Chinese railway ticketing platform 12306 has introduced a new pop-up alert for certain first-class seats following months of passenger complaints over an awkward seating arrangement referred to online as the "inferior first-class seat".
A recent social media post showed that when attempting to book a first-class ticket, the 12306 app displayed a notice: "The seat you have selected is a first-class seat located in the rear section of a business-class cabin. The seatback cannot be reclined, and there is no center armrest between the two seats." The message advised users to cancel and reselect if they were dissatisfied with the arrangement.
In response to inquiries, a customer service representative from 12306 said the reminder was introduced due to the special positioning of such seats, which are physically located within business-class compartments but do not offer the same features. Passengers concerned about the configuration may choose to cancel and rebook.
The issue first gained traction last year when multiple travelers reported being assigned first-class tickets only to find themselves seated in business-class cabins, and in visibly different seats that lacked adjustable backs and center armrests. Many described the experience as awkward and misleading, coining the term "inferior first-class seat" in jest.