China Airlines to raise booking fee again in July

Taipei, June 13 (CNA) Taiwan's China Airlines (CAL) on Saturday announced that it will be raising its booking fee again in July after having already increased it once on March 17.

According to CAL, the US$2 booking fee increase from US$28 to US$30 will take effect on July 9, due to what it described as airline industry standards and market conditions, without elaborating.

The airline had previously increased its booking fee from US$25 to US$28 in March.

To date, Taiwan's three major international carriers -- CAL, EVA Airways, and Starlux Airlines -- have all raised their booking fees.

EVA Air was the first to put through an increase on March 1, raising the fee to US$28. China Airlines followed suit on March 17, and Starlux then increased its booking fee by US$5 from US$25 to US$30 on April 1.

Budget airline Tigerair Taiwan has left its booking fees unchanged, however, at NT$400 (US$12.44) per passenger per flight segment for peak-season flights and NT$300 for off-peak flights.

Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers.

A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major GDS systems are Amadeus, Sabre, and Travelport.

Meanwhile, China Airlines said it will also raise the application fee for flight certificates in Taiwan on July 1, increasing the cost from NT$100 to NT$200.