Other Asian, Australian and South Pacific Frequent Flyer Programs - Air China Canceled my flight, missing my connection

Just curious to see if the flyertalk forums can help any... I'm going to China in a few months, and my flight back to the states (pek-lax) has been canceled. They've offered to put me on a flight the next day, but I'll miss my connection in LAX. My travel insurance also won't pay for the extra hotel in beijing, for the 200 dollars a person fee to change my connections, and the 1 night in a hotel in Los Angeles.

Basically, I need to get China Air to pay for the hotel in Beijing, and for the 400 (200*2) dollar fee to move my connections. Or make new connections, whatever. Any suggestions?

Welcome to FT!

If your connection at LAX is on a separate ticket (which I believe is the case here), CA is not responsible for anything about that. So you are out of luck there.
You can try to ask for a night of hotel at beijing, it never hurt. But mostly likely you won't get anything.

Try to get them to put you on UA via SFO (or at least to SFO - you can buy a one way SFO-LAX for <$100). Hotels are cheap enough in PEK so it's a minor expense.
And to avoid further confusion it's Air China not China Air.
Welcome to FT!

Basically, I need to get China Air to pay for the hotel in Beijing, and for the 400 (200*2) dollar fee to move my connections. Or make new connections, whatever. Any suggestions?

Can you refund that ticket and just book a new one on a competitor similar to the price you paid?

Even for separate tickets, if you have "attached" two reservations so that Air China knows you're having a connection, they will do some action for you. "Attaching" can be done just by calling them. If they don't know you have connection, unfortunately you're out of luck. Or, if your voice is as big as Whitney Houston, you'll get some - in the end, it's Air China. You can just claim you need to leave on that day, and they may put you on SFO flight.

By the way, which airline is that taking 200 dollars for changing?

Just curious to see if the flyertalk forums can help any... I'm going to China in a few months, and my flight back to the states (pek-lax) has been canceled. They've offered to put me on a flight the next day, but I'll miss my connection in LAX. My travel insurance also won't pay for the extra hotel in beijing, for the 200 dollars a person fee to change my connections, and the 1 night in a hotel in Los Angeles.

Basically, I need to get China Air to pay for the hotel in Beijing, and for the 400 (200*2) dollar fee to move my connections. Or make new connections, whatever. Any suggestions?

Sounds like a refund is the best way and you are most likely entitled to it.

If you don't, they should at least pay for the hotel in PEK. I think you are out of luck on the LAX side as it is a separate ticket. Even if you "attached the PNRs" (whatever it means), I doubt you will get any useful help.

Who is the next carrier and where are you headed?

Sounds like a refund is the best way and you are most likely entitled to it.


For sure.

What is the reason for the cancellation? If CA sees the loading of that flight is too low, they probably merge this flight with the nex-day flight. This is what they usually do. I would ask for compensation plus refund. Let us know the final result.

i was in china a few months ago and had a couple of missed connections on Air China on domestic flights and in both cases they were ready and willing to help out. Once they put me up in a hotel and the other time they put me on another carrier. It was a bit hard to handle as there was virtually no english spoken in both airports, but they already had the plan and just herded us along. the second time it happened we knew they had a plan and so we were quite calm.

i was in china a few months ago and had a couple of missed connections on Air China on domestic flights and in both cases they were ready and willing to help out. Once they put me up in a hotel and the other time they put me on another carrier. It was a bit hard to handle as there was virtually no english spoken in both airports, but they already had the plan and just herded us along. the second time it happened we knew they had a plan and so we were quite calm.

Air China has contingency plans?! Will miracles never cease! :p
Seriously, these sorts of situations have always been one of biggest peeves with Chinese airlines/domestic flights. Usually there was no backup "plan" and nobody with authority out front facing the aggrieved customers, who ended up shouting at the hapless low level employees manning the desk. Unfortunately, the willful cancellation of flights just because loads are too low continues, and CA is not the only scofflaw domestically. This can really screw up your plans if you have no flexibility. You'd think that by now they have enough sets of data to know which routes have too much capacity at certain times of year, and just take the excess flights off the schedule to prevent wholesale cancellation. The airlines know the Chinese public has no recourse or meaningful vehicle for complaints, unlike in the US or EU.