China Airlines’s insurance company plans to seek compensation from a woman who gave birth on a Los Angeles-bound flight on Oct. 8, which forced the plane to make an unscheduled stop in Anchorage, Alaska, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Jian-yu (陳建宇) told lawmakers yesterday.
Chen made the remarks during a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee.
Media reports have said that the woman, surnamed Chien, had concealed the fact that she was 36 weeks pregnant and had taken the flight so that she could give birth in the US.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) criticized the woman for ignoring the safety of herself, her baby and the other passengers on the flight just to get a US passport for her child.
It was not reasonable for the airline to shoulder the costs incurred from the plane making an unscheduled stop in Anchorage and arriving in Los Angeles several hours behind schedule, she said.
As the airline’s largest shareholder, the ministry should ensure that the company demands compensation from the woman to make up for the losses the airline incurred, Lo said.
Photo: Yao Kai-shiou, Taipei Times
Chen said the ministry would do just that to deter a similar incident from happening in the future, but added that there are no legal penalties the ministry can impose in such situations.
China Airlines yesterday said that its insurer is working out the costs of the incident and would seek compensation from the woman.
It reiterated that pregnant women should consult their doctors before taking flights.
China Airlines said its regulations state that healthy expectant mothers whose pregnancy has not reached 32 weeks or who are at least eight weeks from their due date should be treated as normal passengers. Those who are 32 weeks pregnant or more must submit medical information sheets signed by their doctors.
About six hours into the flight, the woman, who said that she was not yet 32 weeks pregnant, told flight attendants that her water had broken. Crew members immediately asked for help among the passengers and Angelica Zen, an internal medicine-pediatrics resident at a Los Angeles hospital, who was returning to the US from her honeymoon in Bali, volunteered.
The captain told the airline of the situation and asked for permission to land at the nearest airport — Anchorage — for the safety of the woman and her baby. The baby was born about 30 minutes before the plane landed in Anchorage.
After the plane landed, the woman and the baby were taken to a local hospital and the plane continued on to Los Angeles after refueling. It arrived more than three hours behind schedule.
The woman arrived back in Taiwan on Saturday night after reportedly being deported from the US. She told aviation police that her baby, a girl, was being taken care of by a friend in the US.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College