Air China · fees checked 2026-10-24
Air China fees: bags, seats and card fees
What Air China's fares include and what the extras really cost, from Air China's own website. Prices in AUD per person. Anything Air China doesn't publish, we say so rather than guess.
Economy Standard fare includes
a 5 kg cabin bag, a 23 kg checked bag
seat choice the airline doesn't publish, a meal
Checked bag
from $206
online, Australia - China, and onward within Asia via China; at the airport from $228
Choosing a seat
not published
Paying
no card fee published
free: No card fee is published on airchina.com.au
Air China: 45D · Foggy
How see-through is Air China?
Published prices18 / 40
Air China publishes a price or rule for 22 of the 48 extras we check across its fare types and route zones.
The drip0 / 30
Air China doesn't publish what a bag and a seat cost on its cheapest fare, so the drip can't be seen coming.
Catches17 / 20
3 documented catches cost 3 points (prices that aren't published are counted above, not here).
Paying10 / 10
No card fee.
Every Air China fee
See real prices on Air China| Fare type | Cabin | Checked | Seat | Meal | Change | Cancel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy Standard | 5 kg | 1 × 23 kg | not published | ✓ | fee | none |
| Economy Flex | 5 kg | 2 × 23 kg | not published | ✓ | fee | refund |
| Economy Selected | 5 kg | 2 × 23 kg | not published | ✓ | not published | not published |
| Economy Latitude | 5 kg | 2 × 23 kg | not published | ✓ | free | refund |
| Extra | Australia - China, and onward within Asia via China | Australia - Europe via China |
|---|---|---|
| Checked bag online, 23 kg per direction | $206–$360 | $403–$411 |
| Checked bag at airport, 23 kg per direction | $228–$400 | $448–$457 |
Paying: no card fee published. Free: No card fee is published on airchina.com.au (its notice to passengers and FAQ mention none); not verified in the booking flow.
Watch out: 3 catches on Air China
- Charged per flight, not per trip. Air China charges excess baggage on each segment, so an extra bag costs USD 160 (about A$228) to Beijing and again on any onward flight. source
- Charged, but the price isn't published. Air China doesn't publish its change or refund fees; they depend on the fare rules and how close to departure you change. source
- Charged, but the price isn't published. Preferred seat prices aren't published; Air China says they're 'as shown at the time of booking'. source
- Air China's cheapest economy fare (Standard) includes one 23 kg bag between Australia and China; Flex, Selected and Latitude include two. Air China's 'baggage special' page says two bags on trips starting in Australia, but its July 2026 table gives Standard only one, so check the allowance shown when you book (caAllowance)
- Carry-on in economy is one bag of just 5 kg (55 x 40 x 20 cm), well under the 7-10 kg most airlines allow: anything heavier has to be checked (caNotice)
- An extra bag at the airport costs USD160 (about A$228) per flight between Australia and China, and each onward flight adds its own charge. Pre-paying online at least 6 hours out saves 10% (caExcess, caPrepaid)
- Economy Standard can't be refunded, and changes cost a fee on Standard and Flex; only Latitude changes and refunds free. Air China doesn't publish the fee amounts: check the fare rules before you pay (caBrands, caRules)
- Air China doesn't publish whether choosing a standard seat costs extra; preferred seats are priced at booking (caSeats)
Sources
caAllowance · Air China: Free baggage allowances for ordinary baggage, piece concept routes (effective 10 Jul 2026) · checked 2026-10-24 · Routes from/to the Chinese mainland, IATA Zone 3 'Hong Kong SAR, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, Japan': Economy Latitude, Selected and Flex 2 pieces x 23 kg; Economy Standard 1 piece x 23 kg. Australia (Southwest Pacific) to Europe or Asia via the Chinese mainland: Economy 2 pieces x 23 kg (no brand split shown). 'The free checked baggage allowance is subject to the system display at the time of booking.' Same file as airchina.us/go/2026.8-4/... (identical checksum).
