ROC passport bookings for int'l flights unchanged: Chinese airline

Taipei/Beijing, Sept. 22 (CNA) China's Spring Airlines said Monday that Taiwanese passengers can use their Taiwan Compatriot Permit and Republic of China (Taiwan) passport to book international flights, following the resolution of a system issue that temporarily blocked such bookings.

Ding Yanjun (丁彥俊), chief representative of Spring Airlines Taiwan, made the remarks after members of a WeChat group for Taiwanese in Shanghai recently complained that their tickets from China to Japan and Cambodia were canceled due to incorrect documentation.

Speaking to the media in Taipei, Ding said the issue arose during a recent system upgrade, when some routes showed incorrect documentation options online, and there were also miscommunications between passengers and customer service.

He reiterated that the ticketing process for Taiwanese passengers buying tickets to countries outside China, such as Japan, remains the same as before, with passengers using their Taiwan Compatriot Permit to exit China and presenting their ROC passport when entering a third country.

No further information was provided by the airline official.

Some Taiwanese members of the WeChat group again contacted the Chinese budget airline by phone earlier Monday and were told that, effective Sept. 12, Taiwan Compatriot Permits and ROC passports cannot be used to purchase tickets for international flights, citing adherence to the "One-China principle."

All passengers, including Taiwanese travelers, must use valid travel documents recognized by the People's Republic of China government to purchase tickets and board flights, an airline customer service official was quoted as saying in a message released by the WeChat group.

After contacting Spring Airlines' customer service staff in China later in the day, a CNA reporter was told that Taiwanese purchasing tickets to go abroad, such as Japan, are required to use their ROC passport.

Taiwanese nationals can book tickets directly and normally without any restrictions, the customer service responded.