Consumer complaints about poor airline service, especially
regarding service during flight delays, have been escalating.
Now China's major airlines, under prodding from the General
Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC), are considering
compensating customers for such inconveniences.
Affected passengers may be provided with free tickets, free
board and lodging and seat upgrades without charge, said Xu Ji,
deputy general manager of China Eastern Airlines' Administration
Department.
Mileage accumulation rewards and cash compensation are also in
the customer service package under discussion, Xu said.
Sources at CAAC said the compensation plan will be finalized and
announced early next month.
CAAC has been working to resolve the longstanding customer
service problem and has urged the airlines to consider passengers'
rights and interests, said a CAAC official on condition of
anonymity. He gave no details about the plan.
However, China Eastern Airlines outlined its 20-item Customer
Service Plan on Monday. Areas where adjustments will be made
include seat reservations, ticket sales, in-flight services and
luggage transport as well as delayed, rerouted or cancelled
flights.
If passengers fail to board the plane on time because of
overbooked flights, they will be compensated in cash, said Wu
Jiuhong, general manager of China Eastern Airlines.
The nation's two other major airlines--Air China and China
Southern Airlines--are also developing customer service plans. Air
China expects to release its service commitments before the end of
this week.
CAAC's Consumer Business Center reports that consumer complaints
increased by 27 percent year-on-year in 2003. Complaints about
delayed flights topped the list at 159, or 42.4 percent of the
total.
Although the current Civil Aviation Law requires the airlines to
compensate passengers for delayed flights, it does not provide
criteria for compensation.
(China Daily June 16, 2004)