Air China Stopover Program

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Air China runs a transit package (or stopover program) for passengers with long transit times – commonly known as a Stopover Paid by Carrier or STPC in short. In fact, some notable airlines also have an STPC policy such as Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Asiana Airlines and Turkish Airlines also have their own STPC policies.

Passengers who meet Air China’s set criteria are able to enjoy a complimentary night in a transit hotel with breakfast and transfer to and from the airport to the hotel.

Unlike Turkish Airlines STPC program, Air China’s program is well defined even going so far as allowing you to have a bit of choice when it comes to the hotel room.

To be able to make use of Air China’s Stopover program, you must be transiting through the airport because there is no shorter flight to your end destination (what is called a forced stopover) rather than because you want to see the city – Some airlines do allow you to do a stopover by choice and let you visit the city for a day or two, but unfortunately, Air China does not have a formal program in place.

So long as you meet the minimum requirements, Air China may provide a complimentary hotel, transit to the hotel and complimentary Breakfast.

Air China Stopover Program Eligible Tickets

To make use of the stopover program you must transit in one of the following cities:

  • Beijing
  • Chengdu
  • Shanghai
  • Hangzhou
  • Tianjin*
  • Chongqing*
  • Wenzhou*
  • Wuhan*
  • Dalian*

* The list can vary depending on the promotion at the time – without stars are likely to remain – with stars are likely to change depending on the carrier’s promotion.

You cannot book Air China Stopover Program on the day or when you land at the airport. Prebookings are the only way and are taken and confirmed on a first-come-first-serve basis unless you have priority with cabin and or status (explained below).

Note the rules for Shanghai can be slightly different in places.

Type of Transit

for the purpose of identifying if regional flights are domestic or international, flights to and from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan are considered international segments.

Overnight Transit

This is when the arrival time of the flight and the departure time of the flight fall on two separate days:

  1. Where the connecting flights are both domestic flights, the transit time must be greater than 6 hours but less than 24 hours;
  2. Where (a) a domestic flight is connecting with an international flight, (b) an international flight is connecting with a domestic flight, (c) or an international flight is connecting with another international flight, the transit time must be greater than 6 hours but less than 30 hours.

Same-Day Transit

This is when the arrival of the first flight and departure of the second flight fall on the same day

The scheduled arrival time of the previous flight must arrive before 8:00 am (inclusive) and the transit time must be greater 6 hours.

Type of Ticket

To be eligible for Air China Stopover Program, the type of ticket must meet the following rules:

  • Both tickets must be booked under the same PNR – booking reference – meaning you are not able to combine two one way tickets. BUT if your ticket holds too many consecutive journeys, Air China will allow consecutive/sequential ticket numbers.
  • Most ticket classes are accepted so long as the ticket is on “999” stock – ie. The ticket must be issued by Air China and the ticket number must start with “999-XXXXX”.
  • For transfers in Shanghai, if the international segment of a connecting flight is marketed with a “CA” airline code and is operated by Air China, the domestic segment may be operated by Juneyao Air as codeshare so long as it is marketed with a “CA” Code.
  • Except for the above, the marketing and operating carrier of both inbound and outbound segments must be marketed with a “CA” airline code, except for in the following cases where Shandong Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines are accepted.
Transfer typeInbound segment
Operating carrier
Outbound segment
Operating carrier
Domestic to domesticAir ChinaAir China
 Air ChinaShandong Airlines
 Shandong AirlinesAir China
Domestic to InternationalAir ChinaAir China
 Shandong AirlinesAir China
 Shenzhen AirlinesAir China
International to DomesticAir ChinaAir China
 Air ChinaShandong Airlines
 Air ChinaShenzhen Airlines
International to InternationalAir ChinaAir China

Fare Type

All tickets are acceptable except for:

  • Tickets issued in Fare Classes X and N (and T if in the case of a domestic-to-domestic flight travelling through Shanghai);
  • Staff tickets nor unaccompanied minors can book a transit hotel;
  • Award tickets (only revenue tickets count)

What is included

As mentioned before there are 3 main benefits to Air China Stopover Program: The hotel, transportation and breakfast.

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Hotels

Air China groups hotels (unsurprisingly) by the class of travel. The below is a quick list at the time of writing and can change at a moment’s notice.

On the plus side, unlike Qatar Airways or Turkish Airlines’ program, you can actually choose the hotel you want to stay at with Air China Stopover Program!

