To book a flight on Air China, you can make a reservation through the Air China website, by contacting an Air China local sales office or by calling Air China’s Global Call Center Hotline at 4008-100-999. Once a seat is reserved, you will need to purchase your ticket within the specified timeframe required by Air China. If you fail to purchase your ticket within the specified timeframe, the seat reservations will be cancelled.

The validity period of a special fare ticket is calculated based on the fare rules of the ticket. The validity period of a normal fare ticket which includes a one-way, round trip or multiple-segment trip is one year. The validity period of an open ticket is calculated from 00:00 (zero hour) of the day after the date of the ticket issuance. The validity period of a fixed time ticket is calculated from the date of the commencement of travel. For all unused tickets, the validity period is one year from the date of issuance.

If you would like to change the flight route, the date of the flight or the class of service, please contact Air China as soon as possible. Changes will be made depending on the type of ticket that was purchased and the seat availability. According to the fare rules of the ticket, you may be charged an additional service fee for any ticket changes.

If you would like to request a refund, it will be handled according to the terms and condition of the ticket that was purchased. Refunds can only be handled within the validity period of the ticket at the original purchase place of the ticket. For electronic ticket purchases, refunds can be requested online at Air China’s website.

Passengers taking international and regional flights of Air China should arrive at the airport within the required time limit. Please bring your passport, necessary visas and other valid travel documents and complete all check-in and immigration requirements in advance.

For flights originating in Beijing, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver, the check-in counter closes 45 minutes before the flight departure time which appears on your ticket. For flights originating from any other cities, please consult the ticket office, the local sales office or an Air China agent.

For international and regional flights, passengers must show a passport, any necessary visas and other valid travel documents. Please be sure that these documents are carried with you and not packed in your checked baggage.

Valid travel documents include a resident identification card, a temporary identification card, a military ID card (officer, solider, trainee, civil service cadre, retiree, or staff), travel documents for residents in Hong Kong, Macau SAR and Taiwan, a passport and travel certificate for foreign passengers, a diplomatic identity card, a student identity card for a young person under 16 years old, and a household register or identification issued by the police authority where the household is registered.

The weight concept applies on all worldwide routes except for US-China, Canada-China and Sao Paolo-Madrid.

The routes between the US-China, Canada-China, and Sao Paulo-Madrid have baggage restrictions by number of pieces.

For international and regional flights, the free checked baggage allowance for adults and children are 40kg for First Class, 30kg for Business Class, and 20kg for Economy Class. If the baggage exceeds the weight limit specified above, an excess baggage fee of 1.5% of the fare for a one-way non-stop economy class ticket will be charged for every kilogram overweight.

First and Business Class passengers are entitled to check two bags per passenger free of charge. The maximum dimensions of each piece should not exceed 158cm (62 inches) and the maximum weight of each piece should not exceed 32kg (70 lbs).

For adults and children in economy class, two bags per passenger may be checked free of charge. The maximum dimensions of each piece should not exceed 158cm (62 inches) and each piece should not weigh more than 23kg (50 lbs). The maximum dimensions of two pieces combined should not exceed 273cm (107 inches). Infant passengers paying 10% of the adult fare are allowed to check one bag free of charge and the maximum dimensions should not exceed 115cm (45 inches). A collapsible baby stroller may be checked free of charge.

In case of a baggage loss, Air China will immediately enter the baggage details into the “World Tracer” tracing system. The system automatically traces the baggage around the clock and results are monitored by Air China 24 hours a day. Any findings will be communicated immediately to the passenger. Air China will also contact the Air China offices at the original departure location and any transit locations to begin searches through other channels.

For flights qualifying under the Warsaw Convention, the baggage compensation limit is 17 SDR per kilogram. If the actual damage of the baggage is valued less than the limit, you will be compensated according to the actual damage. The baggage compensation limit for unchecked baggage is 332 SDR.
For flights qualifying under the Montreal Convention, the baggage compensation limit is 30 USD per kilogram. The baggage compensation limits for checked and unchecked baggage are 1000 SDR. If the actual damage of the baggage is valued less than the limit, you will be compensated according to the actual damage.
If the weight of the baggage cannot be confirmed, the compensation will be made according to the free baggage allowance entitled per class of service. The one-time compensation for baggage delays are RMB300 for Economy Class, RMB400 for Business Class and RMB500 for First Class.
A SDR refers to the special drawing right regulated by the International Monetary Fund and one (1) SDR is valued at about 1.37 US dollars of which the exchange rate is floating.

Any oxygen equipment is not allowed when taking a flight.

