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Airlines told to provide all documents in Chinese

Starting in July, all airline companies will be required to provide passengers with a Chinese translation of important flight-related information when purchasing international tickets.

Currently, airline companies only provide an English-language explanation of their policies together with international tickets. This has repeatedly caused disputes between customers and airlines, since the majority of Taiwanese passengers lack the skills to fully understand the policy in English.

The Consumer Protection Commission of the Executive Yuan in March approved the use of a sample translation copy that the airline companies could adopt.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) is responsible for promulgating the translation on behalf of the commission.

CAA Director General Billy Chang (張國政) said on Tuesday that the translation must be provided to customers by all companies. The translation must include the ticket's expiration date, departure and return dates, flight number, the conditions for making changes to the itinerary, the refund policy and other crucial information.

The translation will help passengers protect their own interests, Chang said.

The administration emphasized, however, that the translation would only include certain key information. Passengers are advised to compare the original copy of the policy with its translated version.

They are also encouraged to contact airline companies and travel agencies if they have more questions.

Meanwhile, the CAA announced this week that it had approved a request from airlines to lower the war risks surcharge on domestic and international flights.

The charge will be dropped from NT$60 to NT$40 for domestic flights. For international flights, the charge will be cut from US$2.4 to US$1.5.
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