You can normally request a single room – however, for families and couples it is important to note that family or double rooms for two passengers of the same gender can be assigned based on the wishes of passengers

The list includes:

Transit CityHotel Name and GroupHotel Address
BeijingBeijing Aulympic Airportel (G3)36 Xiaotianzhu Road, Shunyi District, Beijing
BeijingBeijing Airport Yuanhang International Hotel (G3)1, Fuqianer Street, Tianzhu Town, Shunyi District, Beijing
BeijingBeijing Airport Lanwan International Hotel (G3)22, Tianzhu East Road, Shunyi District, Beijing
BeijingBeijing Kaisheng Xingfeng International Hotel (G2)2, Tianzhu East Road, Tianzhu Town, Shunyi District, Beijing
BeijingCrowne Plaza Beijing International Airport (G1)60, Fuqian 1 Street, Tianzhu, Shunyi District, Beijing
BeijingBoyue Beijing Hotel (G1)36 Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing
ChengduChengdu Shuangliu Airport Shangxiang Hotel (G3)43, Section 3, Jinhua Road, Xihanggang Sub-district, Shuangliu County, Chengdu
ChengduChengdu Chuangang Hotel (G3)209, Section 1, Xihanggang Avenue, Community 4, Xihanggang Sub-district, Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
ChengduChengdu Xiangyu Business Hotel (G3)1080, Wuliu Avenue, Xihanggang Sub-district, Shuangliu County, Chengdu
ChengduChengdu Shuangliu Airport First Class Hotel (G3)209, Section 1, Xihanggang Avenue, Shuangliu, Chengdu
ChengduHoliday Inn Chengdu Airport (G1)62, Airport South Forth Road, Shuangliu District, Chengdu
ShanghaiShanghai Wanxin Huixuan Hotel (G3)Lane 802, Shixin Road, Zhuqiao Town, Pudong New Area, Shanghai
ShanghaiRamada Encore Shanghai Pudong Hotel (G3)Xinduhui Square, 55 Jiangzhen West Road, Zhuqiao Town, Pudongxin District, Shanghai
ShanghaiHangzhou Xiaoshan Gold Coast Hotel(JinJiang Inn Xiaoshan International Airport Hotel)(G3)55 Hongshan Avenue, Hongshan Farm, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou
ShanghaiJi Hotel (Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport)(G3)832 Xingang Village, Guali Town, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou
ShanghaiHangzhou Xiaoshan Jinwan Hotel (Lifeng Hotel Xiaoshan Airport Branch)(G3)177 Hongshan Avenue, Hongshan Farm, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou
TianjinTianjin Huihao Business Hotel (G3)West 2nd Road, Airport Avenue, Binhai International Airport, Dongli District, Tianjin
TianjinHoliday Inn Express Tianjin Airport (G3)1 Auto Park South Road, Airport Industrial Park, Tianjin
ChongqingChongqing Yubei Xinhua Hotel (G3)138 Shuanglong Avenue, Yubei District, Chongqing
ChongqingHangyue Hotel (Chongqing Jiangbei Airport) (G3)5 Linghang South Road, Yubei District, Chongqing
ChongqingShengming International Hotel, Chongqing (G3)236 Lianggang Avenue, Huixing Community, Yubei District, Chongqing
WenzhouWenzhou Hangbin International Hotel (G3)299 Yongning West Road, Yongzhong Community, Longwan District, Wenzhou
WenzhouVienna International Hotel (Wenzhou Airport) (G3)396 Jichang Avenue, Haibin Community, Longwan District, Wenzhou
WuhanHubei Konggang Business Hotel(G3)South 3rd Road, South Working Area, Wuhan Tianhe Airport

First And Business Class

If you have booked a first or business class ticket (F/A/J/C/D/Z/R) you can book into a Group G1, G2 or G3 hotels.

If you are in a city that does not have a G1 hotel or they are fully booked you have priority on G2 & G3 hotels and single room selection

Lifetime Platinum cardholders, Platinum cardholders, and Gold cardholders

Only if members are on international preceding or succeeding flight and whose cabin is super economy/economy.

Members have access to book G2 or G3 hotels

These members have priority in hotel and single room selection

Passengers on International-to-International/Domestic flights

After the above, passengers who are booked on an international leg can choose from a G2 or G3 hotel.

Passengers who have only Domestic flights

Where passengers only have domestic flights in super economy/economy (Fare Class G/E/Y/B/M/U) can only book G3 hotels and have priority in single room selection.

Among them, PhoenixMiles Lifetime Platinum cardholders, Platinum cardholders, and Gold cardholders enjoy priority in hotel selection.

Passengers who are booked into fare class’ H/Q/V/W/S/T/L/P/K can only book G3 hotels but do not enjoy priority

If a passenger has a mixture of fare codes in G/E/Y/B/M/U and H/Q/V/W/S/T/L/P/K then they can book a G3 hotel and do not enjoy priority.

Transportation

One of the perks of the transit scheme is the complementary transit to your hotel. This is nothing new, and a lot of stop over programs do this (such as Royal Jordanian in Amman to stop you from entering the country without a visa). The plus to Air China is that you effectively have to clear immigration for this to work and the sheer number of hotels on offer make it quite a unique proposition.

