Volunteers guide passengers through check-in procedures for VietJet flights on the afternoon of January 23 – Photo: TTD
At the domestic terminal of Tan Son Nhat International Airport from dawn to afternoon on January 23, Tuoi Tre Online reporters witnessed long lines of passengers standing at check-in counters.
Sweating while waiting to check in luggage
Many people carrying bulky luggage lined up to complete check-in and security checks.
Due to the large number of passengers at each time slot, airline staff separate passengers to clear the queue in time, avoiding the case of passengers going to the wrong check-in counter.
Waiting in line to check in for the flight and check in luggage took quite a long time, many customers' faces showed impatience because they were afraid of missing their flight.
Early morning of January 23, customers "suffocated" waiting to check in their luggage - Photo: C.LINH
Nguyen Hoang, a passenger in District 6, was preparing for a flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang this afternoon. He waited for more than 30 minutes to check in his luggage but it was still not his turn. While waiting in line, he also received a notice that the flight was delayed by 30 minutes.
However, Mr. Hoang said he had calculated in advance, allowing for travel time due to traffic jams. Normally, it only takes 15 minutes from home to the airport, but today it took nearly 50 minutes due to traffic jams.
Faced with the "sea of people" at the airport, Mr. Hoang said that passengers with checked baggage should arrive 40 minutes or 1 hour earlier.
"It's so crowded, if you don't calculate carefully and leave a little extra time, you'll miss your flight if you wait in line" - Mr. Hoang said.
In the long queue at the back, Ms. Tam, a passenger flying from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang, said she waited more than 40 minutes to check in her luggage.
According to our observations, most customers flying during Tet often bring checked baggage. The regulations on weight and pieces of baggage of each airline are different, causing many people to be confused about overweight or bringing more suitcases than the regulations.
Airlines in Vietnam have specific regulations on free baggage allowance for each type of ticket and flight itinerary.
Passengers waiting to check-in at VNA on the afternoon of January 23 – Photo: TTD
For example, Vietnam Airlines applies the following free checked baggage policy for domestic flights: Business class is allowed 1 piece weighing up to 32kg, Premium Economy class is also allowed 1 piece weighing 32kg, and Economy class is 1 piece weighing 23kg.
With VietJet, Eco class passengers are allowed 7kg of free carry-on luggage, but if they want to check it in, they will have to pay an additional fee.
For Deluxe class, passengers are allowed 20kg of free checked baggage for flights under 7 hours and 40kg for international flights over 7 hours.
Skyboss fare class allows free 30kg of checked baggage and 1 set of golf equipment weighing no more than 15kg (if any) for flights under 7 hours, and 50kg of checked baggage for international flights over 7 hours.
However, many passengers do not understand the regulations and bring 2-3 pieces of luggage exceeding the allowed limit, leading to wasted processing time at the airport or incurring additional costs when purchasing additional checked baggage at the counter.
Passengers check in at VNA's check-in counter at Tan Son Nhat airport - Photo: TTD
Should I go to the airport early to be "safe"?
Due to the sharp increase in the number of passengers arriving at Tan Son Nhat Airport on January 23 (December 24) and the forecast of even more in the coming days, airline staff recommend that passengers with checked baggage arrive at the airport early to complete procedures smoothly.
In reality, many passengers arrive at the airport just before their flight time, rush to check in their luggage, but are met with a crowded scene, leading to the risk of missing their flight if they do not receive timely support from staff.
Passengers weigh VietJet's luggage, the carry-on luggage regulation for each passenger is 7kg - Photo: TTD
Airport check-in counters strictly follow the regulations on opening and closing times. Therefore, passengers need to know this information clearly to calculate the appropriate time to arrive at the airport. The following experiences will help you complete the check-in process more quickly and conveniently.
As a rule, check-in counters open 2 hours before departure and close 40 minutes before take-off.
For example, if the flight departs at 10am, the counter will open at 8am and close at 9:20am. Therefore, to ensure no delay, passengers should complete the check-in procedure before the counter closes.
Last minute ticket buyers – Photo: TTD
A representative of the ground service department at Tan Son Nhat airport said that passengers should carefully calculate their travel time to the airport, especially during Tet when traffic jams are common.
In addition, it is necessary to plan the time to queue up to check in luggage, in order to proactively complete procedures and avoid missing important flights at the end of the year.
Passengers without luggage should take advantage of online check-in or check-in kiosks at the airport to reduce waiting time, travel more conveniently, and save time on procedures.
According to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the expected peak volume of the 2025 Lunar New Year (from December 15 to January 15, or from January 14 to February 12) will reach more than 4 million passengers, equivalent to more than 26,000 flights.
Airlines recommend that passengers proactively check in online before their flights, arrive at the airport on time and comply with security and safety regulations of authorities during Tet.
Tan Son Nhat is starting to get crowded.
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