Protesting flight passengers to be compensated RMB$400

Over a hundred passengers, angry at what they called Shanghai Airlines' bad handling of the incident, refused to leave the plane when it landed at Songshan Airport yesterday. They eventually got off after about 30 minutes.

Weather and satellite records on June 13 show that there was a sixty-kilometer area of thunderstorms when the plane was crossing the Taiwan Strait, causing the pilot to turn the plane back, according to Li Chien-kuo of the CAA.

The pilot had informed the Taipei Area Control Center at 10:28 a.m. of the weather conditions, and was given special permission to deviate from the flight path and enter the sensitive zone in the middle of the Taiwan Strait. The zone is usually off-limits to civilian aircraft due to military concerns. At 10:51 a.m., the pilot requested permission to return to Shanghai Pudong Airport.

Airlines are not usually liable for compensation if a flight is delayed due to weather conditions, but due to the importance Shanghai Airlines' places on its Taiwan passengers, the airline would give each passenger RMB$400 in compensation, said Shanghai Airlines spokesperson Wang Wan-long.

The passengers of flight FY80Y were housed at a hotel near Pudong airport, and were provided with breakfast and dinner during the delay, he added.

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