More than 200 customers have requested ticket refunds from EZfly.com (易飛網), an online travel agency backed by the debt-ridden Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT, 遠東航空), after the agency announced on Thursday night that it would stop selling FAT tickets, a company executive said yesterday.
Customers accused EZfly of refusing to refund tickets, but Bridget Chou (
Chou declined to give a timetable for paying refunds.
After paying FAT NT$50 million (US$1.6 million) for pre-sale tickets before Feb 15, EZfly still has NT$20 million (US$635,021) in cash, which will be used to refund unused tickets, Chou said.
In related news, the Taipei District Court yesterday ruled in favor of FAT in its request for court protection last week.
The court prohibited the airline's creditors from collecting debts or foreclosing for 90 days, effective immediately.
The airline will not pay any debts during that period, nor will filings for bankruptcy and the transfer of company properties and rights be processed.
Operational costs, staff salaries, retirement funds and severance pay were exempt from the freeze to allow FAT to continue its operations.
The court decision stated that creditors were to pull all applications for the airline's bankruptcy for the next 90 days and may not seek settlements with the airliner during that period.
In addition, all trading or transfer of the company's stocks, debt, liquid properties or real estate were frozen.
FAT is required to advertise the court decision in major domestic and overseas newspapers for three days to ensure that creditors are informed.
Meanwhile, Chia Wen-chung (
"FAT needs additional capital of between NT$2 billion and NT$4 billion to fund its resumption of operations," Chia said.
Despite the launch of the Taiwan High Speed Rail early last year, which has hurt the domestic aviation market, Chia expressed confidence in FAT.
FAT reported NT$7 billion in revenues last year, indicating that its international routes, such as to Jeju, Korea and Palau, are still profitable, he said.
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