China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday apologized for moving three business class passengers from section 1 to section 2 on a flight to the US last week after another passenger reserved the entire first section for himself.
A video circulating on the Internet shows the three passengers, who were scheduled to board the flight to the US on Thursday last week, complaining to ground crew at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport after being informed about the change on short notice and for disregarding the terms of the service contract.
The video also shows only one man sitting in the first section, who is reportedly a major shareholder of the airline and a Taiwanese shipping firm.
The incident occurred amid rising demand for flights to the US, with many reportedly flying to the US to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Industry observers estimated the cost of booking all 24 seats in the first section of business class at close to NT$5 million (US$178,533) for a round trip.
China Airlines said in a statement that it has devised numerous ways to sell tickets after the global aviation industry fell into a slump because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These range from charter flights to allowing passengers to book an entire business cabin or one section in the business cabin.
“Ticket sales are dictated by business considerations, and costs are calculated based on the number of seats reserved,” the airline said. “We are not at a liberty to disclose passengers’ personal information, and the public should refrain from speculating about their identity.”
“We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and unpleasantness we had caused our guests and will contact them to offer our sincere apology,” it added.
Other airlines offer similar deals to boost ticket sales. EVA Airways’ economy-class passengers to the US or Canada can purchase extra seats on the same row at a discount of 60 to 80 percent.
In other news, the Civil Aeronautics Administration yesterday said that it expects to complete vaccinating all civil aviation workers by tomorrow.
The Central Epidemic Command Center had appropriated 10,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine for the civil aviation industry, with 5,000 being administered to airline employees, the agency said.
The other half are to be administered among other airport workers, including airport staff, air traffic controllers, duty free shop clerks, aircraft maintenance workers, warehousing employees and in-flight catering service workers.
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