Starting this month, active military personnel would be given priority boarding when taking international flights on national airlines, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday.
Cho also announced that relevant ministries and agencies would coordinate other perks for active-duty service members to be launched in conjunction with private enterprises and venues.
Despite China’s continued harassment of Taiwan and its people, life continues as normal due to the armed forces defending the nation around the clock, Cho said.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan.
Their contributions deserve the respect and support of the public, Cho said.
Cho thanked the Ministry of Transportation and Communications for its engagement with the aviation industry to provide personnel priority boarding and upgrades to business class, if seats are available.
This is a concrete action to express thanks for the armed forces’ dedication to the country, he said.
Giving soldiers these perks reflects President William Lai’s (賴清德) philosophy to encourage civil-military cooperation, Cho added.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) has communicated that China Airlines is coordinating and encouraging other airlines to participate, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said.
Eleven people have already used this service, Chen said.
Providing upgrades to business class for active-duty personnel is more complex than it seems, the labor unions of China Airlines and EVA Airways said yesterday in a joint statement.
Implementing it might damage the interests of ordinary people, shareholders and flight operators, the statement said.
If only specific companies cooperate with the policy, it would be detrimental to fair market competition and airlines’ sustainable operations, it said.
Providing perks for active-duty personnel is legitimate, the statement said, but the government should fully consider the industry’s operational challenges, and provide reasonable incentives and assistance, rather than requiring companies to cooperate.
The government should not act unilaterally to avoid unnecessary conflict and division, it added.
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