Airlines sell airline tickets at the correct price

Airplane at Noi Bai airport

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has just sent the Ministry of Transport a report on the results of the inspection of ticket sales activities of airlines from January 1 to May 4. The inspection was conducted from May 7-9, with Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Bamboo Airways, Vietravel Airlines and major agents.

The results of the Civil Aviation Authority show that all four airlines declare prices according to the passenger transport service price frame regulated by the Ministry of Transport. The Authority affirms that the domestic ticket prices of the airlines "always remain within the price frame" according to current regulations.

As of May 10, authorities said they had received 11 email complaints about high-priced tickets. The results of the investigation showed that "there were no cases" of tickets being sold above the price range prescribed in Circular 17 and Circular 34.

Domestic airfare ceiling

Group	Flight distance	Maximum level (VND/one-way ticket)
I	Under 500 km
1.	Socio-economic development flight route group	1,600,000
2.	Other flight groups under 500 km	1,700,000
II	From 500 km to under 850 km (like Da Nang - Thanh Hoa)	2,250,000
III	From 850 km to under 1,000 km (like Da Nang - Con Dao)	2,890,000
IV	From 1,000 km to under 1,280 km (like Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi)	3,400,000
V	From 1,280 km and up (like Hanoi - Con Dao)	4,000,000

Previously, in the report on airfares in the first four months of the year, the Department also confirmed that the increase in airfares of Vietnamese airlines was also in line with the general trend in the world. The reason was due to the impact of 5 main factors including high fuel prices, exchange rate differences, engine recall by manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, high aircraft rental prices and the supply and demand situation of air transport.

The agency also forecasts that the imbalance between supply and demand will continue during the peak summer season this year. This will also put some pressure on ticket prices on domestic flights, especially to tourist and resort destinations.

A survey of the main routes Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi - Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang recorded an increase in the proportion of high-priced segments. However, according to the Civil Aviation Authority, the majority (60-70%) of tickets sold by airlines are in the low and medium segments. That is, "high-priced segment tickets account for a small proportion".

Among the airlines, Vietnam Airlines' high-priced segment increased compared to the same period in 2023. Of which, the Ho Chi Minh City - Phu Quoc route of this airline had the highest increase in the proportion of high-priced tickets, accounting for 52.8%, while in the same period last year it was only 32.4%; Bamboo Airways' Hanoi - Da Nang route increased from 15.4% to 26.1%; Vietravel Airlines' high-priced segment increased the most on the Hanoi - Da Nang route, from 9.4% in 2023 to 22% this year.

Particularly for the April 30 holiday period, when compared to the same period in 2023, basic economy class ticket prices on domestic flights also recorded an increase on the routes Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi - Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang. The highest increase on these routes was 40% and the lowest was 2.1% (depending on the airline and route).

The selling price is set by the airlines in many ranges depending on the supply and demand situation in the market, as well as the time of sale before each flight. However, the total selling price and system management fee must not exceed 4 million VND - the maximum ceiling according to regulations that passengers must pay for a domestic air ticket (excluding VAT and other collection fees). This ceiling is applied to the longest domestic routes - 1,280 km or more, equivalent to the Hanoi - Phu Quoc route from March 1.

Through checking the listed ticket prices, the Civil Aviation Authority noted that the airlines have fully implemented, including transportation service prices, system management surcharges, system service surcharges, utility service surcharges, and ticket booking service surcharges (if any). In addition, the collection fees (passenger service and passenger and baggage security) and VAT are also listed.

Tickets sold directly at the ticket office are subject to an additional fee of about 50,000 VND and this fee does not apply when customers purchase online on the airline's official website or mobile application.

Airlines comply with listing regulations, but the Civil Aviation Authority believes that the information displayed on airlines' websites is not consistent and that the content of the fees can easily cause misunderstandings about the naming/naming. Therefore, many passengers do not clearly understand the details of the fees payable in the total ticket price to be paid.

In a recent meeting, the Department also requested 4 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 Department of Aviation will work with airlines to unify the display method, ensuring clear and complete information.

In the first quarter, Vietnamese airlines transported 13 million passengers, down 5% compared to the same period in 2023. Of which, the number of domestic passengers decreased by 18%, down to 8.5 million.

TH (according to VnExpress)

Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/cuc-hang-khong-cac-hang-ban-ve-may-bay-dung-gia-quy-dinh-381365.html