Airline tickets during holidays are as expensive as tickets for Tet (Vietnamese New Year).

There are about two weeks left until the nationwide holiday commemorating Hung Kings' Ancestors and the five-day National Day (April 30th - May 1st) holiday. This also marks the beginning of the peak tourist season of the year, so families and organizations usually plan their trips early. Some airlines report that bookings on some domestic routes have reached 70% of available seats. However, travel agencies reveal that the number of bookings is still limited and not as vibrant as in previous years.

Ticket prices are as high as during the Lunar New Year holiday.

A quick survey of online ticketing channels shows that from April 28th to May 3rd, airfares on many routes have skyrocketed. Specifically, depending on the airline and flight time, round-trip tickets for the Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang route (departing April 28th, returning May 2nd) cost between 3.6 and 4.2 million VND; the Ho Chi Minh City - Khanh Hoa route cost between 3.2 and 4 million VND; the Ho Chi Minh City - Phu Quoc route cost between 3 and 4 million VND; and the Ho Chi Minh City - Thanh Hoa route cost between 4 and 5.2 million VND.

A four-day, three-night tour of Quang Binh costs 10 million VND per person. Of this, airfare accounts for 50%, with the remainder covering accommodation, meals, entrance fees, and transportation. The consistently high airfare has resulted in low bookings for tours to Quang Binh, requiring significant planning from the tour company.

Mr. NGUYEN TIEN THANH, Quang Binh Tourism Company

In addition, round-trip tickets for the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route cost between 4.2 and 6 million VND; Hanoi - Phu Quoc between 4 and 6 million VND, depending on the airline and flight time; and Hanoi - Da Nang between 4 and 5.2 million VND. Notably, the Hanoi - Con Dao route, exclusively operated by Bamboo Airways, has round-trip tickets priced at up to 8.5 million VND. This route has five round-trip flights daily. Round-trip tickets from Ho Chi Minh City range from 4 to 6 million VND.

Ms. Mai Ha, owner of an airline ticket and travel company, said that this year's holiday season not only saw an increase in airfare but also double the price of hotel rooms. Therefore, families mainly check airfare prices and then design their own tours and travel by private vehicle to reduce costs. “Currently, flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Con Dao, operated by Vietnam Airlines and Bamboo Airways, are always fully booked, even during holidays. Some routes with fewer flights are experiencing shortages, but most still have plenty of tickets available, though at prices as high as during Tet (Lunar New Year),” Ms. Ha said.

Mr. Pham Duy, who runs an airline ticket agency in Binh Duong, noted that the number of customers booking tickets has decreased compared to the same period last year. "This could be due to high incomes and ticket prices, causing families and organizations to reconsider booking tickets at this time," Mr. Duy shared.

According to the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority, the occupancy rate on many flights during this holiday period has increased dramatically. Photo: PHONG DIEN

Request to increase flights

According to the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority (CAAV), data reported by Vietnamese airlines shows that during the two peak days of April 28th and 29th, the total number of seats offered on flights from Hanoi to key tourist destinations such as Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, Dong Hoi, etc., was over 41,000. Notably, on April 29th, the occupancy rate increased dramatically, with the Hanoi - Hue route reaching 100%; Hanoi - Tuy Hoa reaching 93%; and Hanoi - Dong Hoi/Quy Nhon both exceeding 96%.

Similarly in Ho Chi Minh City, bookings for April 29th on flights to the aforementioned key tourist destinations were high, with a total of approximately 40,000 seats available. The occupancy rate on routes from Ho Chi Minh City to Quy Nhon/Phu Quoc/Tuy Hoa was above 80%.

Conversely, return flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City also saw high booking rates during the peak days of May 2nd and 3rd. Notably, some routes from Phu Quoc, Quy Nhon, Hue, and Tuy Hoa to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City achieved booking rates above 80%.

Therefore, to enhance solutions to better serve the travel needs of the people and ensure traffic order and safety during the April 30th and May 1st holidays, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) requests airlines to consider increasing flights on routes from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to destinations with high tourist demand including Phu Quoc, Tuy Hoa, Binh Dinh, Cam Ranh, Con Dao… on April 28th, 29th and from May 2nd to 3rd.

Previously, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) also increased the number of take-off and landing slots by 26 per day at Tan Son Nhat Airport to serve the air transport needs during the April 30th - May 1st holidays and the peak summer season of 2023. Thus, airlines have opened up approximately 4,500-5,000 additional seats per day.

Depending on the situation, the railway industry will operate additional trains and add more carriages.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Luyen, Deputy Director of the Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company's branch, said that during the peak period from April 26th to May 3rd, many train routes from Saigon were fully booked. "Currently, not all train tickets are sold out. If one ticket is unavailable, there are other options for people to choose from. The company will also adjust the situation to deploy additional trains and add more carriages," Mr. Luyen said.

According to Mr. Luyen, the company adjusts ticket prices according to market supply and demand. Accordingly, the average increase for the entire period is approximately 4%-7% compared to the same period in 2022.

A representative from Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company also stated that due to the high demand during this holiday period, the company has deployed all its high-quality carriages to create an additional 28 train routes to serve passenger transport. “To date, tickets for trains to the central provinces during peak days, such as the Hanoi to Lao Cai train, are almost sold out. Only tickets for shorter routes and regional trains like Hanoi to Nam Dinh and Hai Phong are still available,” the company representative said. THY NHUNG

Source: PLO

Source link: https://baotayninh.vn/ve-may-bay-dip-le-dat-nhu-ve-tet-a157237.html