Air tickets from Hanoi to tourist destinations are expensive and scarce

In two days, the whole country will enter the April 30-May 1 holiday. Records on the airline ticketing system show that many flights departing on April 27 and returning on May 1 are sold out even though expensive.

Specifically, on the routes from Hanoi to Dien Bien, Tuy Hoa, Dong Hoi, Hue, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Con Dao… there are no more flights despite the expensive ticket prices.

Ms. Oanh, from Cau Giay (Hanoi) said that at first she thought she would only have 3 days off this year so she did not plan to go far away. When the agency announced a 5-day break, she decided to book a ticket to Hue for her family but asked 4 agents but still couldn’t get one. “I changed my plan to go to Nha Trang and had to buy tickets one day earlier than the holiday,” Ms. Oanh said.

For some routes with tickets, there are very few flight time options, such as Hanoi – Da Nang, Phu Quoc only have 1-2 early flights, late return costs 4.7-6 million VND (round trip, including taxes, fee). This level increased by 5-15% compared to the same period last year. The route to Da Lat also has a few tickets left, the price has skyrocketed, to 5.8-6 million VND.

Meanwhile, flights from Ho Chi Minh City to tourist destinations are less stressful and are still quite abundant, with ticket prices cooling down by about 5-10% compared to the same period last year. The previously expensive destination was Ho Chi Minh City – Phu Quoc, departing on April 27 and returning 1/5, the round-trip ticket price is currently just over 3.8 million VND including taxes and fees (last year was about 4.5-5.5 million VND). VND, depending on time frame). Or Ho Chi Minh City – Nha Trang, the round-trip ticket price for peak days as above is only 2.8 million VND.

Mr. Thanh, a ticket agent in Tan Binh district (HCMC), said that on this occasion, the number of tourists in the city going to tourist destinations by air decreased because many people chose to experience trips close by. For others, ticket prices are high so they switch to taking trains and buses more.

For the Hanoi route, explain the reason why tickets are sold out and prices are expensive, Ms. Pham Thi Thu Huong – airline ticket agent – said that the travel demand of the capital’s people is increasing. In particular, destinations with beaches are quite attractive to tourists when intense heat is increasing. “I have a few customers who want to book tickets for this holiday, but they are sold out now. I’m still watching for additional tickets, waiting until tomorrow to reply to customers,” Ms. Huong said.

ACV representative said that the reason airfares from Hanoi to tourist destinations are scarce and expensive compared to last year is partly due to airlines’ lack of aircraft. Since the beginning of the year, engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney (PW) had to recall engines for in-depth inspection and repair to fix manufacturing errors. Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air have about 40 aircraft using this engine, so they will have to stop operating in 2024-2025 for maintenance, and the repair time may even be longer than expected.

In addition, this year’s aviation market also has many fluctuations as some airlines restructure their businesses and reduce the size of their fleets. Bamboo Airways previously had 28 aircraft, but now only a few remain in operation after returning all Embraer E190 aircraft to the leasing company. Pacific Airlines has paid off all aircraft to clear debt and no longer operates aircraft.

According to the Vietnam Aviation Administration, the booking rate on some routes from Hanoi to localities is up to 90-100% on April 27 and May 1. Among them, routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Dien Bien Phu/Quy Nhon/Con Dao have the highest occupancy rate, reaching 95-100%.

Faced with the “locally sold out” situation, the Vietnam Aviation Administration has just asked airlines to continue increasing flights on domestic routes. Accordingly, the Department recommends that airlines optimize their aircraft fleets to consider adding additional load capacity on routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to localities on April 27 and from localities to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City on May 1.

Previously, on April 18, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam also asked airlines to increase night flights on April 30 and during the summer peak season to serve customers.

During this holiday, Vietnam Airlines said it will provide more than 570,000 seats and 2,900 flights on domestic and international routes. Vietjet Air also added 86,000 seats, equivalent to 425 flights on tourist routes.

Thi Ha