Passengers on flights departing from Taiwan can get a full refund if they opt not to take a flight that has been delayed by more than five hours, according to a revision to aviation rules by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
The rule took effect yesterday.
It was the first time the ministry set a time frame for handling disputes over flight delays.
The rule is also applicable to cases involving inclement weather, Civil Aeronautics Administration Air Transport Division Director Han Chen-hua (韓振華) said.
“Passengers do not have to take the refund, but the measure gives them another option,” Han said, adding that the revised rule follows the EU standard.
There had previously been no provisions for compensating passengers if they opted not to take a flight after a long delay.
The Regulations Governing the Mediation of Disputes Arising Between Civil Aviation Passengers and Air Carriers (民用航空乘客與航空器運送人運送糾紛調處辦法) stipulate that if a flight is delayed for more than 15 minutes on a domestic routes or 30 minutes on international routes, the carrier has to “explain to passengers in detail the reasons” for the delay and “the manner in which it would deal with the situation.”
The new rule applies to both local and international carriers flying out of Taiwan, Han added.
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