Data from Tan Son Nhat International Airport (HCMC) shows that during the peak summer season from June to August this year, there are expected to be more than 150,500 departures and arrivals to the airport, with a total of nearly 24 million passengers, a slight increase over the same period last year. Vietnam Airlines Group alone (including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines and VASCO) provides more than 7.3 million seats during the peak summer season.
Worry about delays and cancellations again
Vietnam Airlines representative said that during the peak period, the airlines will operate nearly 500 flights per day, an increase of approximately 30% compared to usual with the busiest domestic routes, such as between Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City with Da Nang, Con Dao, Hue, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc; international routes with the most flights are Japan, Korea and Thailand...
On the afternoon of June 9, according to reporters on the websites of airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Bamboo, Vietravel Airlines, there are still many air tickets departing from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to popular tourist destinations in June to August. Ticket prices have also cooled down compared to the period a few weeks ago. For example, the flight route between Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc departing in June by Vietjet is about 1 million VND/way; Vietnam Airlines is about 1.49 million VND/way. Some airlines such as Vietravel Airlines have prices of 68,000 VND; Vietjet is 99,0000 VND/way between Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc excluding taxes and fees depending on flight time and day.
Travelers are concerned that increased travel demand during the summer and bad weather could make delays and cancellations worse.
For the Hanoi - Nha Trang route, there are still many airline tickets left in June, such as Vietjet at about 1.2 million VND/trip, Vietnam Airlines from 2.5 million VND/trip, Bamboo Airways at about 1.5 million VND...
Vietnam Airlines representative said that the airlines are implementing a flexible fare policy, with many prices from economical to flexible, suitable for customers' spending ability and diverse service needs. Therefore, the number of customers booking is increasing rapidly.
However, tourists traveling in the summer have another concern: increased flight delays and cancellations. Tan Son Nhat International Airport admits that summer falls in the rainy season, so the rate of delayed flights may increase, affecting passengers and the terminal, causing overload at certain times. Therefore, the airport has directed the development of a flood prevention plan, with a solution in case bad weather affects flight operations.
Reporting to Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Minh Le (living in Hanoi) said that he had just had a business trip and flew from Ho Chi Minh City back to Hanoi on the evening of June 8, but it took him nearly 2 hours to get out of the airport. "The plane at Tan Son Nhat could not take off due to bad weather, and when it got to Noi Bai, it circled around before landing" - Mr. Le said. The flightradar system showed that on June 8, flight VN260 from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi had to circle around in the sky 8 times before landing.
Previously, on June 4 and 5, at Tan Son Nhat airport, there was heavy rain with thunderstorms, strong gusts of wind, reduced visibility, Tan Son Nhat Aviation Meteorological Center recorded that many flights were affected by bad weather. Dozens of flights were on hold, some other flights had to divert to the alternate airport and 1 flight returned to the departure airport...
Urgent response solutions
According to Vietnam Airlines, international flights have not yet fully recovered compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, so the number of aircraft prepared for the peak summer season in the domestic market will not be lacking. Therefore, there is no concern about a shortage of aircraft leading to delays and cancellations. However, in the early summer, operations at some major airports such as Tan Son Nhat, Noi Bai... may be affected by the weather. Flights departing or landing at these airports must wait or fly many laps in the sky until they are eligible for operation. This has a chain effect on other flights.
Responding to a reporter from Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, a representative of Vietravel Airlines said that assessing that the demand for travel during the peak season from mid-May to mid-August will increase, the airline has applied many synchronous measures to limit the situation of delays and cancellations. The airline has also clearly communicated the above policies to its agent system and partner OTAs, ensuring transparent ticket prices, without virtual price increases. "We publicly announce flight times according to plans confirmed by authorities. The airline also increases its fleet to 4 aircraft to minimize delays or cancellations during the peak summer season. At the same time, it has developed a plan to increase the frequency of flights serving the peak season, including some night flights to meet the increased demand," said a representative of Vietravel Airlines.
Airlines also recommended that airport authorities increase service during peak hours to avoid congestion, leading to a series of flight delays.
On the airport side, Tan Son Nhat International Airport said that passengers can now use level 2 electronic identification accounts to check in, replacing personal identification documents. The pilot is applied at check-in counters, departure gate checkpoints and aviation security checkpoints for domestic passengers and carry-on luggage at Tan Son Nhat Airport. "With the increasing demand for travel, the airport has increased its staff, developed a detailed work plan at each location; regulated vehicles and equipment reasonably, avoiding congestion; completed signage to suit operations..." - said a representative of Tan Son Nhat Airport.
In addition, Tan Son Nhat International Airport has coordinated with taxi companies, contract cars, and technology cars to increase the number of vehicles in service; organized and arranged the number of rapid response teams to inspect and monitor to detect and coordinate with the Port Police Station to handle touts, illegal motorbikes, and motorbike taxis operating in the inner port area...
Bustling summer tour
These days, tourist destinations such as Da Lat, Phan Thiet, Vung Tau, Nha Trang... are bustling with visitors during the summer. Ms. Bich Van's family (living in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) just had a trip to Da Lat. She said that although the number of visitors was not as overwhelming as during the holidays, it was still very bustling. Most of them were families taking their children on summer vacation.
In addition to the number of independent travelers, the number of tourists booking package tours from travel companies is also increasing. According to travel companies such as Vietravel, Saigontourist Travel, TSTtourist, Vietluxtour, BenThanh Tourist..., the number of customers booking tours is still increasing rapidly. Saigontourist Travel Company said that for domestic tours, family customers make up the majority. They prioritize choosing island tours to Da Nang, Nha Trang, Phu Quoc or destinations with cool climates such as Da Lat...
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