Passengers go through check-in procedures at Phu Bai International Airport.

Airfare prices have increased.

Surveys conducted at numerous airline ticket agencies in Hue City in recent days show that ticket prices before or after the April 30th and May 1st holidays are sky-high, especially for routes with high demand for tourism .

According to a travel agency owner in Hue City, while demand for airline tickets was high during this holiday period last year, the market has declined this year due to higher prices. Currently, the number of bookings has decreased by 30-40% compared to the same period last year. Popular routes include Hue - Hanoi ; Hue - Ho Chi Minh City; Hue - Phu Quoc; and Hue - Da Lat.

From the beginning of March 2024, Circular No. 34/2023/TT-BGTVT of the Ministry of Transport , amending and supplementing some articles of Circular No. 17/2019 of the Ministry of Transport on promulgating the price framework for passenger transport services on domestic routes, officially came into effect. Accordingly, for flight routes of 500km or more, the price of transport services will increase by 50,000 - 250,000 VND/ticket/one-way compared to the old regulations, depending on the length of each route.

According to ticket agents in Hue City 3-5 days before the holiday, prices for flights between Hue and Ho Chi Minh City ranged from 1.1-1.6 million VND/ticket with Vietjet and 1.6-2.2 million VND/ticket with Vietnam Airlines. For the Hue-Hanoi route, prices were 1-1.4 million VND/ticket with Vietjet and over 1.6-2 million VND/ticket with Vietnam Airlines. These prices varied depending on the flight time. However, the number of customers booking tickets for the upcoming holiday at this time decreased by approximately 40% compared to the same period last year.

The owner of an airline ticket agency on Le Loi Street in Hue City said that airfares are currently much higher than before due to several reasons, such as increased travel demand, reduced aircraft supply from airlines, and higher fuel and labor costs. Furthermore, in early March 2024, new regulations on price caps for domestic flights, coupled with many aircraft undergoing maintenance, have led to the current price increases.

Demand for train tickets is increasing.

Because airfare is expensive, many people choose other means of transportation such as trains or cars, or change their travel plans to visit closer destinations.

Ms. Tran Thi Tu (Phong Dien town, Phong Dien district) shared: “Initially, my family planned to travel to Da Lat during the upcoming holiday. However, after checking airfare prices, we found they were almost double the usual price, so I decided to change our travel destination to Hoi An (Quang Nam) and Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh) by car for the upcoming April 30th and May 1st holidays.”

Passengers tend to choose trains for travel.

Mr. Hoang Minh Phuong (Hue City) said that during the upcoming holiday, he and his friends decided to travel to Da Lat. Instead of flying, he and his group of friends decided to choose a sleeper bus because the ticket price is much cheaper than airfare, and it also offers many new experiences.

According to Mr. Le Trong Ha, in charge of the ticket office at Hue Station, train ticket prices usually increase by 20-30% during holidays and Tet (Lunar New Year). This year, for the April 30th and May 1st holidays, most passengers booked tickets from Hue for short journeys of about 300-500km; many were particularly eager to experience the "Connecting Central Vietnam Heritage" tourist train tour between Hue and Da Nang and vice versa, which was recently launched by the Vietnam Railway Corporation on March 26th. The number of tickets booked from Hue to other central provinces during the holiday period currently stands at 80-90%.

According to the head of the Hue Railway Transport Branch, during the upcoming holiday season, in addition to regular trains, the railway industry will increase the number of trains to serve passengers. Specifically, on the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route, the industry will operate an additional pair of trains, SE11/SE12, from March 28th to May 14th. In the South, from the beginning of April, Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company will add more trains from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh) and vice versa. The railway industry continues to apply regular discount programs for social policy beneficiaries, such as a 10% discount on tickets for students; a 5-15% discount for passengers with customer cards; a 5-10% discount for trade union members; and a 5% discount for passengers traveling on their birthdays…

Mr. Pham Xuan Son, General Director of Hue Bus Station Joint Stock Company, said that the company has planned to propose that transportation businesses proactively provide vehicles to serve passengers safely and conveniently during the April 30th and May 1st holidays, especially passengers who wish to travel to the Central and Central Highlands provinces in groups, tours, and with their families. Ticket prices will not increase compared to normal days.

Text and photos: SONG MINH