Europe: Baggage on flights to destinations via European cities can be checked through to the final destinations.
Australia, Japan and Korea: Baggage cannot be checked through and will need to be picked up.。
America and Canada: Baggage needs to be picked up at the first stop point in America and Canada for customs. Baggage check-in will be processed at the baggage transfer area without reissuing a bag tag.
Hong Kong: Baggage can be checked through.

The unaccompanied children service is for children who are above the age of 5 and under the age of 12 that will be traveling without an adult (at least 18 years old with civil capability). If desired, the unaccompanied children service is available for travelers over the age of 12 and under the age of 18.
At present Air China does not offer transit service for unaccompanied minors. If the connecting or return flights are operated by other airlines, please contact related airlines for information.

For international and regional flights, a service charge of RMB 260 or equivalent currency will be charged for a one-way direct flight.

To apply for the unaccompanied children service, you will need to provide your identification and passport as well as the travel documents for your child. You will also need to provide the names, addresses and telephone numbers of the persons who are bringing your child to the airport and picking your child up from the destination airport so we can contact them.

Your child should hold all valid travel documents including tickets, receipts and the application for the unaccompanied children service.

During departure and arrival, we will appoint a ground handling person to assist your child with all check-in procedures, customs, security checks and baggage claim. The ground handling person will also look after your child and their travel documents while waiting for the flight. Once onboard the airplane, we will send your child to the chief purser who will make sure the flight is enjoyable for your child. In order to ensure a smooth embarking for your child, we recommend that the person bringing the child to the airport wait until the flight has taken off, which is confirmed with the airport staff.

If the flight is delayed, we will appoint someone to take care of your child and arrange for accommodations and transportation if needed. We will also contact the person picking up your child and any other Air China departments that might be affected. If the flight is cancelled, we will contact you and return your child safely.

We will inform the person picking up your child of all flight information in advance. When the flight arrives, we will appoint someone to meet your child and complete all arrival formalities. Once the person picking up your child shows proper identification, a ground handling person will release your child.

Please contact the local office of Air China at least 72 hours before the flight departure if stretcher service is needed.

Both manual and electronic wheelchairs are transported as checked baggage. They qualify as free checked-baggage so they are not included in baggage allowance limits. If a wheelchair is needed during check-in and has been given the consent of Air China, it will be delivered at the departure gate before boarding.
If an electronic wheelchair is checked, the packing should be as follows: • Wheelchair with leak-proof battery – Ensure the battery does not have a short circuit and it should be securely installed on the wheelchair. • Wheelchair without leak-proof battery – The battery should not be installed on the wheelchair and should have protective packaging. It should be leak-proof and fixed with a belt, fixture or bracket on the pallet or in the cargo compartment. Ensure the battery does not have a short circuit and it is filled with suitable absorption material to absorb any leaked liquid. • The packing will be marked as either “BATTERY, WET, WHEELCHAIR”, or “BATTERY, WET, WITH MOBILITY AID”. Additional labels will be added saying “CORROSIVE” and “UPWARD”.

Please contact Air China at least 24 hours prior to departure if a special meal is needed.

Please contact Air China at least 72 hours prior to departure if a kosher meal is needed.

Yes, even if you requested a special or kosher meal from an agent ticket office authorized by Air China, we recommend that you dial 4008-100-999 or contact our local sales office to ensure the request has been processed.

On Air China’s website you are able to check the seat availability for particular flights within a year timeframe. The website will display the fares and seats available for different classes of service on the flight that you have selected. You are able to book a seat by choosing the flight and class of service and entering the required passenger information. The reservation request will be sent by the website to the airline reservations system and you will receive a reservation confirmation and a request to purchase the ticket. If you do not see this page or receive error information, the reason might be one of the following:
A. While making the reservation, another passenger might be checking the seat availability of the same flight. The first passenger to make the reservation request will get the seat, so you may have to try to book another seat. Hopefully there will be another seat available in the class of service that you choose on a particular flight.
B. The website may experience trouble if there are internet problems. In case of a system failure on the internet, the website response to your booking request may not work.
C. Other undefined factors might cause the failure of your booking. Please try again after a few minutes. If you continue to have trouble and there is no update of a system shutdown on the Air China website, we recommend that you call the Air China Call Center Hotline 4008-100-999 for further information.

Yes. This is a two step process. You need to both book your seat reservation and buy your ticket for the ticket to be issued. If you book your seat but fail to pay for the ticket online within 30 minutes, your seat reservation will automatically be cancelled and we will re-sell the seat to another customer.

Currently, e-tickets are only eligible for online changes for the date of the flight and the departure time. You cannot make online changes for the class of service, the fare, or departure and destination cities. If you need to make these types of changes, please call the local sales office or go to the airport stand-by counter of Air China.

