Taiwan offers FAKE FLIGHTS to keep holiday-starved tourists happy, with travellers passing through passport control and then boarding an aircraft… that doesn’t take off
- The fake flight experience is being offered to people at Taipei’s downtown Songshan airport
- Around 7,000 people applied to take part in the experience with 60 winners chosen at random
- The winners got boarding passes, were allowed through security and boarded a China Airlines A330 plane
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Starved of the travel experience during the coronavirus lockdown?
One Taiwanese airport has the solution – a fake itinerary where you check in, go through passport control and security and even board the aircraft.
You just never leave.
Two lucky winners hold their passports and plane tickets for a fake travel experience that is being offered at Taipei’s Songshan Airport
The holiday-starved tourists show their travel documents at immigration control as part of the fake travel experience
The passengers boarded a China Airlines A330 plane, where they were allowed to sit for half an hour
Taipei’s downtown Songshan airport began offering travellers this ‘trip’ on Thursday, with some 60 people eager to get going – to nowhere.
Around 7,000 people applied to take part, the winners chosen by random. More fake flight experiences will take place in the coming weeks.
‘I really want to leave the country, but because of the epidemic lots of flights can’t fly,’ said Hsiao Chun-wei, 38, who brought her young son.
While on the plane, the ‘fake’ passengers chatted to flight attendants and listened to a lecture on Covid-19 prevention
Around 7,000 people applied to take part in the fake holiday experience at the airport, with 60 winners chosen at random
One of the lucky winners displays the food prepared by the airport for the ‘fake’ passengers
The passengers got boarding passes and proceeded through security and immigration before boarding an Airbus A330 of Taiwan’s largest carrier, China Airlines, where flight attendants chatted to them.
They also listened to a lecture on Covid-19 prevention before disembarking, having cake and coffee in an airport restaurant and passing back through immigration to re-enter the country.
‘I hope the epidemic ends soon so we can really fly away,’ said a 48-year-old woman who gave her family name as Tsai.
The airport is also using the event to show off renovations completed while passengers have stayed away, and show people what coronavirus-prevention steps it is taking.
Songshan usually has flights to Tokyo, Seoul and several Chinese cities, and is also an important domestic hub.
Taiwan has emerged relatively unscathed from the pandemic thanks to early and effective prevention steps but has largely closed its borders since mid-March.
It has advised citizens against overseas travel unless absolutely necessary.
With fewer flights operating, passenger numbers have plummeted 64 per cent in the first five months of 2020 compared with the same period last year, according to the government.
Still, in one bright spot, internal travel is booming.
Taiwan’s two main domestic carriers – China Airlines unit Mandarin Airlines and Eva Air’s Uni Air – have added extra capacity over the summer to Taiwan’s sun-soaked offshore islands and rugged east coast.