Seeking to lure passengers back onto airplanes, the nation's airlines joined forces yesterday in offering big discounts on tickets to a variety of international destinations -- for those who fly soon.
"Over the last couple of months passengers have avoided taking flights because of SARS, and now with the epidemic tailing off we plan to lure customers back via inexpensive fares," said Michael Lo (
A total of six carriers held a press event yesterday to offer various discount packages.
China Airlines Co (華航) is offering discounts up to 82 percent off regular fares to passengers that fly before June 20. For example, a weekday round-trip ticket to Tokyo is NT$7,300 and NT$10,800 to Hawaii, while a business class ticket to Europe is NT$59,000.
EVA Airways Corp (
"Now is the best time to travel by air ? in an effort to stimulate demand, carriers are determined to offer high quality service at very desirable prices," Lo said.
"Consumers have to take advantage now because the discount will not be available after July," said Steve Lin (
China Airlines also expects its average occupancy rate may rebound by August to 80 percent or the same level as last year, according to Roger Han (
China Airlines' occupancy rate is between 50 to 60 percent.
China Airlines reported sales last month of NT$4 billion, a 40 percent drop from last year in the same period, while EVA's sales last month were NT$3.76 billion, a 25.4 percent decline from May last year.
The Taipei Airlines Association also plans to hold a travel fair at the square in front of Taipei City Hall on June 22.
Nearly 50 travel agencies, hoteliers as well as airline representatives will set up 80 booths to promote their special offers. Admission is free and customers can make reservations on the spot.
One hundred domestic tickets will be given to winners of a raffle, tickets for which will be given to visitors free.
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) is expected to miss the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump on Monday, bucking a trend among high-profile US technology leaders. Huang is visiting East Asia this week, as he typically does around the time of the Lunar New Year, a person familiar with the situation said. He has never previously attended a US presidential inauguration, said the person, who asked not to be identified, because the plans have not been announced. That makes Nvidia an exception among the most valuable technology companies, most of which are sending cofounders or CEOs to the event. That includes
TARIFF TRADE-OFF: Machinery exports to China dropped after Beijing ended its tariff reductions in June, while potential new tariffs fueled ‘front-loaded’ orders to the US The nation’s machinery exports to the US amounted to US$7.19 billion last year, surpassing the US$6.86 billion to China to become the largest export destination for the local machinery industry, the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI, 台灣機械公會) said in a report on Jan. 10. It came as some manufacturers brought forward or “front-loaded” US-bound shipments as required by customers ahead of potential tariffs imposed by the new US administration, the association said. During his campaign, US president-elect Donald Trump threatened tariffs of as high as 60 percent on Chinese goods and 10 percent to 20 percent on imports from other countries.
Taiwanese manufacturers have a chance to play a key role in the humanoid robot supply chain, Tongtai Machine and Tool Co (東台精機) chairman Yen Jui-hsiung (嚴瑞雄) said yesterday. That is because Taiwanese companies are capable of making key parts needed for humanoid robots to move, such as harmonic drives and planetary gearboxes, Yen said. This ability to produce these key elements could help Taiwanese manufacturers “become part of the US supply chain,” he added. Yen made the remarks a day after Nvidia Corp cofounder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said his company and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) are jointly
MARKET SHIFTS: Exports to the US soared more than 120 percent to almost one quarter, while ASEAN has steadily increased to 18.5 percent on rising tech sales The proportion of Taiwan’s exports directed to China, including Hong Kong, declined by more than 12 percentage points last year compared with its peak in 2020, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday last week. The decrease reflects the ongoing restructuring of global supply chains, driven by escalating trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Data compiled by the ministry showed China and Hong Kong accounted for 31.7 percent of Taiwan’s total outbound sales last year, a drop of 12.2 percentage points from a high of 43.9 percent in 2020. In addition to increasing trade conflicts between China and the US, the ministry said
RSS