TAIWANESE TOURISTS STUCK IN HOKKAIDO AIRPORT DUE TO SNOW STORM|日北海道暴雪 我6旅團逾3百人滯留

Japan's Hokkaido was hit by a snow storm. The depth of snowfall in December reached a record high in 50 years. Around six thousand passengers, including 300 from Taiwan, were stuck at the New Chitose Airport on December 23. Fortunately on the afternoon of December 24, the storm was over, and all flights were resumed. Hokkaido's Sapporo on December 23 had accumulated snow depth of 96 centimeters, the highest record for the past 50 years. The New Chitose Airport cancelled 284 flights, around six thousand passengers stayed overnight at the airport. == JAPANESE TOURIST== I have been waiting since yesterday. Nothing I can do about this delay. Hokkaido has been a popular place for Taiwanese tourists. According to the travel agency association, about 300 Taiwanese passengers were stuck at the airport in Japan. All passengers were being arranged with lodging. ==STAFF Taipei Economic and Cultural Rep. Office in Japan, Sapporo Branch == Today the airplanes will depart for Taiwan. There should be no one overnight at the airport. No report about other flight delay. ==LI CHI-YUEH, Travel Agent Asso. of R.O.C., Taiwan Spokesman== Our travel contract clearly stated that during the flight delay period, travel agency has to pay for basic expenditures such as passengers' eating and lodging. China Airlines and EVA Airways stated, Japan's New Chitose Airport had cleared accumulated snow, all delayed flights will be departing as scheduled. Four EVA Airways flights and three China Airlines flights had arrived Taoyuan International Airport in the eve of December 24. TRANSLATED BY：ANTHONY LIN 日本北海道，受暴風雪侵襲，札幌積雪，創下50年來，12月份「積雪」最厚紀錄。而在23號晚間，有6千多名旅客，受困在、新千歲機場，台灣有6團、300多人，也因班機延誤滯留。幸好24號下午、天氣放晴，航班也恢復起降。 根據日本媒體報導，北海道札幌地區積雪23號一度達到96公分，是當地50年來12月積雪最厚的紀錄，陸空交通大亂，新千歲機場被迫關閉，共有284個航班取消，6千名旅客在機場過夜。 == 日本旅客== 我昨天開始就等到現在了 我想這也是沒辦法的事 北海道也是台灣旅客熱門旅遊地點，旅行公會統計，總共有6團300多名旅客，因班機延誤，滯留日本，旅行社回報，已就地安置旅客。 ==台北駐日經濟文化辦事處札幌分處人員== 今天飛機 就是會慢慢的飛回去 所以應該會 沒有在機場過夜的情形 那其他的 就也沒有什麼受困的消息 這樣 ==旅行公會全聯會發言人 李奇嶽== 在我們的旅行契約書裡面 也有規定 非常清楚 在滯留期間 旅行社依然要負擔 旅客的一些 基本的吃住 相關的一些費用 國籍航空華航和長榮表示，新千歲機場上午清雪後已經開放，但由於消化前一天未飛班機，航班仍然有延誤情況，包含前一天的滯留班機，長榮航空4架，以及華航3架班機，24號傍晚後將陸續飛抵台灣。 綜合報導