Note however if you are transiting in Shanghai, free transport to the hotel is only available if you are arriving in Pudong International Airport. If you arrive at Hongqiao International Airport you must make their own travel arrangements.

How to Book

There are two main ways to book a transit hotel

Phone or Travel Agent booking

When purchasing a ticket over the phone or with a travel agent, ask the ticketing sales staff to assist in booking the transit hotel at the time of booking.

Self-service booking

After purchasing tickets online, visit Air China’s official website or the Air China app to make a reservation

Terms and Conditions of Air China’s Stopover Program

  1. The transit hotel service is a complimentary service provided for customer convenience only. Air China is not obliged to offer this service for connecting flights, nor is this service bundled with paid flights. Passengers are not charged a fee for using this service, nor the cost of this service included in the ticket price or taxes paid by customers. Air China does not assume any liability for issues that relate to the service provider.
  2. Due to the limited daily availability of rooms at partner hotels, it is not possible to ensure that all eligible customers can enjoy transit accommodation. Passengers are requested to make their reservation as soon as possible after confirming their itinerary. Passengers who qualify for the various hotel selections and single rooms will have priority to these only when there is room availability for the relevant service in hotels with the appropriate standards.
  3. Passengers must book a transit hotel in person or through a self-service channel prior to boarding their inbound flight. On-arrival bookings are not accepted.
  4. If there is a change to your transit segments or a mileage class upgrade, you must re-book your transit hotel and may only use the hotel once you have successfully made a reservation.
  5. After arriving at the hotel, passengers must present the identification documents used to purchase their tickets, as well as any relevant boarding passes to verify their identity. Hotel staff may retain copies of customer identification documents and boarding passes. If customers do not agree to have their documents copied, they will be considered to have voluntarily forfeited use of the transit hotel service.
  6. Hotel check-in and check-out times are determined by the hotel.
  7. In 2021, some Air China domestic flights will be transferred from Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport to Terminal 2. Passengers arriving at Terminal 2 do not need to go to the Air China Transfer Service counter upon arrival. If you have booked Air China transit accommodation service, please contact the hotel directly to arrange transportation from the airport using the contact details you received with your notification of successful booking, or call the Air China Sales Service Hotline at 95583 and Air China will arrange your transfer to the hotel.
  8. Passengers booking transit hotels in Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai should go to the Air China transit service desk upon arrival. The transit service desk will contact the hotel and request a vehicle to collect the passengers. If the desk is closed, you can contact the hotel directly using the contact information you received after completing your reservation and ask to be picked up. You can also contact the Air China sales service hotline at 95583 as explained on the sign displayed at the service desk, and Air China will coordinate your transfer to the hotel.
  9. Passengers who have reserved transit accommodation in Hangzhou, Tianjin, Chongqing, Wenzhou or Wuhan may contact the hotel directly upon arrival using the contact information provided after successfully completing the reservation, or contact the Air China sales service hotline at 95583 and Air China will arrange a transfer to the hotel.
  10. Passengers who have reserved luxury transit accommodation at the Crowne Plaza International Airport Hotel in Beijing do not need to go to the Air China Transfer Service counter upon arrival. Please contact the hotel directly using the contact details provided with the notification of successful booking, or contact the Air China Sales Service Hotline at 95583 and Air China will arrange a transfer to the hotel. Passengers who have booked accommodation at Air China Boyue Beijing Hotel must arrange their own transportation to the hotel, as the hotel is located in Beijing city center and does not currently provide free hotel transfer service from the airport.
  11. Passengers who have reserved luxury transit accommodation in Chengdu do not need to go to Air China Transfer Service counter. Please contact the hotel directly upon arrival using the contact details provided with the notification of successful booking, or contact the Air China sales service hotline at 95583 and Air China will arrange a transfer to the hotel.
  12. Transit accommodation service in Beijing is available only to transit passengers who travel on pre-booked eligible flights into and out of Beijing Capital International Airport.
  13. Only one value-added service product can be booked for each flight segment on the ticket. Products such as Transit Accommodation, Transit Lounge, Chauffeured Transfer and Ground-Air Connection cannot be booked together.
  14. For transit hotel enquiries, passengers can call the Air China Sales and Service Hotline at 95583.
  15. City transit hotel information. Due to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors at our partner hotels that may affect their service capacity or our partnership, hotels offered may change, subject to actual availability.

Source: Air China Website

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Travelling on Points is the brainchild of a person who loves to travel and reap the benefits of doing so. Dan enjoys sharing the knowledge of travel as he believes that the more people travel the less narrow-minded, and more tolerant, people will be of each other.

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