Multiple Chinese major airlines announce free change and refund policy for flights involving Japan after travel reminder
By Global Times Published: Nov 15, 2025 05:56 PM
Following solemn safety reminder issued by the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Chinese Embassy and Consulates in Japan over Chinese citizens traveling to Japan, so far multiple Chinese airlines including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Spring Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines announced on Saturday special ticket-handling policies for flights involving Japan, allowing eligible passengers to change or refund their tickets free of charge.
According to a notice Air China released on Saturday on its official website, based on the recent travel reminder from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the airline has issued a special processing plan for tickets on its Japan-bound and Japan-originating flights.
The policies apply to tickets purchased or reissued before 12 pm on November 15, which cover Air China flights departing from or arriving in Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sendai, Hiroshima, Sapporo, or Okinawa between November 15 and December 31, provided the tickets remain unused.
Eligible passengers may change their booking once without incurring fees, though any fare difference between booking classes or business seasons must be paid. Additional changes will be handled in accordance with the ticket's terms of use.
Passengers may also request a full refund for eligible tickets within the ticket's validity period. Tickets that have already been changed once under this policy will be refunded according to standard rules.
China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Spring Airlines, and Sichuan Airlines also released a similar policy for change or refund on flights tickets involving Japan.
China Eastern Airlines stated that passengers may change their tickets once to a flight within three days before or after the original departure date at no cost. Further changes or changes to flights beyond the three-day window shall be handled in accordance with the ticket's terms of use.
Within the validity period of the tickets, China Eastern Airlines passengers may request an involuntary refund through the original purchase channel, and no refund handling fee will be charged.
Given that multiple criminal offenses and incidents of attacks against Chinese nationals in Japan this year, coupled with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's erroneous remarks concerning Taiwan that have severely undermined the atmosphere for China-Japan personnel exchanges, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and Chinese Embassy and Consulates in Japan issued a solemn reminder on Friday, advising Chinese nationals to refrain from traveling to Japan in the near future, Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Consular Affairs said on its official WeChat account.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202511/1348258.shtml
