Passengers hit by “locked” premium seats as gray‑market paid selection booms

What travellers are finding

Passengers across China are reporting that premium economy seats — front rows, window and aisle spots — are shown as “locked” during online check‑in, leaving only distant middle seats free. Many discover they must redeem loyalty points or miles to claim the locked seats, and that free selectable seats are sparse. Ifeng (凤凰网) reported widespread complaints on social platforms and consumer‑complaint sites: some flyers say seats listed as “full” or reserved for points become available only after staff intervene at the airport. Who really controls those seats? Airlines give different answers.

Airlines, sellers and risks

Major carriers contacted by reporters — including China Southern Airlines (南方航空), Hainan Airlines (海南航空), Air China (中国国际航空) and China Eastern (东方航空) — say they have not authorised third‑party paid selection and that some locks are for safety, weight‑and‑balance, or mileage‑based member reservations. At the same time, it has been reported that hundreds of merchants on second‑hand marketplaces such as Xianyu (闲鱼) advertise “paid unblocking” services for scores to thousands of yuan or points; one vendor reportedly logged more than 4,140 seat‑selection transactions and thousands of positive reviews. Sellers claim they “run errands” or use special channels to reserve seats, but it has been reported that selections sometimes fail, seats are later cancelled, and refunds are hard to obtain.

Regulatory push and legal concerns

Consumer advocates and lawyers argue locked seats limit passengers’ equal choice and may amount to hidden surcharges in breach of China’s Price Law and Consumer Rights legislation. It has been reported that the China Air Transport Association (中国航空运输协会) on January 29 published a draft rule — the “Public Air Transport Enterprises Flight Reserved Seat Rules (consultation draft)” — that would classify reserved seats into safety‑critical and value‑added categories, require at least 70% of domestic seats be freely selectable, and ban cash paid selection on domestic flights (reserving paid options for international sectors only). Observers say the draft fills a regulatory gap; the question now is enforcement.

What this means for flyers

For passengers the practical advice is blunt: expect friction when checking in online and be wary of third‑party offers that sound too good to be true. Regulators have signalled they are moving to curb opaque seat‑locking and the emergent gray market, but until rules are final and enforced, travellers will likely face uncertainty at the gate.