涵涵君的小站中文
在中国购买机票后需要退票或改签，费用取决于客票种类、折扣幅度和退票原因。本文按“是什么—怎么办—常见问题”说明自愿与非自愿退改的区别、费用如何计算、哪些情形不收费，以及购买渠道对退改的影响。
- 先分清两种情形：旅客因自身原因要求退票或改变航班、日期、舱位等级，属于“自愿”退改，通常需要支付手续费；因航班取消、延误、超售等非旅客原因导致的，属于“非自愿”退改。两者的收费标准完全不同。
- 退票费率是阶梯式的：不同舱位等级对应不同折扣的客票，退改签费用也不同。通常折扣幅度越大，退改签限制越严、退改费用也越高；不加任何限制条件的全价票（成人普通票价）在签转、变更和退票方面的限制很少。
- 自愿退票的费用：航空公司或其销售代理人应当按照所适用的运输总条件和客票使用规则办理，可能需要旅客支付一定的退票手续费；部分特价客票可能只退还民航建设基金及税费。
- 自愿变更（改签）的费用：改签属于自愿变更，航空公司或其销售代理人按照所适用的运输总条件和客票使用条件办理，旅客可能需要支付一定的变更手续费和客票差价。部分特价客票有不得自愿变更的限制，购票时需要重点确认。
- 非自愿改签不收费：由于航空公司原因导致旅客非自愿变更客票的，在有可利用座位或者被签转航空公司同意的情况下，航空公司或其销售代理人应当为旅客办理改期或者签转（即变更航空公司），不得向旅客收取客票变更费。
- 非自愿退票不收费：因航班取消、延误、超售等非旅客原因导致退票，旅客符合非自愿退票条件的，航空公司或其销售代理人不得收取退票费。
- 退款时限：无论自愿退票还是非自愿退票，航空公司或者其航空销售代理人均应在收到旅客有效退款申请之日起7个工作日内办理完成退款手续，上述时间不含金融机构处理时间。
- 可能退不了全款的情形：部分特价客票的客票使用条件规定不得自愿退票，或仅退还民航建设基金及税费；客票还有有效期，多数航空公司规定普通票价客票未使用时自出票之日起一年内有效，超过有效期可能无法办理退票。具体以所购客票的使用条件和承运航司的运输总条件为准。
- 航司差异与规则告知义务：《公共航空运输旅客服务管理规定》（交通运输部2021年第3号令）第十五条明确要求航空公司、航空销售代理人在售票时必须告知客票退改规则。不同航空公司的运输总条件和客票使用条件不同，同一航线的不同航司退改规则可能不一样，购票时应逐条查阅所购产品的使用条件。
- 购买渠道的影响：航空公司售票处、客服热线、官网、手机客户端、OTA平台和销售代理人都可以售票，但渠道会影响退改的办理方式。通过OTA平台购买的非联程航班由承运航司分航段独立出票，通常存在两个或以上运输合同，各航班的退改签规则独立计算、费用各自承担，其中一段变动不影响另一段。此外，行程单一般只能打印一次，已打印行程单后再办理客票变更或退票，需要将原行程单交回销售单位或航空公司。
- 联程航班的额外限制：预订在同一个客票号码上的两个及以上航班属于联程航班，在未发生非自愿变更的情况下须按顺序出行。例如广州—北京—沈阳的行程，如果广州—北京段未使用，北京—沈阳段也不可使用。
实际操作中，退改规则写在航空公司公布的运输总条件和客票使用条件里，同一航司不同票价产品之间也可能不同。购票时应当以显著方式获得退改规则的告知；如果发现相关信息告知不清或者未作说明，建议慎重选择，或更换其他渠道购票。
需要改签或退票时，建议尽早通过原购票渠道提出申请，并保留好订座记录编号、行程单和支付凭证。因航班取消、延误、超售等原因需要非自愿退改的，可以向航空公司提出；如果是在OTA平台购买的，也可以先联系平台，由其协调承运航司办理。
以上为一般性说明，具体要求与最新规定以官方发布为准。
English
China Flight Ticket Refund and Change Rules
If you need to refund or change a flight ticket in China, the cost depends on the type of ticket, the discount level and the reason for the change. This guide explains the difference between voluntary and involuntary refunds and changes, how fees are calculated, when no fee applies, and how the booking channel affects your rights.
