China Airlines (CAL, 華航) and EVA Airways (EVA, 長榮航空) said yesterday they would not charge processing fees if passengers want to change or refund tickets to Thailand.
CAL said that a total of 290 passengers have asked for refunds since Friday after canceling trips to Thailand. It decided yesterday that those who had purchased the tickets before April 11 and are scheduled to leave between yesterday and April 18 will not be charged if they request a refund.
EVA said that those who purchased tickets before April 11 and were scheduled to leave between yesterday and April 23 would be exempt from paying the processing fee if they ask for a refund or change their tickets.
Thai Airways Taiwan also said that the same policy would apply to its customers and said it would announce the affected departure dates after receiving instructions from its headquarters.
Roget Hsu (許高慶), secretary-general of the Travel Agents Association, said nearly all the tour groups that were scheduled to leave for Thailand yesterday had been canceled. Because the conflict in Thailand has worsened, Hsu said the association recommended that tourists refrain from traveling to Thailand for safety reasons.
Some of the nation’s larger travel agencies, such as Phoenix Tours (鳳凰旅行社), EZ Travel (易遊網) and Lion Travel (雄獅旅行社), received hundreds of calls yesterday morning inquiring about their trips or asking if they could postpone their trips.
Lion said in a statement yesterday that it would cancel package tours to Bangkok between yesterday and Monday next week given concerns over tourist safety. The agency said it would absorb all the costs except passport and visa processing fees, the statement said.
Some tourists, however, showed up at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday and insisted on leaving for Thailand as planned despite the travel alert. They were asked by travel agencies to sign affidavits saying they would travel at their own risk and the travel agencies would not be held responsible for their safety.
The Tourism Bureau said yesterday that there are about 2,000 Taiwanese traveling in Thailand and all of them are safe.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KEVIN CHEN
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