Airlines would soon compensate passengers for delayed flights or over-booked flights, the China Daily reported Wednesday.

Sources with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said a formal compensation plan would be published next month, the paper said.

Meanwhile, several major domestic airlines are working on customer service commitments including compensation plans.

The Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines said it would provide affected passengers either with free tickets, accommodation or upgrading without charge.

If passengers were not able to board a flight because of over-booked flights, they would be compensated in cash, said Wu Jiuhong, general manager of China Eastern Airlines.

China Eastern Airlines mapped out its Customer Service Plan including 20 service commitments Monday, and Air China and China Southern Airlines are also working on service commitments.

Sources at Air China said their service commitments would be published before the end of this week.

Complaints about aviation services have been increasing in recent years.

Statistics from CAAC's Consumers Business Center showed that the number of consumer complaints in 2003 increased by 27 percent from 2002 and complaints about delayed flights topped the list.

(Shenzhen Daily June 17, 2004)