- First, distinguish the two situations: if the passenger asks to refund a ticket or change the flight, date or cabin class for personal reasons, this is a "voluntary" refund or change and a fee is usually payable. If the change is caused by a flight cancellation, delay, oversale or other reason not attributable to the passenger, it is "involuntary". The two are charged completely differently.
- Refund fees are tiered: Different cabin classes correspond to tickets at different discount levels, and the refund and change fees differ accordingly. Generally, the larger the discount, the stricter the change and refund restrictions and the higher the fees. A full-fare ticket (the ordinary adult fare with no restrictions attached) has very few restrictions on endorsement, changes and refunds.
- Cost of a voluntary refund: The airline or its sales agent handles it in accordance with the applicable general conditions of carriage and the ticket's conditions of use, and the passenger may have to pay a refund fee. Some special-fare tickets may only be refunded for the civil aviation development fund and taxes.
- Cost of a voluntary change: A change is a voluntary alteration, handled in accordance with the applicable general conditions of carriage and the ticket's conditions of use, and the passenger may have to pay a change fee plus any fare difference. Some special-fare tickets cannot be changed voluntarily, so check this carefully when buying.
- Involuntary changes are free: Where an involuntary change is caused by the airline, the airline or its sales agent must, provided a seat is available or the receiving airline agrees, rebook the passenger to another date or endorse the ticket to another carrier, and must not charge a ticket change fee.
- Involuntary refunds are free: Where a refund results from a flight cancellation, delay, oversale or other reason not attributable to the passenger, the airline or its sales agent must not charge a refund fee if the passenger meets the conditions for an involuntary refund.
- Refund time limit: Whether the refund is voluntary or involuntary, the airline or its sales agent must complete the refund formalities within 7 working days of receiving the passenger's valid refund application. That period does not include the time taken by financial institutions to process the payment.
- When a full refund may not be available: The conditions of use of some special-fare tickets provide that they cannot be refunded voluntarily, or that only the civil aviation development fund and taxes are refunded. Tickets also have a validity period: most airlines provide that an unused ordinary-fare ticket is valid for one year from the date of issue, and a refund may no longer be possible after it expires. The conditions of use of the ticket you bought and the carrier's general conditions of carriage are authoritative.
- Airline differences and the duty to inform: Article 15 of the Provisions on the Administration of Passenger Services in Public Air Transport (Ministry of Transport Order No. 3 of 2021) requires airlines and their sales agents to inform passengers of the refund and change rules at the time of sale. General conditions of carriage and ticket conditions of use differ between airlines, and refund and change rules on the same route can differ between carriers, so check the conditions of the specific product you are buying.
- How the booking channel matters: Tickets can be bought at airline ticket offices, through customer service hotlines, official websites and mobile apps, on OTA platforms and through sales agents, but the channel affects how refunds and changes are handled. On an OTA-purchased non-interline itinerary, the operating carriers issue separate tickets for each segment, usually creating two or more contracts of carriage; the refund and change rules for each flight are calculated independently and each party bears its own costs, and a change to one segment does not affect the other. In addition, the itinerary receipt (Fapiao-style itinerary) can normally be printed only once; if you have already printed it and later change or refund the ticket, you must return the original itinerary receipt to the sales unit or airline.
- Extra limits on connecting flights: Two or more flights booked under a single ticket number form an interline itinerary and, absent an involuntary change, must be travelled in sequence. For example, on a Guangzhou–Beijing–Shenyang itinerary, if the Guangzhou–Beijing segment is not used, the Beijing–Shenyang segment cannot be used either.
In practice, refund and change rules are set out in the airline's published general conditions of carriage and the ticket's conditions of use, and can differ between fare products on the same carrier. When you buy a ticket, the rules must be disclosed to you in a prominent way; if the information is unclear or not explained, consider choosing another product or booking channel.
If you need to change or refund a ticket, apply as early as possible through the original booking channel and keep your booking reference, itinerary receipt and payment records. Where an involuntary change or refund is needed because of cancellation, delay or oversale, you can approach the airline; if you booked through an OTA platform, you can also contact the platform first and ask it to coordinate with the operating carrier.
The above is general guidance only. For specific requirements and the latest rules, please refer to official announcements.
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