Airline Disappointment: May 18,
1999
I recently had my second disappointment with China Airlines.
Several years ago my luggage was lost for 4 days on the
SF-Taipei flight. It was returned but with no note or
explanation. I was lucky. More recently there was a two-hour
plus delay on a Taipei-Manila flight due to brake problems
discovered just as we started to back up. It was repaired
with passengers on board and ended with a 2-hr flight
requiring 5 hrs in our seats. I was too late to do business
in Manila and returned with nothing accomplished and having
to go to HK two weeks later to finish my resident visa
business. The major repair to the brake system was a noisy
and hot experience. It also was unsafe since it is always
safer to take passengers off before any major repair and not
needlessly endanger lives. A fire would have been
catastrophic. The China Airlines complaint department made
me go through a one-month process and a series of faxes,
including a final one where they wanted my Passport and Visa
copied. It ended with the same story and form letter as the
initial one - We are not responsible for delays due to
mechanical failure or our maintenance difficulties. I have
spent seven years in Asia and worked in or visited eleven
countries here, over forty world-wide. The overall onboard
service, reputation (general knowledge here in Taiwan from
conversations after my disappointment), and accountability
is inferior to the other options for air travel. Word to the
wise.
Better Luck Next Time,
Dennis Daniels
DDaniels@dl.com.tw
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