Australian musicians last week said they had scored a victory against Qantas after a Facebook campaign helped persuade the airline to scrap a ban on carrying instruments as cabin luggage.
Jazz saxophonist Jamie Oehlers started the online protest when Qantas introduced a policy requiring all musical instruments except violins and violas to be checked in and stored in the cargo hold.
“After travelling with them for 20 years, I was made to check my saxophone in for the first time a few weeks ago, causing US$1,200 worth of damage,” Oehlers wrote, laun-ching the Facebook campaign last month.
PHOTO: EPA 照片：歐新社
“I want to get a boycott of Qantas by musicians in place until they reverse this ridiculous policy.”
More than 8,700 people joined the group, including members of the country’s symphony orchestras, posting stories and pictures of instruments that had been damaged in the cargo hold.
Qantas confirmed it had reversed the policy from Dec. 24.
“In this situation we were able to listen to our customers and we were able to provide a change in our policy,” a Qantas spokeswoman told AFP.
She said Qantas was aware of the Facebook group and had spoken to Oehlers, but the policy change followed a wide range of “feedback received directly by our customer care team.”
Oehlers, about to depart for a gig in New York, said it was a victory for the Australian musical community, an “inspiring group of people”.
“I’m sure we’ll be crossing paths or bumping into each other at the airports with our instruments on our shoulders,” he wrote on the Facebook site.
The new policy allows small musical instruments as carry-on baggage, provided they are no longer than 81cm, higher than 30cm or more than 19cm deep.
(AFP)
在臉書上成立一個社團，協助說服澳洲航空取消以隨身行李攜帶樂器上機的禁令後，澳洲一位樂師上週表示，他們對澳航的行動獲得勝利。
爵士樂薩克斯風手傑米‧俄勒在澳航規定所有樂器，除了小提琴與中提琴以外，都得登記並以貨倉運載後，率先在網路上發起這個活動。
俄勒上個月在網路上發起這個社團後寫道，「在搭乘澳航二十年後，我數個星期前首次登記我的薩克斯風託運行李，造成高達一千二百美元的損失。」
「我希望舉辦個樂師抵制澳航活動，直到它們取消這個可笑的政策。」
超過八千七百個人加入這個活動的粉絲，包括澳洲各個交響樂團成員，他們在活動網頁上傳樂器因託運而損毀的文章與照片。
澳航於十二月二十四日宣布已經取消該規定。
一位澳航女性發言人告訴法新社，「在這種情況下，我們能夠傾聽顧客，並且改變公司政策。」
她表示澳航知道臉書上的這個社團，並也曾與俄勒談話，但政策的改變是基於「我們公司顧客服務部門的直接反應」。
即將出發前往紐約表演爵士樂的俄勒表示，這項改變對於澳洲音樂界這「一群啟發人心的人」是個勝利
他於臉書上寫道，「我相信我們應該會在機場背著樂器相見或擦肩而過。」
新政策允許小型樂器以隨身行李上機，只要它們長度、高度，與深度分別不超過八十一公分、三十公分，與十九公分。
（法新社／翻譯：吳岱璟）
At an unusual event, a group of people gather and sit together without interacting or checking their phones. Instead, they concentrate on nothing at all and empty their minds for the Space-Out Competition. Originally proposed by South Korean artist Woopsyang in 2014, this event is a form of performance art. It challenges the social expectation to remain constantly busy in this fast-paced world, offering competitors a pause from their routines. For 90 minutes, players are scored on how well they “space out” based on artistic and technical aspects, with their heart rates monitored every 15 minutes. Then, the audience votes for
Jiang Yiwu paced the small room and wondered how the leader of the Literary Society had got here. He could hear the Russian and Manchu police outside. They were looking for him. The Russians controlled the railways now, cutting through China, taking land and resources. The people were angry, and so was he. The revolution was almost ready. But things went wrong. Sun Wu, a key leader, lay in the hospital with critical wounds. The explosives were meant for the revolution but detonated by accident. Sun and the revolutionary plans were discovered by the police. Jiang grimaced at the
A: Taiwanese-language pop singer Jody Chiang is finally staging a comeback after having “turned off the microphone” for nine years. B: Yeah, she’s set to perform for the National Day celebration at the Taipei Dome this Saturday. A: As the best Taiwanese-language singer, it would be a big loss if she continued her hiatus. B: Recently, Chiang revealed that she quit singing in 2015 due to cancer. A: That’s shocking. But it’s great to see her healthy and able to turn the mic back on again. A: 台語歌后江蕙「封麥」9年後，終於即將復開唱了。 B: 對啊她本週六將參加國慶晚會，在大巨蛋開唱。 A: 江蕙可是最棒的台語歌手，如果不唱歌太可惜了。 B: 她最近才透露，其實2015年是因為罹癌才會「封麥」。 A: 真是令人震驚！能再看到她健康地「開麥」太好啦。 （By Eddy Chang,
A: Apart from Taiwanese-language pop diva Jody Chiang’s comeback, South Korean girl group (G)I-dle is also performing in Taiwan this weekend. B: I know. They have concerts at the Taipei Arena on Saturday and Sunday. A: Actually, to meet their fans’ high demand, they’ve added one more show on Friday. B: They’re even adding a show? That shows how popular they are. A: My favorite group member is Taiwan’s Susan Yeh, known by her stage name “Shuhua.” Let’s go cheer her on. A: 本週末除了江蕙復出，南韓熱門女團(G)I-dle也將開唱唷。 B: 我知道，他們本週六、日將在小巨蛋開唱。 A: 應粉絲的要求，他們本週五還會加場。 B: 還加場？不愧是韓流人氣女團。 A: 我最喜歡台灣團員葉舒華！我們快去幫她加油吧。 （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張聖恩）
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