Air China, China Eastern the latest carriers to sever ties with online travel site Qunar citing terrible customer service
Customers reportedly complained of subsequently changed terms and conditions, unfairly heavy penalties, lack of notifications
China’s state-owned airlines Air China and China Eastern have suspended tickets sales from online travel agency Qunar due to complaints from passengers, the two carriers announced this week.
Qunar is the second-largest online travel agency platform in China after Ctrip. Apart from flights, it offers tours and accommodation bookings worldwide and mainly targets Chinese customers.
But customers who reserved tickets on the two aforementioned airlines reportedly said Qunar subsequently altered the terms and conditions of the deal. Others complained of either being overcharged on ticket prices or too heavily penalised for cancellations. A third group said they were not notified of changes to their flight itineraries or dates.
“In order to protect customers’ rights and strictly regulate market order, our company has decided to suspend our business co-operation with Qunar with immediate effect and shut down our flagship store on Qunar,” China Eastern said on Monday.
Air China released a similarly worded statement on the same day.
Three more Chinese airlines - China Southern, Hainan Airlines and Capital Airlines - also ended their co-operation with the company at the end of last month over similar concerns.
The travel site struck back by claiming the partnerships dissolved “as a result of disagreements over ticket display order”. It said the airlines wanted it to display all available tickets by putting the earliest flights first.