How many children can an adult take on board?, Women Buying 4 Tickets for Boarding with 3 Children Rejected | Consumer | Women
In recent days, the topic of "a woman claiming to have bought 4 tickets with 3 children but was rejected for boarding" has sparked heated discussions. The woman stated that she was traveling with three children and purchased one adult ticket and three children's tickets. Upon arriving at the airport, she was informed that she could not check in and could only buy one unaccompanied child ticket to board the plane smoothly. How many children can an adult passenger take with them when flying? How can airline regulations be more humane?
How many children can an adult passenger take on board?
Different airlines have different regulations
Yesterday, a reporter from China Voice at the headquarters called Sichuan Airlines involved in the incident, and customer service personnel stated that the relevant operations were carried out in accordance with Sichuan Airlines' boarding regulations.
"At present, an adult can bring two children under the age of 12, and the third child is counted as unaccompanied and needs to buy a special ticket specifically for special children who are not carried by adults."
The Regulations on the Management of Passenger Services in Public Air Transport will come into effect on September 1, 2021, and there are no mandatory requirements for how many children each adult passenger can take on board. This means that airlines can set the number of children that each adult passenger can carry based on their own operating conditions and flight safety standards.
The reporter found through search that besides Sichuan Airlines, other domestic airlines also have similar regulations, but the details of the regulations vary. According to Air China regulations, an adult passenger can carry no more than three children under the age of 5, and there is no limit on the number of children over the age of 5; According to regulations of China Southern Airlines, each adult passenger is allowed to carry no more than 3 children under the age of 5, or no more than 8 children under the age of 12; Xiamen Airlines stipulates that each adult passenger can carry a maximum of 2 children under the age of 12.
Third party ticketing platforms should inform consumers of relevant information
According to media reports, the relevant person in charge of Sichuan Airlines stated that preliminary information indicates that the passenger in question purchased the ticket through a third-party agent, but the agent did not issue the ticket according to regulations, resulting in subsequent incidents of boarding being denied. Regarding this, Chen Yinjiang, Deputy Secretary General of the Consumer Rights Protection Law Research Association of the China Law Society, believes that third parties should inform consumers of the information about the number of children that can be carried by relevant airlines when issuing tickets, in order to protect consumers' right to know.
"Especially for information that has an interest in consumers, it should be reminded in an effective way. If the operator fails to fulfill the obligation of information disclosure, resulting in damage to consumers' rights and interests, consumers can fully demand compensation from the operator for the corresponding losses."
The reporter learned that in many civil aviation disputes, a large proportion of passengers are not aware of the relevant clauses and restrictions. Zhao Jingwu, Associate Professor of the School of Law at Beihang University, suggests that airlines and third-party ticketing platforms should increase efforts to popularize knowledge for different types of special passengers:
Before purchasing a flight ticket, passengers are reminded to view the core terms of civil aviation services and explain the corresponding terms through SMS, app pop ups, and other means;
Spread case statements, expert comments, and other content on different social media platforms to expand the legal basis of civil aviation service terms;
In compulsory education and higher education, civil aviation service knowledge will be included as the teaching content of public courses, further expanding the scope of popularization of civil aviation service terms.
Expert: The service rules of civil aviation enterprises should keep up with the times
A netizen suggested that "the current society has opened up the three child policy, and airlines should also adjust their policies according to the actual situation." In response, Zhao Jingwu said that civil aviation enterprises can first improve their service methods:
Add seats for families with three or more children on airplanes or trains, allowing such families to prioritize purchasing row seats and arranging seats before check-in;
During the service training phase, add content related to family services for three children;
Strictly regulate business communication with third-party agencies, clarify the number of minors that each adult can accompany during the ticketing stage, and provide detailed explanations and provisions on such service terms and content before ticketing.
Chen Yinjiang believes that airlines limit the number of children on board for safety reasons, but up-to-date service rules can enhance the actual experience for consumers.
"She has three children, so she needs to take one more child for travel needs. This regulation needs to be further studied and improved to adapt to actual consumption needs and listen to consumers' opinions. Humanized service rules can provide consumers with a good consumption experience, and airlines can also gain better reputation and reputation."
