The Taipei Association of Travel Agents yesterday vowed to seek compensation from the government for its members’ financial losses following TransAsia Airways’ unexpected suspension of flights, should the Civil Aeronautics Administration be found negligent in supervising the airline’s operation.
“We strongly condemn TransAsia Airways for halting flights without prior notice, causing inconvenience to both travelers and travel agencies,” the association said. “The suspension has also caused the public to panic. As such, the airline should promise to cover all losses by consumers and travel agencies as part of its corporate responsibility.”
The association also requested that the administration provide an effective solution to deal with the effects of the suspension, saying that it should establish an emergency task force to administer flights to protect travelers’ rights.
The administration should also oversee TransAsia to ensure that it fulfills its responsibility of compensating travelers, the association said.
The association does not exclude the possibility of filing a lawsuit on behalf of travel agencies affected by the suspension should the airline fail to take responsibility for losses, it said, adding that it might ask the government to reimburse losses if the agency is found negligent in its oversight of TransAsia’s operations.
The Travel Quality Assurance Association (TQAA), of which 90 percent of the nation’s travel agencies are members, said that the airline’s suspension of flights was not the only crisis the industry has faced in recent years.
Far Eastern Air Transport and Angkor Airways suspended services in 2008 because of financial problems, as did Tonlesap Airlines in 2013, it said, adding that travel agencies and travelers were left to deal with these crises by themselves.
The administration has failed to demand that TransAsia provide a practical plan to help bring home travelers stranded overseas, TQAA said, adding that the agency did not include travel agencies in planning a response to the unexpected suspension.
The administration’s Air Transport Division Director Han Chen-hua (韓振華) said the agency has monitored TransAsia’s progress in addressing aviation safety issues following two plane crashes in 2014 and last year.
TransAsia’s financial status has also been under the agency’s scrutiny, he said, adding that the airline is obligated to submit certified quarterly reports for review.
“Based on last month’s figures, TransAsia does not face any immediate financial risks. As of today, the company has more than NT$10 billion [US$313 million] in cash and its stock is worth NT$7 per share,” Han said.
“Unlike Far Eastern Air Transport, TransAsia did not choose to dissolve its business because it is unable to pay its employees’ salaries. It decided to dissolve its business because it did not see how to turn the business around,” he added.
There are about 10,000 travelers stranded overseas because of TransAsia’s suspension, Han said, adding that China Airlines has promised to offer them a 35 percent or greater discount on one-way tickets to Taiwan.
EVA Air and its subsidiary Uni Air announced that they would offer stranded travelers a 50 percent discount on tickets.
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