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Which direction were you flying?
Leaving the EU, EEA or the UK. Covered, always. The regimes attach to the departure airport, so China Eastern is on the hook for a flight out of Paris, Frankfurt, Madrid or anywhere else in the bloc exactly as a European airline would be.
Arriving in the EU or the UK from outside. China Eastern is licensed in China, outside the EU and the UK. That means a flight into Europe with them is not covered, however late it arrives. Flying from New York, Dubai or Singapore to London or Paris with China Eastern, a six-hour delay carries no right to compensation. This catches people out constantly, because the destination is European and they assume the rules follow it.
What you would be paid
EU261 amounts, per passenger, by great-circle distance to your final destination.
| Flight distance | Compensation | Reduced amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | €250 | — |
| Over 1,500 km within the EU | €400 | — |
| 1,500–3,500 km | €400 | — |
| Over 3,500 km | €600 | €300 if 3–4h late |
Flights touching Canada
On flights to, from or within Canada, China Eastern is subject to the APPR as a large carrier, which pays CA$400, CA$700 or CA$1,000 depending on whether you arrived 3–6, 6–9 or 9+ hours late.
Canadian claims must go to the airline within one year of the flight, which is far tighter than Europe. See the APPR page.
Flights to and from the United States
US law gives you nothing for a delay. And because China Eastern is not a European carrier, a flight from the US into Europe is outside EU261 and UK261 as well — so on that direction neither regime helps you. What you do have is an automatic cash refund if the flight is cancelled, and a real payment scale for being involuntarily bumped. The US rules in full.
Claiming from China Eastern
Go direct first, through the airline's own complaints form so the claim gets a reference number. Quote the regulation, the distance band and the figure — our template letter does all three, which is what separates a real answer from a goodwill reply. If they refuse or ignore you, escalate to the enforcement body for the country you departed from, which is the one with jurisdiction over the flight. Only then consider a claim company, because they will take roughly a third of it.
Work out your exact figure
Put the flight in and see what China Eastern owes you, with the article it comes from.