Itinerary/Receipt of E-Ticket for Air Transportation is an electronic file that we provide to you showing your itinerary and ticket information. This is in PDF format and can be downloaded and printed out as a reference to your travel itinerary.

A refund request for an issued e-ticket can be processed online. You may check your reservations via “My Booking” and apply for a refund. Air China will verify your refund application according to related policies. If a refund is granted, your money will be returned to the bank account you used to pay for the ticket (less a service charge). For financial security reasons, we never give cash refunds for e-tickets paid online. For updates on your refund, you can visit the “Refund Receipt” section under “My Order” online.
The Itinerary/Receipt of E-Ticket for Air Transportation which is issued under the supervision of the State Administration of Taxation can be collected at the airport, sales agent, or local ticket office of Air China. It can serve as the certificate for a refund. The travel itinerary printed on A4 paper should not be used as a certificate for an e-ticket purchase but only as a reference. You may verify your e-ticket information via the “Validating E-ticket” at the e-ticket homepage of Air China http://airchina.travelsky.com/.

If you have an Air China e-ticket, you may check in one of the following ways:
1) Check-in at the airport with a valid ID (the ID number that you entered when making the reservation): Our staff will verify your e-tickets with your ID number or name and your flight number. You will receive a seat allocation, a printed boarding pass and you may check your bags if needed. With your boarding pass in hand, you will need to go through the security check and the boarding gate to board the airplane. To ensure a smooth travel experience, we recommend you arrive at the airport 90 minutes prior to departure.
2) Check-in online at Air China’s website: When your itinerary and check-in time limit qualify for online check-in, you can proceed with self check-in online by selecting the seat you prefer and printing out your boarding pass. Upon arrival at the airport, you can go through the security check with your self-printed boarding pass.
3) Check-in at the airport self service kiosk: You can use the Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) at the airport for check-in with a valid ID (ID used when booking your flight). As you check-in, you can select your seating and print out your boarding pass on your own.
When you need to request an itinerary change, re-issuance or upgrade/downgrade, please contact the stand-by counter of Air China at the airport.

When you start to make a payment online, the transaction is transferred from Air China’s website to the newly opened webpage of the bank (please make sure that the original e-ticket webpage of Air China is not closed, otherwise a payment error will occur). At this time, the security and technical reliability for your online payment will be ensured by the bank. You can refer to the detailed information about online payments at the official bank website.

If the transaction goes smoothly, the website will get a confirmation from the bank (as long as the Air China e-ticket webpage is not closed during the whole process of online payment) and generate the e-ticket number for you after verifying the completion of your payment. The order number is different from the e-ticket number, which is the confirmation number for your reservation. As a reminder, we issue a travel itinerary which can be downloaded and printed out. When you check your booking at the “Passenger Travel Information" section, you will see the status of your booking as “transaction completed (ticket issued)”.
When you check your booking and find the status is “not completed (wait for ticketing)”, it indicates that although you’ve made the payment, the website failed to issue you the ticket automatically. If this happens, you may click the itinerary information in the query result and take actions according to the instructions on the webpage and confirm the ticket you bought. (Note: An e-ticket is only valid when the ticketing is completed.)

This may be caused by the internet. On rare occasions, the information for successful payment is not sent from the bank to our website, so the website cannot confirm that your payment has been made even though your bank account has been debited. In this case, we call it a “payment error” and we recommend you contact Air China by calling the Call Center Hotline at 4008-100-999. After verifying that your payment has been made, Air China will change the status of your booking from “wait for payment” to “wait for ticketing” and then you can proceed with subsequent actions.

Whether or not your payment is completed, please log onto the bank website again to check whether your account has been debited. You also need to log onto Air China’s e-ticket website and check the status of your booking by checking the "Passenger Travel Information “section.
If your bank account has been debited and the booking status is “transaction completed (ticket issued)”, no further actions are needed as your e-ticket has been issued. If your bank account has been debited and the booking status is “not completed (wait for ticketing)”, you need to check the itinerary information for your booking in the query result and complete the ticketing transaction according to the instructions on the webpage.
If your bank account has been debited and the booking status is “not completed (wait for payment)”, it indicates a payment error occurred and you need to call Air China to solve the problem according to the related instructions stated above in “Payment Errors”.
If your bank account has not been debited, you only need to find your reservation under “my booking” and check the itinerary information to make the transaction again according to the instructions on the webpage.

No. You should not repeat your payment when you find your ticket has already been paid for. (It excludes the situation that your account is not debited with the payment.)

Following the principle of “checking the account first and then your booking”, you need to verify whether your account has been debited or not and to check the status of your booking. Then you will need to provide all the related information to the service department of Air China by calling 4008-100-999 and we will help to solve the problem as soon as possible.