Miller lobbies for Taiwan air service

Fresh from helping to land more direct flights from Tokyo to Las Vegas, Gov. Bob Miller says his meetings seeking to attract the same type of service from Taiwan went well last week.

Miller met last week with vice presidents of Eva Air, a division of Evergreen Air, and China Air, a former nationally owned company that is moving toward privatization.

"Both these airlines indicated a strong interest in exploring non-stop flights to Las Vegas," Miller said by phone Friday after arriving home from his week-long trip to Asia.

While perhaps not as fertile as the Japanese market, Taiwan air service is still desirable.

"They're smaller than Tokyo, but we think it can be profitable," Miller said.

State Sen. Bill Raggio, Thomas Tait with the Nevada Commission on Tourism and Harry Kassap of McCarran International Airport were among the delegation that accompanied the governor to Taiwan.

During the stint, Miller met with Prime Minister Jason Hu, whose office has a say in airline service. Hu plans to visit Las Vegas next month and could bring airline officials with him, according to Miller.

Miller said Hu expressed concerns that many Taiwanese may not see Las Vegas as a family destination yet, but camera crews could accompany Hu on his visit in an effort to change that perception.

"He had a thorough understanding of Las Vegas," Miller said.

The meetings with Taiwanese officials were somewhat preliminary, whereas groundwork for air service from Japan has been being laid for years.

Earlier in the week, two Japanese carriers announced intentions to offer service to McCarran International Airport. Japan Airlines will begin non-stop service from Tokyo beginning Oct. 2. All Nippon Airlines announced it would offer two direct charter flights from Nagoya this summer.

Nagoya is Japan's third largest market and is situated between Tokyo and Osaka.

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