On the occasion of April 30 holiday, airlines are "short" of tickets, high prices

In response to the increasing demand of the people, on domestic routes, Vietnamese airlines plan to operate more than 7,500 flights, providing about 1.5 million seats, a sharp increase compared to last year.

Airfares are quite high

Surveying the online ticket sales website of Vietnam Airlines, for the Hanoi-Da Nang flight, on the departure day of April 29, Vietnam Airlines has 18 flights, the common ticket price is 2.5 million VND/ticket, however, some good flight times at noon and afternoon are sold out. On the return day of May 4, the morning time from 9 to 11 am is also sold out, other time slots have prices ranging from about 2.5 million VND/ticket or more.

Similarly, for Vietjet, the average outbound ticket price is around 3 million VND, Bamboo Airways only flies two flights, economy class is around 2 million VND, business class is 3.3 million VND. For the return flight, Vietjet has a price of 2-2.5 million VND/ticket but some flights are sold out, while Bamboo Airways' ticket price fluctuates around 2.2-2.4 million VND.

Before the long holiday, Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, residing on Le Van Huu Street (Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi) discussed with her husband about taking their two young children to Phu Quoc. Researching tickets for the Hanoi-Phu Quoc route of Vietnam Airlines, she was a bit disappointed to see that the number of tickets for the outbound flight was very limited and the prices were quite high, ranging from 3.5 to 4.6 million VND/ticket. The return flight had similar prices but was almost sold out. If she bought tickets, her family would likely have to fly back to Ho Chi Minh City and then connect to Hanoi, increasing the total ticket price to about 5.5-6.3 million VND.

As for Vietjet, the outbound ticket price is a bit “softer” than Vietnam Airlines, ranging from 2.1-3 million VND and there are still many seats left, however, the return ticket price also increased to 4.1-4.3 million VND and only two out of five flights of the day still have seats left. Seeing that the cost has increased too much compared to the original plan, Ms. Van Anh had to cancel the trip to Phu Quoc and find another more economical option.

On the occasion of the April 30 holiday, airlines are short of tickets and prices are high.

On the Hanoi-Nha Trang route, Vietnam Airlines tickets cost around 3-4 million VND and there are still many seats left; the return flight is also "sold out" and passengers can choose a connecting flight to Da Nang and continue flying to Hanoi, the combined ticket price for this route is around 4.5 million VND. Vietjet's outbound flight costs around 2-3 million VND depending on the flight time, the return flight costs 2.7-3.6 million VND.

A representative of Bamboo Airways said that in the context of a volatile market, the airline is striving to maintain a stable flight schedule with a wide range of fares and optimal prices to serve people's travel needs during the April 30 and May 1 holidays.

The airline plans to maximize its operating capacity, especially on peak days such as April 30 and May 1. Priority is given to key routes including Hanoi to Cam Ranh, Quy Nhon, Da Lat, Da Nang; from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc, Da Lat.

According to the airline, the tourist flights from Hanoi to Cam Ranh, Quy Nhon, Da Nang, etc. are almost fully booked for the departure flight on April 30 and the return flight on May 4. Meanwhile, the flights from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Vinh, Hai Phong, or Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi still have many seats with a wide and flexible fare range, meeting the needs of people returning home to visit relatives, on official business, etc.

Increase flight capacity during peak summer season

According to the leader of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, during the April 30-May 1 holiday (from April 25 to May 5), on domestic routes, Vietnamese airlines are expected to operate 7,536 flights (an average of 685 flights/day), providing about 1.5 million seats, an increase of 20% compared to the flight schedule.

The majority of flights are to/from Ho Chi Minh City with nearly 5,100 flights (an average of 462 flights/day), providing 1.03 million seats. Particularly on the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City route, airlines plan to operate 1,261 flights, providing 305,000 seats.

Based on the airlines' operating plans during the peak summer period of 2025 (from May 15 to August 15), the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam calculated that on domestic routes, airlines are expected to operate nearly 68,600 flights (an average of 745 flights/day); providing nearly 14 million seats. "Tourist routes (Cam Ranh, Phu Quoc, Da Lat, Quy Nhon) are operated by airlines with more than 20,000 flights, accounting for 30% of the total number of flights, providing nearly 4.1 million seats. The main routes (Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City) are expected to operate 26,800 flights, accounting for 39%," said the leader of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

Based on market demand and airlines' operating plans, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has adjusted the coordination parameters at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Accordingly, the coordination parameter will be increased to 46 trips/hour during daytime hours and 36 trips/hour during nighttime hours during the April 30 and May 1 holidays; during the peak summer season and National Day holidays, it will be increased to 44-46 trips/hour during daytime hours and 36 trips/hour during nighttime hours.

In addition, the Department also actively coordinated with Vietnam Airports Corporation and airlines to prepare to put Passenger Terminal T3 at Tan Son Nhat International Airport into operation during the April 30 - May 1 holiday.

With the current price of aviation fuel fluctuating around 88.68 USD/barrel, about 10.5% lower than the average of the same period last year, combined with the strong recovery of the international passenger transport market, a representative of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam forecasts that this year's airfares may be lower than last year. For air passenger transport activities, aviation fuel costs account for about 30-40% of the fare structure. Air transport operations are also greatly affected by market factors, "seasonality", domestic flights during peak holidays, Tet and tourist seasons, people's demand increases, while the supply of capacity of airlines is limited, causing airfares to increase higher than usual at some times and concentrate on some routes and routes.

To regulate the market, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has implemented solutions to supplement and balance the load supply on domestic routes; support airlines to increase their operating capacity, develop flight plans suitable to market times; support and create conditions for airlines to add aircraft, increase the supply of load on routes.

Regarding ticket prices, the Department is closely monitoring and supervising the booking situation and ticket price movements of airlines during peak periods, developing appropriate operation plans and publicizing information, helping passengers access tickets promptly and accurately; reducing congestion and flight delays, meeting the highest demand and promoting sustainable development of the aviation industry.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/dip-nghi-le-304-hang-khong-khan-ve-gia-cao-post870416.html