Avoid Flightcatchers & China Eastern Airlines Partnership – Hidden Fees, No Contact, and Zero Transparency
We booked long-haul flights through Flight-catchers, who claimed to be working directly with China Eastern Airlines (marketing team). From the very beginning, the experience was stressful and confusing. We were never asked for our passport details, which immediately raised concerns — especially for international travel, where most airlines require this information before check-in for immigration clearance. When we questioned this, we were told to “just bring your passports to the airport.” There was no working online check-in, and we could not access our booking through China Eastern’s official website using our reference (MK8K2T) or even our e-ticket numbers (7815300781067 / 7815300781068). We were simply told we had to check in at the airport with no way to verify our flight details in advance. The airline’s UK contact number (020 7660 8292) was out of service, and Flightcatchers admitted they had no alternative number despite claiming to liaise with the airline’s marketing team. When we decided to cancel, the issues continued: • We were told the cancellation fee was £60 per person, but it increased to £80 per person. • They tried to keep an additional £200+ in hidden “seat selection” charges, which we later discovered China Eastern does not charge for — the agent had added this cost themselves. Only after pushing hard did we recover this amount. Overall, this has completely shaken my trust in both Flightcatchers and their third-party partnership with China Eastern Airlines. It’s disappointing that a company with a 4.5 rating on Trustpilot can operate with such poor transparency, misleading fees, and non-existent customer support. I’m leaving this review to warn others not to make the same mistake — always book directly with the airline, or with a verified travel agent who offers full visibility and proper support.