The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) called on air carriers to rethink increasing charges they levy for passengers who have special request, lest they “lose big by focusing on trivial things.”
CAA Director-General Lee Lung-wen (李龍文) made the remarks amid reports that China Airlines (CAL, 中華航空), the nation’s biggest airline, is planning to charge an extra NT$500 from Wednesday for passengers who choose front row or aisle seats.
Lee said that only CAL was planning to charge the extra fee, while other carriers are adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
He reminded those who plan to charge extra fees that while they might be able to rake in between NT$3 million and NT$5 million a month, they must avoid angering passengers, which could cause airlines to lose more than they gain.
Lee said that the civil aviation law and other regulations do not ban airlines from charging extra money and that the CAA would “respect the approach of each air carrier and will only ask them to report to the CAA on the method and content of the extra charges to the passengers.”
Lee said in an era of high fuel prices and the increasingly unfavorable environment faced by the aviation industry, domestic and foreign carriers have adopted various means to cope with their difficulties.
He said that these contingency measures include charging extra money for more than one piece of luggage or charging passengers who ask for a blanket on long-haul fights.
Carriers might someday even stop supplying food during long-haul flights, Lee said.
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