Missed the "golden vacation" because of high airfare

Less than 2 weeks before the 5-day holiday from April 27 to May 1, airfares from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to tourist destinations are "as tight as a bowstring", with many routes nearly sold out.

More flights, but prices still don't decrease

On airline ticket websites, on the afternoon of April 16, round-trip tickets for the Hanoi - Phu Quoc route departing on April 27 and returning on May 1 cost 8.5 - 20 million VND, about 2 million VND higher per round-trip ticket compared to a week ago. The cheapest ticket for this route on April 27 on VietJet is 3 million VND per ticket while Vietnam Airlines sells it for more than 7 million VND per ticket. For the return flight on May 1, VietJet has run out of tickets; Vietnam Airlines has the cheapest ticket at 5.3 million VND per ticket, the rest are business class tickets at 7.9 - 11.8 million VND per ticket.

At the same time, the Ho Chi Minh City - Nha Trang route is operated by Bamboo Airways with ticket prices of 3.6 - 8.3 million VND/round trip, VietJet 2.6 - 7.2 million VND/round trip and Vietnam Airlines 3.6 - 8.6 million VND/round trip.

Passengers check in at Noi Bai airport (Hanoi). Photo: LAM GIANG

According to airlines, for domestic flights during the April 30 and May 1 holidays, passengers can still book tickets and have many prices to choose from. Meanwhile, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam - Ministry of Transport, as of April 14, on some hot routes during the peak period, the booking capacity has increased quite high.

Typically, the Hanoi - Dien Bien route on April 27 was more than 80% full; Hanoi - Hue/Phu Quoc/Tuy Hoa/Can Tho/Quy Nhon... were all over 70% full; Ho Chi Minh City - Dien Bien/Phu Quoc/Tuy Hoa... were over 70% full; Ho Chi Minh City - Con Dao was nearly 80%.

On April 28, the Ho Chi Minh City - Con Dao route was 95.6% full. On the return flight on May 1, airfares were less stressful but some routes were almost fully booked, of which the Phu Quoc - Hanoi route was nearly 88% full.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam informed that airlines have increased flights during the peak holiday season. From April 26 to May 2, airlines are expected to provide about 900,000 seats on domestic routes. Particularly, flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will increase by 657,000 seats with 3,400 flights, equivalent to an increase of 4.2% in seats and 5.5% in flights compared to the same period in 2023.

Faced with a decreasing fleet of aircraft, airlines have sought to supplement their fleet by wet leasing aircraft (leasing aircraft with a fleet) for the short term, extending the fleet's operating time, and increasing operations during evening and night hours.

It is expected that Vietnam Airlines will increase its operating time from 10 to 11-12 hours/plane/day, while VietJet Air will increase it from 12-13 to 13-14 hours/plane/day. The turnaround time for aircraft will also be shortened from 45 minutes to 30-35 minutes.

Notably, despite the increase in flights, airfares generally do not decrease. Airlines operate many night flights but ticket prices are not significantly lower than day flights.

Aviation and tourism are both difficult.

Mr. Nguyen Quang Trung, Head of Planning and Development Department of Vietnam Airlines, said that airfares are not only affected by the shortage of aircraft but also by input costs. Specifically, jet fuel prices are anchored at a high level of over 100 USD/barrel; aircraft rental prices, repair and maintenance services prices have all increased.

Since the end of 2023, Vietnam Airlines has proactively implemented many measures to cope with difficulties such as proactively advancing the periodic maintenance schedule of aircraft to be ready for exploitation during peak periods; rearranging flight schedules in an optimal direction; increasing resources, optimizing ground service processes to reduce aircraft turnaround time.

According to a representative of Vietravel Airlines, the forecast of reduced operating frequency related to some A321 aircraft using faulty Pratt & Whitney engines may last until the end of 2024. This is one of the reasons leading to the scarcity of air tickets, especially during peak seasons.

"The reduction in the number of flights means there will be fewer good fares, and customers who buy tickets close to the date will have to accept higher prices, especially for some routes with a large number of passengers," said a representative of Vietravel Airlines.

In the tourism industry, many businesses have also lost customers due to high airfares. Ms. Tran Phuong Linh, Marketing and Information Technology Director of BenThanh Tourist Company, said that airfares have been consistently high since early March 2024, leading to some domestic tours using air services increasing prices by up to 30%. As a result, customers tend to choose international tours after carefully comparing prices or switch to land tours.

Ticket prices increase following global trends

Mr. Subhas Menon, General Director of the Association of Asia-Pacific Airlines, said that not only in Vietnam, airfares in the world are generally high because they depend on demand and supply. Currently, supply cannot keep up with demand, and when supply and demand are balanced, airfares will decrease.

Mr. Subhas Menon pointed out four main reasons for the high and likely continued increase in airfares. First, the widespread shortage of aircraft that airlines around the world are experiencing will continue. Second, the cost of jet fuel and the requirements for fuel conversion, emission reduction, and the use of environmentally friendly materials are increasingly high and strict. Third, after the end of the "revenge tourism" period after COVID-19, airlines have gradually increased ticket prices to balance their finances. Finally, the problem of the shortage of high-quality, qualified human resources in the aviation industry has not improved.

In addition, the increase in airfares also stems from global issues such as pressure from rising exchange rates, armed conflicts affecting the supply chain of aviation materials and equipment, and changing flight schedules.

According to the Global Trend Report provided by FCM Consulting, by the end of 2023, international economy class airfares increased by 17%-25% compared to 2019. Of which, Asia increased by 21%; Australia and New Zealand increased by 22%; Europe increased by 18%; South America increased by 25% and North America increased by 17%.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/lo-ky-nghi-vang-vi-gia-ve-may-bay-cao-1962404162114168.htm