Passengers check in at Noi Bai International Airport

Airlines all declare prices according to the passenger transport service price frame prescribed by the Ministry of Transport .

Declare and list full price

Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam Do Hong Cam said that through the process of working with 4 airlines and 6 air ticket agents, the airlines all declared prices according to the passenger transport service price frame regulated by the Ministry of Transport. Based on the domestic passenger transport price frame, each airline has different prices. Accordingly, Vietjet Air has 20 prices, Vietravel Airlines has 18 prices, Vietnam Airlines has 17 prices, Bamboo Airways has 12-15 prices for each flight. These prices do not exceed the maximum level according to regulations.

"Airlines also list full ticket prices, including transportation service fees, system administration surcharges, system service surcharges, utility service surcharges, ticket booking service surcharges (if any), collection fees (passenger service and passenger and baggage security) and VAT. When passengers access the ticket sales websites of airlines, after selecting their itinerary and departure date, they will receive full ticket price information that must be paid before purchasing tickets," said Mr. Cam.

In terms of actual ticket prices, the results of the inspection in the period from January 1, 2024 to April 30, 2024, compared to the same period in 2023, the basic economy class ticket prices on domestic routes of airlines have increased. In particular, with 3 main routes (including Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi-Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City-Da Nang), the average ticket prices of airlines have increased: the increase of Vietnam Airlines is 19.9%, 28.4% and 14.9% respectively; Vietjet : 17.9%, 39.9% and 27.0%; Bamboo Airways: 2.1%, 24.4% and 22.5%; Vietravel Airlines: 10.2%, 17.7% and 18.6%.

Surcharges included in the ticket price such as system administration surcharge, system service surcharge of airlines range from 430-480,000 VND depending on the airline and are shown in the surcharge section (along with taxes, fees and other collection fees; however, the information display is not consistent between airlines). For tickets sold directly at the ticket office, airlines collect an additional fee of about 50,000 VND and do not apply when customers buy online on the website, phone application or other official online airline ticket sales channels (affiliated banks, electronic agents such as Traveloka, VnPay,...).

In addition, airlines also list additional service surcharges (not mandatory) depending on passenger needs (seat selection, additional checked baggage purchase, meal selection, travel insurance, etc.) publicly on the airline's official website. When customers choose to use the service, they will receive full information about the costs to be paid before payment.

The fee structure of the ticket price is not consistent.

The results of the inspection and review of air ticket sales by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam show that airlines have issued regulations on receiving and handling passenger feedback. The inspection recorded no feedback from passengers about high air ticket prices. As of May 10, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has received 11 feedback from passengers (via email) about buying high-priced tickets.

The results of the inspection of 11 cases of complaints about these ticket prices showed that there were no cases of buying tickets at prices exceeding the price range prescribed in Circular 17 and Circular 34. The Civil Aviation Authority is currently responding and clarifying information to passengers who have complained. In the coming time, the Authority will continue to deploy channels to receive information and handle and clarify issues related to the issue of ticket prices being higher than the regulations when receiving complaints from passengers.

Concluding the inspection process, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam assessed that all airlines complied with the airfares of Circular 17 and Circular 34 in selling airfares on domestic routes and complied with the regulations on listing and declaring prices as prescribed. However, the information about airfares on the websites of airlines has not been displayed consistently and the content of the collection items can easily cause misunderstandings about the naming/naming, leading to passengers not clearly understanding the details of the amounts payable in the total ticket price to be paid.

Despite the increase in the proportion of high-priced segments, Deputy Director Do Hong Cam said that the majority of the ticket price structure sold by airlines is still in the low and medium price segments (60-70% of the number of tickets sold). In addition, the routes recorded a high increase in the proportion of medium and low-priced segments. Specifically, on the Ho Chi Minh City-Da Nang route, Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet both increased the number of low-priced segment tickets by +5 and +8 percentage points, respectively; on the Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi route, Bamboo Airways and Vietjet both increased the number of low-priced segment tickets by +7 percentage points and +11 percentage points, respectively...

Regarding the management and inspection of airline ticket agents, airlines have regulations on the selection of agents, the rights and obligations of agents; regulations on the issuance, management and use of access rights to the ticket sales system of agents; regulations on handling agents who violate booking procedures and ticket issuance/processing errors. Information on promotional programs and ticket discount policies of airlines has not been widely displayed and communicated, leading to a reduction in customers' ability to access information and purchase at appropriate prices.

Regarding the issue of ticket sales, listing and declaration of airfares of domestic airlines, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam requires airlines to review and adjust the way information is displayed, clarifying the items that customers must pay in the displayed ticket price. It is expected that the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam will organize work with airlines to unify the display method, ensuring clear and complete information.

On May 3, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang issued a document requesting the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, the Department of Transport and relevant units to review and inspect airfares to strengthen state management, strictly control airfares, contribute to price stabilization, and ensure the harmony of socio-economic development goals in accordance with the Government's direction. The Ministry requested units to urgently review and inspect ticket sales, declare and list prices, publicly and transparently disclose information on airfares of airlines, and report to the Ministry before May 10. In case of detecting abnormalities, promptly direct, correct and immediately handle violations according to authority.
According to People