Has Anyone Successfully Booked China Eastern’s Free Transit

Question

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has recently managed to book the free layover hotel that China Eastern Airlines offers for long stopovers in Shanghai (PVG)?

I’m flying from Narita (Tokyo) to Riyadh, with a long layover at PVG. My ticket starts with 781 and is in T class, which should meet the eligibility criteria according to China Eastern’s own policy.

But despite trying for weeks:

• The official transit hotel application site (https://us.ceair.com/en/transit-hotel-application.html) doesn’t work — it either shows errors or says the fields are empty (when they’re clearly filled).

• The Android app seems unavailable or unsupported.

• Customer service by phone just redirects me to the website, and the website tells me to call. Total dead end.

I’ve seen older posts about this issue, and it looks like it’s been going on for years with no real fix. Has anyone recently been able to book the hotel successfully? If so, how did you do it? Any specific tips, email contacts, or steps that worked?

Appreciate any help ,thank you!

Answer

Booking China Eastern Airlines’ free transit hotel in Shanghai (PVG) has become increasingly difficult in recent years due to website issues, app unavailability, and inconsistent customer service. Many travelers report the official website either failing to process requests or showing errors, and phone support often loops you back to the website. Despite the official policy offering a free hotel for eligible long layovers, successfully securing a booking can require persistence and alternative approaches.

Here’s a detailed breakdown and some practical tips:

Eligibility: Ensure your flight qualifies — typically, the layover must be at least 6–8 hours, the ticket must be international, and certain fare classes like T class are included. Double-check your ticket number and class.
Official website issues: The online transit hotel application often fails. Make sure you try multiple browsers and clear cache, or use a desktop instead of mobile. However, even then, success is not guaranteed.
Contacting customer service: Phone lines frequently redirect you back to the website. Some travelers have had limited success by calling the Shanghai office directly or emailing CE’s dedicated transit hotel support email, if provided on the official site. Response times can be slow, and patience is required.
Alternative approach: If the free hotel cannot be booked, consider using third-party transit hotels near PVG Airport. Options like Jinjiang Inn, Regal Airport Hotel, and local airport capsule hotels are convenient and reliable for long layovers.

Tips from travelers who managed to secure bookings:

Apply as early as possible, ideally 2–3 weeks before your layover.
Try multiple times using different devices and browsers — sometimes the form works intermittently.
If an email address for hotel applications is available, send your request with full flight details and screenshot proof of eligibility.
Have a backup plan — book a regular hotel in advance in case the free hotel cannot be confirmed.

In short, while China Eastern’s free transit hotel is officially available, in practice it is very difficult to book. Most recent travelers recommend preparing an alternative hotel just in case and using persistence and multiple methods (website, email, phone) if you want to attempt the free option. Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed way to bypass the current system issues.

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