One day after its announcement that passenger tickets would be sold for the flight carrying two giant pandas from Sichuan Province, EVA Air (EVA,長榮航空) yesterday canceled the sale of the tickets.
An EVA staffer who requested anonymity told the Taipei Times that the decision was made following complaints from animal rights groups, who said giant pandas are shy animals and could be frightened by crowds who wish to look at them.
Based on the concerns, the airline canceled its plans, she said.
FULL STOP
Six travel agencies authorized to sell the tickets stopped sales yesterday morning.
All of them said they had received calls requesting information about the tickets, which were part of a packaged tour.
EZ Travel (易遊網) said it had received approximately 30 orders for the two-day trip yesterday morning.
The tickets had been priced at NT$3,999 per person.
ANIMAL RIGHTS
“We believe that they [travel agencies] will understand that we are doing this to protect the animals,” the airlines staffer said.
The airline will dispatch a Boeing 747-400 with a maximum capacity of 276 passengers to bring the pandas to Taiwan.
In addition to Taiwanese and Chinese caretakers for the pandas and government officials, another 100 passengers would have been allowed on board if the tickets had been sold.
The aircraft will be grounded for cleaning and inspections on Friday and will leave for Sichuan next week.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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