Tigerair Taiwan announces launch of Kaohsiung-Fukuoka route, celebrates 3-year anniversary with new partner Space Cat Kuroro

▲Tigerair Taiwan Chairman Chang Hung-chung announces the addition of new partner, cosmic explorer Kuroro. (Photo by reporter Lai Wen-hsuan)

Reporter Lai Wen-hsuan / Taipei

Tigerair Taiwan today (19th) held a “3rd Anniversary & New Partner Press Conference.” Chairman Chang Hung-chung stated that Tigerair Taiwan has five major goals for the future. These include launching the tigerclub membership program, offering a 1% rebate on flight purchases, introducing diverse payment methods, launching its 20th route—Kaohsiung-Fukuoka on December 18, adding new partner, cosmic explorer space cat Kuroro, and continuing its collaboration with Taipei Zoo by sponsoring tigers, as well as adding Formosan clouded leopards and leopard cats.

▲Chang Hung-chung said Tigerair Taiwan has been profitable from January to August this year, with a goal to break even in four years. (Photo by reporter Lai Wen-hsuan)

Tigerair Taiwan Chairman Chang Hung-chung happily reported that from January to August this year, the airline has been profitable every month. He joked that the airline is called the “king of charter flights” by the public, attributing this to strengthened cooperation with group charter partners, which laid the foundation for profitability. Additionally, revenue management—how to maximize company income—has seen significant improvement. Moreover, after China Airlines bought back all shares of Tigerair Taiwan, consumers have even fewer concerns, contributing to the strong performance and profits from January to August this year.

▲For its third anniversary, Tigerair Taiwan announces the December 18 launch of the Kaohsiung-Fukuoka route, the introduction of a membership program, and the rollout of diverse payment options next year. (Photo by reporter Lai Wen-hsuan)

Tigerair Taiwan also announced five future services at the press conference, including the launch of the tigerclub membership system, which will be rolled out in two phases on September 26 and November. The first phase allows members to register; any travel booked on the Tigerair Taiwan official website will accrue rebates 24 hours after the journey.

The membership program considers any trip departing on or after September 26 this year as valid, with a rebate of 1% of the flight ticket price. Passengers can begin using the rebates in the second phase, launching in November, in increments of NT$100, redeemable for flight tickets, checked baggage, in-flight meals, etc. The tigerclub policy page is expected to go live on September 26, and in the future, the system will aim to automatically load rebates into tigerclub accounts to enhance the membership experience.

Additionally, Tigerair Taiwan announced the December 18 launch of its fifth route from Kaohsiung: Kaohsiung-Fukuoka, marking its 20th overall route. Chang Hung-chung said that Tigerair Taiwan will introduce its 11th aircraft, an A320, in mid-December. After launching the Kaohsiung-Fukuoka route, there are no immediate plans to open new routes, with intentions to stabilize operations across current routes and fleet for 2–3 years, aiming to break even on accumulated losses within four years.

Tigerair Taiwan also teased that in the first quarter of 2018, it will enable diverse payment options, allowing passengers to pay via credit card on mobile devices or use cash at convenience stores in Taiwan and Japan, making checkout more convenient.

▲In addition to joining forces with cosmic explorer Kuroro, a range of co-branded merchandise will be launched. (Photo by reporter Lai Wen-hsuan)

Next, Tigerair Taiwan launches its collaboration with Taiwan-original cosmic explorer space cat Kuroro. Starting September 26, passengers will be able to see Kuroro on the Tigerair Taiwan website, check-in counters, in the cabin, and even on flight attendants. More co-branded products will be introduced in the future.

Finally, Tigerair Taiwan fulfills its social responsibility by announcing the continuation of its partnership with Taipei Zoo. In addition to ongoing tiger sponsorships, the airline began sponsoring Formosan clouded leopards and leopard cats this year. It hopes to use its corporate influence to call on the public to pay attention to tigers, clouded leopards, and leopard cats, as well as raise awareness about the conservation and survival issues of other endangered feline species.

Tigerair Taiwan will celebrate its third anniversary since commencing operations on September 26, 2014. Currently, its fleet consists of 10 A320 aircraft, serving 14 destinations and 19 international routes. With the upcoming launch of the Kaohsiung-Fukuoka route by the end of the year, it will operate 20 international routes, serving passengers in northern, central, and southern Taiwan. As of the first half of this year, Tigerair Taiwan holds a 23.0% market share among low-cost carriers flying to Taiwan.