported that the normal overbooking ratio in the civil aviation industry is about 3%, but in this survey, only 0.14% of passengers were able to accurately identify overbooking. Since airlines usually do not proactively inform passengers that their flights are overbooked, and there is a lack of clear reminders during the boarding process, the vast majority of passengers experience overbooking without knowing it.

In addition, more than 30% of passengers (32.88%) called for the cancellation of overbooked flights; nearly 50% (44.85%) of passengers recognized this model, but requested improved notification and compensation services. Although there are differences in passengers' attitudes, the core demands are highly unified, focusing on standardized operations, transparent notifications, and rational compensation.

In accordance with the Civil Code and the Civil Aviation Law, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Consumers' Association has clarified that when passengers encounter overbooking on a flight, they enjoy five consumer rights according to law, including the consumer's right to know. Airlines must conspicuously publicize the overbooking disposal process and compensation standards throughout the entire process of ticket purchase, check-in, and boarding; special passengers have priority protection rights, and the overbooking disposal process follows the principle of voluntariness throughout the process. The elderly, pregnant women, disabled people, minors, emergency travel, and connected travel Passengers should have priority boarding rights and cannot be forcibly refused boarding; free ticket disposal rights, passengers can apply for a full free refund or free change, and airlines are not allowed to charge any additional fees; stranded package protection rights, for passengers who cannot make the trip on the day, airlines must bear all free accommodation, meals and transportation costs; cash compensation and certificate collection rights, passengers have the right to demand cash compensation, and can refuse points, vouchers and other alternatives.

In this regard, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Consumers Association requires airlines to prominently publicize overbooking rules and graded compensation standards on ticket purchase pages, airport publicity areas, official new media platforms and other channels. It is strictly prohibited to use small print, folding, etc. to avoid notification obligations. For passengers who are unable to board the plane due to overbooking, unconditional full refunds or free ticket changes will be provided; for passengers who are stranded due to overbooking, measures for accommodation and transportation support must be improved; graded cash compensation standards shall be announced uniformly, airline points and vouchers shall not be used in lieu of cash compensation, and the compensation process shall be simplified.