China Airlines to raise international flight booking fees Sept. 22

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) Taiwanese carrier China Airlines (CAL) announced Thursday that it will raise its booking service fee for international flights from US$30 to US$33 starting Sept. 22.

The airline said the increase is in line with industry standards and market conditions.

Taiwan's major airlines, including CAL, EVA Air, Starlux Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan, charge booking service fees on a per-ticket basis to cover the cost of using global distribution systems (GDS) for reservations.

All four airlines have raised booking fees this year, in some cases more than once.

CAL raised its booking service fee from US$25 to US$28 in March and then to US$30 in July.

Starlux will raise its booking fee from US$30 to US$33 starting Oct. 7, while EVA Air and its wholly owned subsidiary UNI Air raised their booking fees from US$28 to US$33 for all flights except those departing from the Philippines and Hong Kong, effective Aug. 1.

Budget carrier Tigerair Taiwan raised its booking fee from NT$300 (US$9.51) to NT$350 for low-season flights, and from NT$400 to NT$450 for peak-season flights, starting Sept. 1.