China’s airlines in the hot seat over hidden extra fees as watchdog steps in
Seat selection fees are becoming more common in China as airlines grapple with squeezed profit margins, but consumers are pushing back
China’s airlines are encountering severe turbulence over their growing use of extra charges like seat selection fees, as passengers, state media and a consumer protection watchdog slam the practice as a violation of customers’ rights.
The controversy reflects the difficulties Chinese airlines face as they try to strike a delicate balance between profitability and service quality, with an industry insider cautioning that companies may not be able to scrap extra fees completely.
But the trend has sparked heated online backlash, leading Chinese state broadcaster CCTV to air a programme criticising the fees and a consumer rights agency to launch an investigation.
The probe by the Jiangsu provincial consumers association found that China’s major state-owned carriers now routinely charge passengers extra to secure a window or aisle seat, or to sit in rows near exits with more legroom.
On average, one-third of economy class seats on the carriers’ flights are unavailable for free selection during online check-in, according to the association. The free seats tend to be in the middle of a row or near the back of the aircraft, where there is more noise and the effects of turbulence are greater.
The watchdog in China’s eastern Jiangsu province met with airline representatives last month to demand they allow passengers to book more seats free of charge.
“Seat selection fees are an idea that Western firms like United Airlines and Delta Air Lines had decades ago,” Zheng said. “Chinese airlines started charging the fee fairly recently, mostly since the 2010s.”