Regulators Summon Trip.com, Meituan Over Train Ticket Sales Practices
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On June 11, the State Administration for Market Regulation, the Cyberspace Administration of China and the National Railway Administration held regulatory talks with seven third-party platform companies. Photo: VCG
Chinese regulators have summoned seven major online travel service providers, including Trip.com and Meituan, to demand the rectification of deceptive train ticket sales practices and data privacy violations.
The State Administration for Market Regulation, alongside cyberspace and railway authorities, held talks with the companies on Thursday. Officials targeted platforms including Tongcheng Travel Holdings Ltd., Qunar, Fliggy, Suanya.com, and Gao Tie Guan Jia for aggressively marketing fake ticket acceleration fees, encouraging passengers to book mismatched travel routes, and improperly harvesting personal information.
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- Chinese regulators summoned seven travel platforms (Trip.com, Meituan, etc.) on Thursday to rectify deceptive train ticket sales and data privacy violations.
- Officials criticized fake acceleration fees, mismatched route bookings, and improper data harvesting, calling add-ons marketing gimmicks.
- The action is part of a broader crackdown on consumer exploitation amid record 4.25 billion railway passengers in 2025.
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Who’s Who
- Trip.com
- Trip.com, an online travel service provider, was one of seven platforms summoned by Chinese regulators for deceptive train ticket sales and data privacy violations. It was also targeted in an anti-monopoly investigation in January 2025 for suspected abuse of market dominance.
- Meituan
- Meituan was one of seven major online travel service providers summoned by Chinese regulators in 2025 for deceptive train ticket sales, including fake acceleration fees and mismatched routes, as well as data privacy violations. The crackdown aims to curb consumer exploitation amid record domestic travel demand.
- Tongcheng Travel Holdings Ltd.
- Tongcheng Travel Holdings Ltd. was one of seven online travel platforms summoned by Chinese regulators in 2025 for deceptive practices, including fake ticket acceleration fees, mismatched route bookings, and personal data harvesting. The crackdown reflects intensified regulation of consumer exploitation in China's tech sector.
- Qunar
- Qunar is a Chinese online travel service provider. It was among seven platforms summoned by Chinese regulators in 2025 for deceptive train ticket sales, including fake acceleration fees, mismatched routes, and data privacy violations. Regulators demanded rectification of these practices.
- Fliggy
- Fliggy, Alibaba's online travel platform, was among seven major Chinese travel service providers recently summoned by regulators. Authorities demanded rectification of deceptive practices like fake ticket acceleration fees, mismatched route recommendations, and improper data collection, as part of a broader crackdown on consumer exploitation in China's tech sector.
- Suanya.com
- Suanya.com was among seven major Chinese online travel platforms summoned by regulators in April 2025 for deceptive practices, including fake ticket acceleration fees, mismatched route bookings, and data privacy violations. The crackdown aims to curb consumer exploitation amid record travel demand.
- Gao Tie Guan Jia
- Gao Tie Guan Jia, a Chinese train ticket booking app, was among seven online travel platforms summoned by regulators in March 2025 for deceptive practices. It was criticized for marketing fake ticket acceleration fees, promoting mismatched routes, and improperly harvesting personal data.
- China State Railway Group
- China State Railway Group transported a historic 4.25 billion passengers in 2025. It has repeatedly warned that third-party "acceleration" packages are marketing gimmicks and cannot bypass its official booking queue, urging travelers to use official channels directly.
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What Happened When
- January 2026：
- Market regulators launched an anti-monopoly investigation into Trip.com for suspected abuse of market dominance.
- February 2026：
- Financial regulators scrutinized six mobility platforms over irregular consumer lending practices.
- March 2026：
- Beijing municipal authorities warned 12 platforms against cutthroat competition and arbitrary vendor rules.
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