Passengers traveling with China Eastern Airlines are now permitted to request refunds or make changes to domestic flight tickets free of charge if they do so up to 14 days in advance, according to the Shanghai-based carrier.

This policy applies to all domestic flights purchased on or after Aug 6, regardless of class of service. Changes or refunds can be requested up to 14 days (or 336 hours) before the scheduled departure, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a source from China Eastern.

The airline will process requests in accordance with the notifications posted on China Eastern's official website.

The new regulation addresses recent discussions regarding the high costs associated with ticket refunds and positions China Eastern as the first Chinese airline to reduce the free refund and change period to 14 days, departing from the industry standard of 30 days.

Source: China Daily