caBagSpecial · Air China Australia: Baggage special (2 pieces from Australia) · checked 2026-10-24 · When the first outbound trip travels from Australia to China, Asia, Europe and other countries, Economy 2 pieces x 23 kg, Business 2 x 32 kg, 'valid in the long term'. No start date or fare exclusions stated; 'refer to the free baggage allowance when you purchase the ticket'. The July 2026 table (caAllowance) gives Economy Standard only 1 piece to/from China.
caExcess · Air China: Excess baggage charges, international routes, piece concept (Appendix I, linked from the AU excess baggage fee page) · checked 2026-10-24 · PDF headed '1 Jun 2019 Edition', linked from https://www.airchina.com.au/AU/GB/info/checked-baggage/overweight-charge.html. Zone 2 (Europe/Middle East - Africa/Asia/Southwest Pacific; Japan/Southwest Pacific - Asia): 1st and 2nd extra piece RMB1,100 / USD160 / EUR140, 3rd+ RMB1,590 / USD230 / EUR200; 23-28 kg RMB280 / USD40; 28-32 kg or oversize RMB690 / USD100. Zone 5 (within Asia): 1st extra piece RMB830 / USD120, 2nd RMB1,100 / USD160. RMB only departing mainland China, EUR only departing the euro zone, USD elsewhere. 'Excess baggage charges apply to each segment of the journey.' Converted at RBA 23-Oct-2026.
caPrepaid · Air China Australia: Prepaid excess baggage · checked 2026-10-24 · Piece system: '90% of the standard fee for ordinary checked baggage', up to 2 extra pieces per one-way or connecting flight, booked at least 6h before departure. Ticket number must start 999; CA-coded, Air China-operated international direct flights or one-transfer flights. No prices listed on the page.
caNotice · Air China Australia: Notice to passengers · checked 2026-10-24 · Carry-on (international, Economy): 1 piece, 5 kg, 55 x 40 x 20 cm. Section 23 still lists Economy to Australia as 1 free piece x 23 kg (older than caAllowance). Advance seat request 'on some flights', no fee stated. Changes: 'applicable fees ... in accordance with fare conditions'; voluntary refunds subject to a refund fee; amounts not given.
caBrands · Air China: Announcement on branded fares in Economy Class on international and regional routes · checked 2026-10-24 · Feb 2024. Economy Standard: no refunds, rebooking with a fee. Economy Flex: refunds and rebooking with a fee. Economy Comfort: refunds with a fee, free rebooking. Economy Latitude: free refunds and rebooking. Fee amounts not published. The July 2026 allowance table names Standard, Flex, Selected and Latitude instead.
caRules · Air China Australia: Voluntary refund and change rules of CA international tickets (revised Nov 2023) · checked 2026-10-24 · Effective 1 Nov 2023. Change and refund fees depend on how far before departure you cancel, per the fare rules; on a change the whole ticket (fare, fuel surcharge, taxes) is repriced and you pay any difference plus the change fee; only the highest fee is charged across segments. No amounts published.
caSeats · Air China Australia: Advance seat selection (Preferential and extra large seats) · checked 2026-10-24 · 'Prices and applicable routes for all Preferred Seat are as shown at the time of booking'; PhoenixMiles Platinum members choose an economy seat free. Whether a standard seat costs anything isn't stated.
caMeals · Air China Australia: In-flight meals, Economy Class · checked 2026-10-24 · Economy meal service (breakfast, lunch/dinner with rice or noodles), varying by route and season.
caFaq · Air China Australia: Frequently asked questions · checked 2026-10-24 · Ticket purchase answers mention no card surcharge, booking fee or service fee (none in the notice to passengers either). Card refunds go back to the paying card.
Bands: Australia - China, and onward within Asia via China (up to 11,000 km, e.g. SYD-PEK, MEL-PEK); Australia - Europe via China (up to 18,000 km, e.g. SYD-FRA, SYD-LHR).