China Eastern compensation: which flights between Europe and Shanghai qualify
China Eastern is the obvious choice for many travellers heading from Rome, Paris or Madrid to China, with a connection at Shanghai Pudong for the rest of Asia. We have handled more than 100 claims against the airline, covering over 130 passengers, and 8 out of 10 of them are about long delays.
The key point comes first. China Eastern Airlines is headquartered in Shanghai and is a Chinese, non-EU carrier, so Regulation (EC) 261/2004 applies to it only on flights departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. A late Paris–Shanghai flight can be worth €600 per person; the return leg, Shanghai–Paris, is outside the EU rules.
Delayed arrival
Your China Eastern flight from Europe reaches its final destination three hours or more behind schedule.
3+ hours lateCancelled flight
Your departure from Rome, Paris or Madrid is scrapped with less than 14 days' notice and no close alternative.
Under 14 days' noticeBumped at the gate
You are refused boarding at a European airport because the flight is oversold, despite valid travel documents.
Payable at onceNo claim
Flights leaving China for Europe, and disruption caused by a genuine extraordinary circumstance.
Non-EU departure or force majeureNot sure where your trip stands? Enter the airports and the date: check your China Eastern flight for free.
How much China Eastern pays: usually €600 per passenger
The routes most often reported to us link Europe with Shanghai and all exceed 9,000 km. When a claim is valid, the payout is therefore almost always the top rate, whatever the ticket cost.
| Distance | China Eastern examples departing the EU | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | China Eastern does not fly short routes within Europe | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | No routes in this band on its European network | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Rome–Shanghai, Paris–Shanghai, Madrid–Shanghai | €600 |
Each traveller on the booking is entitled separately: a family of four on a Rome–Shanghai flight that landed five hours late can claim €2,400 in total. Children with their own seat count the same as adults. In the claim form you add the flight once and then list your companions.
China Eastern flight delayed: what to do at the airport
The clock stops when the doors open in Shanghai, or at your final destination if the whole trip was on one ticket. Before you board:
- Photograph the departures board showing the MU flight number and the revised time.
- Keep the China Eastern app alerts and emails, even those in Chinese: they help pin down the cause.
- Ask the desk for the reason and write it down; "flow control" and "late arrival of aircraft" are the usual phrases.
- Hold on to receipts for meals, taxis or a hotel if ground staff gave you no vouchers.
- Note your real arrival time and keep the boarding passes for every leg.
Meals, hotel and refund while you wait
On covered flights the airline owes you care even when no cash compensation is due. On its long-haul routes the threshold is four hours.
| Distance | Meals and drinks after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km | 4 hours |
| More than 5 hours | You may abandon the trip and get the fare back |
Missed connection in Shanghai
Many passengers continue from Pudong to Beijing, Tokyo or Jakarta. On a single ticket that started in Europe, what matters is arrival at the final city, and compensation is based on the total distance. Read more in our guide to China Eastern delay compensation.
China Eastern cancelled your flight: what you are owed
Roughly 1 in 6 of our China Eastern cases is a cancellation. Two separate rights can apply at the same time.
Your choice: the ticket price back, or a new flight to Shanghai at the earliest opportunity.
Payable on top if the flight left the EU and you heard about the cancellation less than 14 days before departure.
| Notice given | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No, but you keep the refund or new flight |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and lands within 4 hours of the original time |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands within 2 hours of the original time |
Retimed flights. A major schedule change announced close to departure can count as a cancellation under EU case law. More on our page about China Eastern cancelled flight compensation.
China Eastern overbooking on flights from Europe
It is rare in our files, about 1 case in 100. But if you are left behind at Fiumicino or Barajas against your will, compensation is due straight away, along with a replacement flight or a refund. Nothing is owed if boarding is refused because of a missing visa or an invalid passport. See our page on China Eastern overbooking and denied boarding.
Strikes affecting China Eastern flights
What usually grounds a China Eastern departure from Europe is a local walkout, such as French air traffic controllers or ground handlers at an Italian airport. That is an extraordinary circumstance: no compensation, though care and the choice of refund or rerouting remain. If the airline's own pilots or cabin crew were to strike, compensation would normally be payable (Court of Justice of the EU, case C-28/20).
China Eastern rejected your claim? Common reasons
Replies tend to arrive in English, using stock wording. This is how we assess them.
A fault found during routine checks is part of running an airline, unless it is a manufacturing defect flagged by the maker.
Court of Justice of the EU, case C-549/07If the inbound aircraft reached Europe late because of traffic limits in China, the airline must prove the link to your delay and that it did everything reasonable to limit it.
A European controllers' or airport strike rules out compensation; a strike by the airline's own staff does not.
Court of Justice of the EU, case C-28/20Here the airline is right: Shanghai–Rome or Shanghai–Paris operated by China Eastern is not covered by EU rules.
Flights from Shanghai to Europe: what is not covered
Because the airline is not European, the following are excluded when China Eastern operates them:
- return flights Shanghai–Rome, Shanghai–Paris and Shanghai–Madrid
- Shanghai–Marseille and other routes from China into European cities
- flights between China and other Asian countries booked on a separate ticket
The exception is a flight sold with an MU code but operated by a European SkyTeam partner. The operating carrier is what counts, so in that case you are protected on arrival in Europe too.
Flying out of Britain? Departures from UK airports fall under the UK's retained version of the rules, overseen by the CAA, with amounts in pounds. We handle those claims too.
Shanghai Airlines and the rest of the group
China Eastern also owns Shanghai Airlines, which keeps its own brand, and China United Airlines, based at Beijing Daxing. If one of their flights continues your journey from Europe on the same ticket, the delay at the final destination is what counts. The shared frequent flyer scheme is called Eastern Miles.
How to claim from China Eastern: on your own or with us
You can write to customer service through ceair.com, quoting your booking reference, flight number and passenger names. Here is how the options compare.
Free, but correspondence is slow and in English. After a rejection you can turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed, or to the courts, by yourself.
Two minutes and an online signature. We handle the claim, the formal demand and any court action with our own lawyers. If you win, our fee is 25% + VAT; if you lose, legal costs stay with us.
If China Eastern has already refused
A first no does not close the case. If the flight left the EU and the reason does not stand up, we send the airline a formal letter before action.
What you need
- E-ticketWith the booking reference and the MU number of every flight.
- PassportA copy for every passenger, children included.
- Proof of disruptionAirline emails, photos of the board, receipts.
Time limits
The Regulation sets no deadline: the limitation rules of the country where you bring the claim apply (Court of Justice of the EU, case C-139/11). Even a trip to China a few years back is worth checking: enter your flight date.
How long China Eastern takes to pay
When China Eastern accepts a claim, payment usually follows within a few weeks. If it refuses or stays silent, a formal demand and sometimes court proceedings are needed, which adds a few months. We transfer your share as soon as the money reaches us.
Delayed or damaged luggage on China Eastern
Bags fall under the Montreal Convention, not Regulation 261, and it covers Chinese airlines on international flights too. File a PIR before leaving the arrivals hall, then write to the airline within 7 days for damage and within 21 days of delivery for a delay.
China Eastern contacts and flight status
- Head office
- China Eastern Airlines, Minhang, Shanghai, China
- Hubs
- Shanghai Pudong and Shanghai Hongqiao; also Kunming and Xi'an
- Complaints
- Customer service section of ceair.com
- Flight status
- China Eastern app or ceair.com
Ryanair
Wizz Air
Vueling