China Eastern Airlines introduced a fare-flexibility policy for domestic tickets sold from 6 August, allowing free voluntary refunds and changes for bookings made under the new terms. The move affects domestic travel only and applies to tickets eligible for refund up to 14 days before departure, according to the available report.
The policy change is the only China Eastern development clearly supported by the sources in this search session. No readable evidence here confirms the separate claim that the airline spent $148 million on share repurchases, so that buyback headline remains unverified. The report also gives no reason for the policy shift, but it is likely to support demand by reducing the cost of booking domestic travel and giving passengers greater flexibility when schedules change.