Erinome: Hello everyone, welcome back to our podcast! I'm Erinome.
Enceladus: And I'm Enceladus. Today, we are going to talk about a new rule for airplane seats in China.
Erinome: Yes, you know that? There is news about "seat locking" on flights.
Enceladus: Oh, seat locking? What does that mean?
Erinome: It means some seats on the plane are locked. You cannot choose them for free. You need to pay or use points.
Enceladus: Wow, that sounds not good. I don't like to pay more for a seat.
Erinome: Me too. But now, there is a new rule. It is from China Air Transport Association.
Enceladus: Really? What does the new rule say?
Erinome: They made a paper called "征求意见稿". It means they ask people for ideas.
Enceladus: Oh, so it's not the final rule yet?
Erinome: Right. They show it to everyone on January 29th. People have one month to give their ideas.
Enceladus: I see. So, what is in this paper?
Erinome: It says airlines must put seats into two groups. "Free seats" and "reserved seats".
Enceladus: Reserved seats? Why do they need to reserve seats?
Erinome: Some seats are for safety and service. For example, seats for safety officers, or seats near emergency doors.
Enceladus: Oh, that makes sense. What about other reserved seats?
Erinome: Other seats are for "增值服务". That means added value service. They are for points or miles exchange.
Enceladus: Can we pay money for these seats?
Erinome: For international flights, yes. But for flights inside China, no. The paper says no cash service for seat selection on domestic flights.
Enceladus: Haha, that's good! So we don't need to pay extra money for a seat inside China.
Erinome: Yes. And there is a number. For domestic flights, at least 70% of seats must be free to choose.
Enceladus: 70%? That is a lot. What about international flights?
Erinome: For international and regional flights, it is at least 65%.
Enceladus: That's better than before, you know that? I heard many seats were locked before.
Erinome: Yes, there was a survey. It checked 10 big airlines in China.
Enceladus: What did they find?
Erinome: They found all 10 airlines lock seats in economy class. No airline opens all seats for free.
Enceladus: Oh no, that's bad. How many seats were locked?
Erinome: The survey says between 19.9% and 62.1%. The average was 38.7%.
Enceladus: Wow, almost 40% of seats were locked? That is too many.
Erinome: Yes. And the locked seats are usually the good ones. Like front seats, window seats, aisle seats.
Enceladus: Sad. So the free seats are only the middle seats or seats at the back?
Erinome: Often, yes. The comfortable seats were locked.
Enceladus: Why do airlines do this? They said it's for safety, right?
Erinome: They said many reasons. Like for special passengers, or for balance of the plane.
Enceladus: But the survey found a problem. If seats are for safety, why can people unlock them with money or points?
Erinome: Exactly. That is the big question. The survey says it looks like a way for airlines to make more money.
Enceladus: Um, I think so too. It is not fair for passengers.
Erinome: The new rule wants to make things clear. Airlines must tell people which seats are free and which are reserved.
Enceladus: How will they tell us?
Erinome: When you buy a ticket online or check in, they must show it clearly. They must use clear icons on the seat map.
Enceladus: Icons? Like pictures?
Erinome: Yes. To show "free seat", "member seat", "cannot choose online", "seat already taken".
Enceladus: That is good. No more confusing information.
Erinome: Also, airlines must say when they will release the reserved seats.
Enceladus: Release? You mean unlock them?
Erinome: Yes. Sometimes airlines keep seats locked until the last minute. Then they unlock them very late.
Enceladus: Oh, that is not good. People want to choose seats early.
Erinome: The new rule says they cannot do that. They must tell the release time.
Enceladus: This is a big change. What do people think about it?
Erinome: Many people are happy. They think it protects passenger rights.
Enceladus: What rights?
Erinome: The right to choose freely and the right to fair trade. Before, some people felt they had to pay for a basic service.
Enceladus: I agree. When I buy a ticket, I should be able to choose a seat without extra pay.
Erinome: The rule is still a draft. People can give their ideas until the end of February.
Enceladus: I hope many people say good things about it. Then it can become a real rule soon.
Erinome: Me too. This can make air travel better for everyone.
Enceladus: So, to remember: domestic flights, no cash for seats. At least 70% free seats.
Erinome: And clear information, no last-minute seat release.
Enceladus: Good. I think this is a step in the right direction.
Erinome: Yes. We will see what happens next.
Enceladus: Okay, that's it for today. Let's talk again next time!
Erinome: Bye everyone!
