Korea Travel Freezes Up: China Airlines, EVA Air, and TransAsia Offer Free Ticket Refunds to Korea Starting Today

▲Domestic airlines EVA Air and China Airlines. (Photo / Reporter Huang Kexiang)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

As the MERS outbreak in Korea continues to spread, domestic airlines such as China Airlines, EVA Air, and TransAsia have announced relaxed refund policies for Korea routes starting today. Passengers who have purchased tickets from Taiwan to Korea can receive a full refund before June 12 (next Friday) without any handling fees. Among foreign airlines, only South Korea’s T’way Air currently allows rescheduling or refunds, but a handling fee applies.

EVA Air stated that full ticket refunds without handling fees can be processed before June 12. Although June 6 was a weekend, the airline has gradually received several cancellation requests.

China Airlines said that tickets for Korea (including Seoul and Busan) purchased before June 5 can be fully refunded without fees before June 12. China Airlines currently operates 42 weekly flights to Korea, including 28 to Seoul and 14 to Busan.

China Airlines also noted that the average load factor for Korea routes is between 80% to 85%. For July and August, the current booking rate is around 75% to 80%. Since the MERS outbreak, statistics show only sporadic group cancellations in June, accounting for less than 1% of total bookings.

TransAsia Airways, which currently operates two weekly flights to Jeju, stated that tickets purchased before June 5 can be refunded before June 12. TransAsia added that most Taiwanese travelers to Jeju book group tours through travel agencies.Passengers can first cancel their tour packages with the agency, then request ticket refunds from TransAsia.

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T’way Air, a Korean low-cost carrier operating the Taipei Songshan–Seoul Gimpo route, stated that its headquarters will follow the travel advisories and related announcements issued by both countries’ foreign ministries and health authorities. For passengers with issued tickets who need to reschedule or refund, the normal procedure still applies. If the entire itinerary is on T’way flights, the ticket can be held for one year. However, if rescheduling or refund is required, a handling fee of KRW 1,500 (KRW 3,000 for round trips) per segment applies.

In response to the MERS situation in Korea, tickets that were originally non-refundable and non-changeable (including segments operated by Eastar Jet) can now be refunded before the day before departure, but rescheduling is not allowed. The refund policy is the same as for T’way flights, with a handling fee of KRW 1,500 (KRW 3,000 for round trips) per segment.

T’way Air Rescheduling and Refund Policy
1. T’way + T’way Regular Tickets: Can be retained, rescheduled, or refunded with a fee of KRW 1,500 x 2
2. T’way + Eastar Special Tickets: Cannot be retained or rescheduled, but can be refunded with a fee of KRW 1,500 x 2