New York, July 3 (CNA) China Airlines (CAL) on Monday denied rumors that it could suspend direct flight services between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and New York, adding that all flights are operating normally.
Yang Chung-hui, president of CAL's New York office, said she had received no information from CAL headquarters about any suspension, and added that the carrier's summer schedule will not be affected.
However, travel agents, government officials and overseas students are taking the unofficial information seriously, asking CAL not to shut down the 34-year-old service.
Meng Chun-jen, who runs travel businesses in New York, said CAL will lose many existing customers should it cut the Taipei-New York route.
If CAL cuts the route, the market will be shared by other major carriers, and it will be more difficult for CAL to come back to the market again, he said.
Chang Wei-ting, a Taiwan Tourism Bureau official posted in New York, expressed concern that a suspension will dampen North American travelers' interest in visiting Taiwan.
Still more students and expatriates said they are shocked about the idea of a shutdown of the Taipei-New York service.
CAL, Taiwan's largest airline, operates five direct flights between Taoyuan and New York each week.
According to an unattributed rumor, the carrier, troubled by huge losses and protests by flight crew about insufficient rest time working on the route, will replace the original service through code-sharing with other airlines to transfer via Los Angeles or San Fransisco to New York.
EVA Airways, on the other hand, operates 10 direct flights between Taipei and New York per week.
