China Eastern flight delay and cancellation compensation

Your rights on a China Eastern flight

China Eastern Airlines (MU) is one of China's three state-owned majors, hubbed at Shanghai and flying to Frankfurt, Paris, Amsterdam, London and Rome. It is not an EU or UK carrier, and that single fact decides where your rights reach.

Because China Eastern holds no EU or UK operating licence, protection attaches to the airport you departed from, not to the airline:

• Departing any EU/EEA airport on China Eastern — EU261 applies.
• Departing the UK on China Eastern — UK261, the retained British version of the rules, applies.
• Arriving into the EU/EEA or the UK from Shanghai — not covered, because China Eastern is not a Community carrier and the inbound limb requires an EU or UK airline.

So a Frankfurt departure to Shanghai is protected; the same aircraft flying Shanghai to Frankfurt is not. Everything China Eastern flies out of Europe is long-haul, which puts eligible claims in the top compensation band.

Compensation is triggered by a delay of three hours or more at your final destination, a cancellation with under 14 days' notice, or involuntary denied boarding.

How much you could receive

The amount is fixed by route distance, not by the fare or the cabin, and each passenger with a confirmed booking claims separately.

• EUR 250 — flights of 1,500 km or less
• EUR 400 — flights of 1,500 to 3,500 km
• EUR 600 — flights over 3,500 km, which covers China Eastern's departures from Europe to Shanghai

UK261 claims use the sterling bands of GBP 220 / GBP 350 / GBP 520.

When China Eastern doesn't have to pay

There is no compensation where the disruption was caused by extraordinary circumstances that could not have been avoided even with all reasonable measures — severe weather, air-traffic-control restrictions, airport closures, security alerts or a bird strike.

Two points are widely misunderstood:

• The airline carries the burden of proof. A one-line message citing "operational reasons" is an assertion, not evidence.
• A strike by China Eastern's own crew is generally not extraordinary, while strikes by third parties — air-traffic controllers, airport handlers — usually are.

Routine technical faults found during ordinary maintenance normally remain the airline's responsibility.

How to claim from China Eastern

Keep the booking reference, your boarding pass, and any message announcing the delay or cancellation. Ask, in writing, for the reason. For a missed connection, note the actual arrival time at your final destination.

We handle the submission, the follow-up and any appeal from start to finish.

What it costs

The eligibility check is free. If we recover your compensation we charge a fixed EUR 39 success fee — the same whether you're owed EUR 250 or EUR 600 — and the airline's payment goes to you. No win, no fee.