Cancel flight with China Airlines: cancellation policy

China Airlines, the flag carrier and one of the two biggest airlines in Taiwan, was founded in 1959. The state owned air carrier relies on a fleet of 83 aircraft to carry passengers across 29 countries and 178 destinations (42 of them in the Americas).

The Taiwanese airline bears the name China Airlines after the official name of Taiwan, the Republic of China (not to be confused with the People’s Republic of China), and therefore should be distinguished from Air China, one of the “Big Four” Chinese airlines.

This article will provide a brief overview of China Airlines’ cancellation policy, more specifically the procedure for cancellation and the conditions and ways for applying and receiving a refund.

Disrupted flight?

While delays or cancellations are to be expected globally due to the post-COVID shortage of airport staff, including air traffic controllers, the inconvenience they cause to air passengers is still at the same unpleasant level. If you have been on an Air Canada canceled or delayed flight recently, you know what we mean. Disruptions to your travel itinerary are never easy to deal with, especially if you are planning to fly across the Atlantic.

Yes, we as travelers will have to get used to the new reality and accept the fact that flight disruptions will be happening more often in the years to come. However, that does not mean that we should put up with everything that airlines and airports throw our way. Luckily, there are laws and regulations in place which aim to protect air passengers’ rights, including the rights of Air Canada passengers.

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Cancellation of tickets from and to the United States

Similar to Condor Ailrines, China Airlines offers special conditions for flight cancellations to and from the U.S. Passengers have the right to cancel such boookings for free within 48 hours of the purchase.

There are no cancelation fees and it is possible to receive a full refund. The ticket should be completely unused and booked at least a week before the scheduled departure through China Airlines’ website.

There is a similar exception for flight bookings from Korea: a full refund without any charges can be issued within 7 days of booking if the ticket is purchased at least 10 days prior to the scheduled departure.

How to request a ticket refund

China Airlines strives to provide refunds as quickly as possible. The easiest way to cancel a reservation and request a reimbursement is to do it through an online form on the airline’s website. A reservation can be cancelled within 2 years of the ticket’s date of issue.

Before filling in the online refund request form, you should prepare all relevant information, including your name, ID data, flight ticket number and itinerary and credit card details (if the ticket was purchased with a card).

It is important to mention that the above mentioned procedure is only valid if the ticket is purchased from China Airlines directly (from their website, app, ticket desk or customer service center). If you make a booking through a travel agency, you will have to contact them to handle the cancellation.

If you do not cancel your reservation, do not show up for your flight or do not board the plane after checking in, you will not be able to apply for a refund on China Airlines’ website; you will need to contact customer service or their local office. The same applies to tickets that were partially used (only one leg of the journey was completed).

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Refund fees

Depending on the ticket fare you purchased, a different refund fee will be applied when you cancel your reservation for a China Airlines flight. This fee will be directly deducted from your refund amount.

China Airlines offers three travel classes: Economy, Premium Economy and Business class, each of which includes three different fares, Basic, Standard, and Flex (Economy also has a Discount fare). None of the fares include a free cancellation but the Flex fare allows passengers to change their booking for free.

In the event of a cancelation additional baggage payments are fully refunded without a fee. However, seat selection charges are not automatically refunded.

When will the refund be processed

China Airlines’s timeframes for processing refund requests are quite standard.

If the ticket is purchased with a credit card, the refund will be processed to the same card within 7 business days. However, it may take a longer time for the money to actually be transferred to the bank account since that depends on the credit card issuer.

If the ticket was purchased with cash or a check, the procedure will take 20 business days.

Tickets bought with award miles from China Airlines’ loyalty program, the Dynasty Flyer Program, are also eligible for refunds. There is a handling fee of $50 and if the award is still valid at the date of the cancellation, the miles will be reissued to the owner’s account.