Low-cost carriers spark frequent disputes; lawmakers urge Civil Aeronautics Administration to set up a dedicated handling office

▲ More and more Taiwanese are traveling abroad on low-cost airlines. The photo shows Scoot. (Photo provided by Scoot)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

In recent years, more and more people have been traveling abroad on low-cost airlines, but this has also led to a rise in related disputes. Today, during a session of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse questioned the authorities and urged the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) to establish a handling window for such issues. Minister of Transportation and Communications and CAA Director-General Shen Chi responded by promising to review the proposal.

Lee Kun-tse said that currently there are 11 low-cost carriers flying to Taiwan, and by the end of this year, the number of passengers could reach 1 million. However, low-cost airlines offer many extra paid services, which have led to numerous consumer disputes—there were 579 cases last year alone. He pointed out that some low-cost airline websites do not have a Chinese version, and some only offer simplified Chinese. Yet information regarding consumer rights is often only available in English or Korean, leaving consumers vulnerable to being taken advantage of.

Lee Kun-tse believes that the CAA should not ignore consumer rights and should step in. He suggested setting up a consumer dispute resolution office similar to those under the Financial Supervisory Commission and the National Communications Commission. Shen Chi acknowledged that the CAA has received numerous complaints about low-cost airlines and promised to consider establishing a handling window, with a report to be submitted by the end of the year. (Source: Central News Agency)