Core Viewpoint - The China Air Transport Association has released a draft for public consultation regarding the rules for seat reservation on flights, aiming to clarify the number of "locked seats" and their allocation and release mechanisms, with feedback due by February 2 [1][3]. Group 1: Domestic Flight Regulations - The draft specifies that the proportion of free selectable seats for domestic flights must be at least 70% of the total economy class seats, with higher percentages for larger aircraft [1][3]. - Prior to this, the Jiangsu Consumer Protection Committee had raised concerns with ten airlines about issues related to seat locking, including excessive locking of premium seats and opaque unlocking mechanisms [1][3]. Group 2: International and Regional Flight Regulations - For international and regional flights, the draft mandates that free selectable seats should not be less than 65% of the total economy class seats [2][4]. - The draft also clarifies that domestic flights will not allow cash payments for seat selection; instead, only eligible members can redeem seats through points, mileage, or membership tier benefits [2][4].

Core Viewpoint - The China Air Transport Association has released a draft for public consultation regarding the rules for "seat locking" on flights, aiming to clarify the number, acquisition, and release rules for locked seats, with feedback due by February 2 [1] Group 1: Seat Locking Rules - The draft specifies that at least 70% of economy class seats on domestic flights must be available for free selection, with higher percentages for larger aircraft [2][4] - For international and regional flights, the minimum percentage of free selectable seats is set at 65% of the total economy class seats [2][4] - Prior investigations indicated that the seat locking ratio among ten airlines ranged from 19.9% to 62.1%, with an average of 38.7% [2][5] Group 2: Payment and Selection Mechanisms - The draft prohibits cash payments for seat selection on domestic flights, allowing only members to redeem seats through points or mileage [6][8] - The concept of "value-added reserved seats" is introduced, which requires passengers to pay or use points to select certain seats, with a growing trend of airlines marking seats for additional fees [7][8] Group 3: Release Rules - The draft outlines rules for releasing reserved seats at check-in counters, stating that domestic flight reserved seats must be made available for free during check-in, while international flights must release certain reserved seats no later than six hours before departure [9][10]