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FAQ online Check-in Device

1.Q: Who qualify to check in online on Air China's official website?

Answer: Adult passengers who purchase e-tickets (without flight change) for flights operated by Air China and code-share flights with Shenzhen Airlines, Shandong Airlines and Tibet Airlines. Applications of special passengers (including VIP passengers, injured passengers, disabled passengers, disabled army and police veterans, pregnant women, unaccompanied children, passengers who require special meals, and wheelchair passengers) are currently not accepted. If you use a third-party service platform other than official Air China channels for check-in, Air China cannot guarantee follow-up services. Since August 1, 2016, Air China's official website supports children check-ins for family units. (i.e. the addition and joint check-in of 1-2 children for the same cabin and flight as travel companion during adult check-in. The system does not currently support the addition of a travel companion on connecting flights or separate children check-ins. When check-in is cancelled, the adult check-in can only be cancelled after the children check-in has been cancelled. )Family check-ins on the website are only available to flights operated by Air China.

2.Q: If I have completed online check-in, can I cancel it through my mobile phone? And vice versa

A: Yes. You can check –in through either of the two channels three times and are allowed to cancel your check-in three times. Check-in must be cancelled at least 3 hours before flight departure.

3.Q: Which seats is online check-in not applicable to? And which cities is online check-in available for?

A: Online check-in is currently not applicable to emergency exit seats. If you are seated in an emergency exit seat, you are requested to check in at our check-in counters at the airport. And on our website, we have provided a list of the domestic and international cities for which online check-in is available.

4.Q: For online check-in, how can I obtain my Itinerary/Receipt of E-Ticket?

A: You can request your Itinerary/Receipt directly from the location of ticket purchase. If you have purchased your ticket on our website, you can request your Itinerary/Receipt at our counters at the departure airport. Please note that (1) The Itinerary/Receipt can be used for reimbursement purposes, and (2) you can request your Itinerary/Receipt only once.

5.Q: With a ticket purchased through a travel agency or sales agency, can I check in online?

A: Online check-in is applicable to all CA e-tickets (with no ticket change having been made) on Air China-operated flights and flights on which Air China shares code with Shenzhen Airlines, Shandong Airlines and Tibet Airlines.

6、6.Q: Is online check-in applicable to domestic connecting flight?

A: Yes. Boarding pass can be printed for each flight sector.

7.Q: When can I check in online?

Answer: For domestic flights, please check in online from 20:00 two days before departure to 1 hour before departure. For international flights, please check in online 36 hours before departure until 3 hours before departure. You cannot cancel your online check-in 3 hours or less before departure.

8.Q: Why can’t my boarding pass be printed?

A: That’s probably because of your browser, Internet connection or printer. You can still complete all the steps of online check-in even if you cannot print your boarding pass. In that case, you can have your boarding pass printed at our check-in counters at the airport of departure. Currently, passengers departing from Beijing on domestic flights can also choose to print the boarding pass from the self-service check-in device (CUSS) installed at the airport.

9.Q: What can I do if I lose my boarding pass?

A: You can have your boarding pass printed again at our check-in counters at the counters of departure airport with your valid ID.

10.Q: At the time of online check-in, what paper should I print my boarding pass on?

A: You can just use a piece of ordinary A4 paper to print your boarding pass. LASER printer is highly recommended.

11.Q: Why does “Boarding Gate” on the boarding pass show “TBD”?

A: Since there could be still a long time before flight departure when you check in online, we are likely to make some adjustments to your flight in the interim. Please find the up-to-date information on your flight’s departure time and boarding gate shown on the flight displays after arriving at the airport. Though your boarding gate has not been “assigned”, you can still go through the security check as normal.

12.Q: How can I obtain the boarding pass from the website and use it?

A: After you have completed online check-in, you can obtain your boarding pass in five ways: SAVE, PRINT, SMS, EMAIL and PASSBOOK. Of these ways, SAVE, PRINT and EMAIL provide boarding pass in JPG format and allow you to print it on a piece of A4 paper. Please note that only the last boarding pass printed is valid. If you do not have baggage to check, you can directly go through the security check with the printed boarding pass. SMS and PASSWORD provide QF code boarding pass. We will send a short text message to your mobile phone. You can click the link and save the QF code on your mobile phone. The printed A4 paper boarding pass and the e-boarding pass are all valid travel documents. Based on the rules of Civil Aviation Administration of China, you can only hold one valid boarding document.

13.Q: What are the cities where online check-in is available?

A: For a list of such cities, head to http://www.airchina.com.cn/cn/service/check-in/domestic_cities_c3.shtm.

14.Q: Is online check-in applicable to group reservation?

A: Yes. But the passengers in the group can only check in one by one.

15.Q: Is online check-in allowed for a number of passengers at the same time?

A: Yes. After one passenger checks in, other passengers should be added as travel companions. Please note that all these passengers must be in the same class of service.

16.Q: After online check-in has been completed, is it allowed to change the seat already selected?/span>

A: Yes, you cancel the seat you have selected and select a new seat and print your boarding pass. Please note that after you click “Cancel Check-in”, the boarding pass originally generated will be invalidated. On the same flight segment, you can check in at most 3 times.

17.Can I conduct the online check-in procedure without a printer?

A: Yes, you may bring a valid ID document to reprint the boarding pass at the Air China designated counter at the airport of origin for the flight segment.

18.Q: After completing online check-in, how can I check my baggage

A: You can check your baggage at the check-in counters at the airport with your valid ID.

19.Q: What is the time limit for reprinting boarding passes?

A: Before departure: Boarding passes can be reprinted through the Air China website up to an hour before departure; After departure: Boarding passes can be reprinted through the Air China website from 48 hours up to 60 days after departure; Currently, boarding passes cannot be reprinted more than 60 days after departure. To protect passenger privacy, Air China only supports reprinting boarding passes for Air China-operated flights.