Taiwan’s China Airlines removes given Chinese names from staff badges

華航去除員工識別證上的中文本名

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China Airlines will remove Chinese given names from the name badges of frontline service staff to protect their privacy, reports said Thursday.

Airline Chair Kao Shing-hwang (高星潢) made the promise to union representatives last week, per UDN. Union officials said the change was a sign that the airline valued the privacy and safety of its frontline staff.

Passengers could use employees’ full Chinese names to track them down on social media and messaging apps and even harass or stalk them, the union said. As a result, the union wanted only Chinese surnames to appear on the name badges.

The airline said it will begin introducing new badges in March 2027 displaying Chinese and English surnames together with either an abbreviated English name or a foreign-language alias, UDN reported. China Airlines subsidiary Tigerair Taiwan said earlier this year that it was removing Chinese surnames from its badges, while another subsidiary, Mandarin Airlines, said it will follow the parent company’s example.

EVA Air said it will continue to consider options for its name badge policy. Starlux Airlines said displaying full Chinese and English names helped passengers from different countries identify and communicate with staff. During public relations events and filming, the badges are covered to protect employees’ privacy and safety, Starlux said.