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Chinese airline industry moves towards regulating the seat reservation rules
February 6th 2026
The China Air Transport Association (CATA) has issued draft rules to regulate airline seat reservation practices. Read More » The draft published by CATA at the end of January and open for public comments until February 27, 2026, sets out the first systematic industry management standards developed by Chinese civil aviation regulators for flight seat selection. The document regulates the number of ‘blocked seats’ on civil aviation flights and the principles for accessing and releasing them. Economy class seats are divided into free selectable seats and ‘blocked seats.’ The proportion of free selectable seats should not be less than 70% of the total number of economy class seats on domestic flights and no less than 65% on international and regional flights, according to the draft rules. Lin Zhijie, a civil aviation industry insider, told Yicai that the appropriate proportion of seat blocking is necessary before flight departure to safeguard the rights and experience of passengers who purchase tickets close to the departure time. Air tickets bought closer to departure are usually more expensive, so if seat selection were fully unrestricted, passengers paying higher fares would inevitably end up with worse seats, he explained. Airlines should open up more than half of the seats for passengers to choose independently, and the selectable seats should include window seats, aisle seats, and adjacent seats to meet passengers’ basic travel needs, he noted. Currently, the seat-blocking ratio across the 10 Chinese airlines surveyed by the Jiangsu Consumer Council ranges from 20% to 62%, with an average of nearly 39%. The draft rules explicitly prohibit cash-based paid seat selection on domestic flights. Only eligible members of airlines’ frequent flyer programs will be able to redeem specific seats using points, miles, or tier benefits. Paid seat selection will remain available on international and regional flights, with air transport operators responsible for assigning seat locations based on passenger demand.
