Taiwan's Own Budget Airlines Set to Soar(b)|台湾品牌廉价航空展翅高飞！

　　Taiwan's airline industry has long recognized the threat these foreign budget airlines pose, TransAsia Airways particularly so, due to the high overlap between their customer base and that of the budget airlines. In response, TransAsia's chairman Vincent Lin called on Taiwan's government to create a more favorable environment for local airlines and for the prompt establishment of Taiwan's own budget carriers.

　　China Airlines, meanwhile, has decided to fight back by inking an agreement with Singapore's Tiger Airways to establish Tigerair Taiwan. This joint venture involves a capital investment of some NT$2 billion, with China Airlines holding 90 percent of the company and Tiger Airways the remaining 10. Tigerair Taiwan is expected to be in the air by the fourth quarter of 2014 at the soonest, operating three Airbus A320s and aiming to expand to 12 after three years. Tigerair Taiwan and TransAsia's budget carrier will fly to and from major cities across Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and China. With so much overlap between these airlines and their parents, how can these companies avoid competing with themselves?

　　China Airlines believes that the budget airlines can actually create more demand for travel by creating opportunities for those who can't afford the sky-high prices for normal tickets. Instead of further dividing up the existing customer base, China Airlines stated it will actually be making the pie bigger for everyone.

　　With the coming of Taiwan's own budget airlines, it looks like competition in the skies over Taiwan is about to get even hotter. Aside from presenting another powerful way to promote our beautiful island abroad, these new companies are set to create greater competition and choice for travelers, making consumers the big winners.

台湾品牌廉价航空展翅高飞！

　　台湾的航空业者早已体认到这些外来廉价航空所造成的威胁，其中又以客源与廉价航空高度重叠的复兴航空最能感同身受。为了回应这种情形，复兴航空公司董事长林明升呼吁政府必须打造更有利于本土航空公司的环境，尽快成立台湾自有品牌的廉价航空公司。

　　在此同时，中华航空决定展开反击，该公司与新加坡的虎航（Tiger Airways）签订合约，成立『台湾虎航』（Tigerair Taiwan）。这家合资企业的资本额约为新台币二十亿元，华航持股百分之九十，虎航则持股百分之十。台湾虎航预计最快在 2014 年第四季开始营运，初期会有三架空中巴士 A320 飞行，目标三年后增加到十二架。台湾虎航与复兴航空旗下的廉价航空将会往返于东北亚、东南亚与中国的主要城市。由于这些航空公司与其母公司的航线有很多重叠，他们该如何避免『自己打自己』的困扰呢？

　　华航认为廉价航空为那些负担不起高昂正常票价的民众创造了更多出国的机会，这的确也创造了更多的旅游需求。华航表示，他们实际上是为大家着想而把市场的饼做大，而非瓜分既有的客源。

　　随着台湾自有品牌廉价航空的投入，台湾上空的竞争看似会愈演愈烈。除了扮演另一种将我们的宝岛营销至国外的有力方法之外，这些新成立的公司已准备好要为旅客展开更激烈的竞争和提供更好的选择来让消费者成为最大的赢家。

本社为尊重《台湾光华杂志》，中文原文登出，仅供参考，中英文如有不尽相符之处，敬请包涵。