coolfish1103

Being a New Zealand pilot I don't think he is Taiwanese? That law is applicable to Nationals of Taiwan.

I don't think this was challenged at court. If it's challenged I don't think there is any ground of not letting the couple leave. It was an easy way out just to pay the fine than going through the logistics.

patrickw

​​​​They can apply Article 21 for foreigners at the request of judicial, tax or other relevant authorities.

ProleOnParole

I recall Taiwan used to prevent their own citizens from leaving because of unpaid taxes.

Separately, there was a case when a foreign national overstayed, refused to pay the fine upon departure, and was thrown in jail. Not sure what the final outcome of that incident was.

garykung

I may have cited the wrong law. But we don't know if the person also holds a Taiwanese Passport or not (Taiwan allows dual-citizenship). My point is simply to say the law exists.

username

Politically, they will have find ways to hold the guy accountable. The Taiwanese are so proud of the "No Local Transmission" record and so angry at this guy for breaking this streak.

Yes, it is arguable whether this "No Local Transmission" is really no local transmission since multiple Taiwanese have tested positive upon entry to other countries. However, there has not been any outbreak - otherwise it would have been all over the news.

Anyway, so, there is no way the government is just going to let him leave without paying the fine.

east_west

As pointed out upthread, Article 21 of the Immigration Act pretty clearly covers this situation for aliens:

Article 21
National Immigration Agency shall ban an alien from exiting the State if he or she meets one of the following circumstances:
1. Has been banned from exiting the State at the request of a judicial authority.
2. Has been banned from exiting the State at the request of a tax authority.
National Immigration Agency shall ban an alien who is under investigation for other cases in accordance with laws from exiting the State after the concerned authorities have requested the imposition of such a ban.
National Immigration Agency shall notify the concerned alien in writing with reasons for the banned exit.

inlandrev

Another EVA pilot fired, see EVA Air pilot fired for illicit affairs during quarantine | Taiwan News | 2020/12/29

EVA had also some air hostess fired for breaking the COVID rules and showing off on LINE or other social media.

Transpacificflyer

This incident does not speak well of the company culture. I expected that the importance of safety would be paramount by now.

Q1. It is unlikely the captain started to cough spontaneously on the flight deck. It is plausible that he was coughing while in the ground office briefing etc. Didn't anyone see him / hear him? How about at the gate?
Q2: Why did the other pilots not protest and refuse to fly with the NZ Captain? There would have been time in the cockpit prior to departure to object.
Q3: Does EVA support employees who would raise a health & safety objection? Surely, there would have been an opportunity to leave the cabin and call the flight center? What do they do if they smell alcohol on a colleague's breath, or notice another issue?

hayzel7773

1. He could've just been coughing like he was choking for a bit and then stopped. I'm not thinking he was coughing continuously like a smoker.
2. The story of the woman FO complaining about how he was coughing is not confirmed. It's something online and something the OP mentioned he "read" somewhere. The only confirmed thing is that he did not wear a mask according to the second FO in the cockpit. The Japanese FO never mentioned coughing in the testimony.
3. BR policy is any crew member, regardless of rank, can object to the flight at any time, and the SOC/airport team will get involved to understand the issues/remedy them. All you need to do is inform the ground staff or ACARS the SOC.

I like how all these people are complaining about CRM on the news and what not. How exactly is this a Crew Resource Management issue? Communication is a facet of CRM, but this event was during the cruise phase, when the cockpit isn't sterile nor is it a critical phase of flight. Such issues can easily be discussed and addressed during this time. If somehow the FO let this issue affect her ability to operate the remainder of the flight, she, along with whoever else had an issue, need to be let go as well.

MSPeconomist

IIRC there have been incidents where EVA arguably did not support FAs. For instance, there was the guy going to BKK who insisted on help using the toilet. I also vaguely recall some FA in uniform posting sexy pictures (in the cockpit I believe) on social media and being fired. There might have been some dispute over wages or working conditions where FAs threatened to call in sick or walk off the job.

Are EVA pilots supposed to wear masks while on duty in the cockpit (in flight and with the door closed)? AFAIK not on USA carriers as the mask interferes with communications, including with ATC. It would also be in the way if pilots needed to suddenly put on their oxygen masks.

Also, would there have been a temperature check at the airport? Are crew required to confirm that they're symptom free when they report for duty?

hayzel7773

BR has in past cases not defended workers for sake of public image or customer service; in hindsight, that probably wasn't a good idea. But in the last decade, they have always supported their employees. The whole wiping incident is totally overblown; the FA that had the press conference (FA Guo) did not even wipe the gentleman's butt, the CP did. It's my understanding the CP still works at BR. The FA in the cockpit with the sexy photos should have been fired, no phone usage allowed on the flight deck+her genitals were hanging out. Which airline would be ok with that?

There is a temperature check and a health/wellness screening prior to duty that crew must submit to.

I have zero idea why the CAA of Taiwan has allowed face masks to be worn in the cockpit during flight but yes, crews are required to wear them per the CECC airline policy. They do interfere with the quick-don masks, hence the reason the FAA does not allow a mask on for flight crew. The mask is no different than a pilot having a beard, a big no-no. It's also the same reason they tell you to remove your face covering before putting on your oxygen mask in the event of a cabin depressurization for passengers (although those aren't quick don).

gengar

Let's not involve ourselves in the ridiculousness of raising a flight crew member "coughing without a mask" to the level of 'having consumed alcohol preflight', please.

inlandrev

To me it seems he was fired for things he did away from the airplane/airport which broke local COVID rules. This was the case with most recent pilot a few days ago and the Flight Hostess that was fired recently too, who all broke COVID rules outside the airport/airplane which as public news here in Taiwan which is a factor too.

Transpacificflyer

The point was in respect to working "culture". I remind you of the Asiana flight which highlighted the influence of hierarchy and the reluctance to question a senior ranked person.
It is therefore not "ridiculous" to inquire if the same issue was not involved here. If you go back to Q3;
Does EVA support employees who would raise a health & safety objection? Surely, there would have been an opportunity to leave the cabin and call the flight center? What do they do if they smell alcohol on a colleague's breath, or notice another issue?
The question was in respect to the health and safety culture. Too often we have heard of companies who have tried to quiet employee safety concerns and it has deadly consequences. This question has been answered in thread

The takeaway of the incident is that the the NZ pilot seems to have been a handful. Such people do not just develop over night and it begs the question as to what other risky actions had he been engaged in and if he was being properly supervised. Vociferous non compliance as was reported indicates a behavior pattern. If the pilot is a personality who is not compliant with safety procedures that he disagrees with, it is reasonable to be concerned with his overall performance.

hayzel7773

BR operates a very "western" flight operations system. They hired someone from the USA to operate as their VP of Flight Operations/Administration when they initially started (and generally lean foreign in this position), and have stuck with US certifications for both A&P and flight crew, in part due to the stigma from CI and it's awful safety record.