Taiwanese business people operating in China hailed the June 14 inauguration of nonstop flight services between Taipei Songshan Airport and Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, but many of them complained that the tickets were too expensive. Responding to the complaints, Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chih-kuo said Tuesday that as Songshan Airport is positioned as a commercial airport aimed at serving those who place a premium on convenience and short travel times, this group of passengers will have to pay higher airfares. On other flight routes, however, Mao said there should be room for a downward adjustment of ticket prices once the number of direct cross-strait flights are raised later this year. The following are excerpts from the local media coverage of the issue: China Times: Mao said that once Songshan Airport's expansion project is completed next October, it will be a 'small yet beautiful' facility. Because of its limited space, Mao said, the airport cannot make major expansions of its runways and terminals and will therefore not offer transit service even after its renovation is completed. 'Nevertheless, Songshan Airport will maximize its function as an urban commercial airport by offering convenient and outstanding services,' Mao promised. To differentiate the airport from Taiwan's main international gateway, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Mao said Songshan Airport will exact higher aircraft landing and takeoff charges and terminal rentals. 'As a result, passengers using Songshan Airport will have to pay higher ticket prices,' he contended. United Daily News: Amid mounting complaints about a limited supply of seats and high fares for Songshan-Hongqiao flights, TransAsia Airways (TAA), one of the three Taiwanese carriers allowed to operate the route, launched a promotion drive Tuesday. It said it still has seats available on flights until June 25 and is offering the lowest possible round-trip fare of NT$13,700 until the end of June. Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) Director-General Lee Lung-wen said he is satisfied with the airline's pricing and will meet with executives of the other two carriers serving the route to see if they will follow suit. But the other carriers said it was easier for TransAsia Airways to offer promotional discounts because it operates only two Songshan-Hongqiao flights per week. The other two carriers each operate six flights per week on the route. Airline executives also argued that the number of direct flights between Songshan and two Shanghai airports -- Hongqiao and Pudong -- remains limited, making it difficult for them to lower prices with the market entering its peak season. They urged the CAA not to interfere with ticket pricing issues, insisting that airfares should be decided by the market. They also pushed the CAA to step up preparations for the next scheduled round of aviation talks with China in October to convince Beijing to allow a further increase of Songshan-Hongqiao and Songshan-Pudong flights. (June 16, 2010). Liberty Times: President Ma Ying-jeou attributed the relatively high airfares for Songshan- Hongqiao flights mainly to China's reluctance to increase the number of flights local carriers are eligible to operate. In addition to lobbying China to agree to raise the number in the future, Ma said, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications should see to it that the Songshan Airport's first, second and third-phase renovation and expansion projects be completed in October, next March and next October as scheduled. (June 16, 2010) 