Airline tickets are expensive because airlines increase prices during peak season.

According to the Ministry of Transport, airfares (both international and domestic) are currently implemented according to a flexible fare mechanism with many price ranges from low to high depending on market conditions (supply - demand), ticket conditions, ticket issuance time, service quality, etc.

Vé máy bay đắt vì các hãng bay tăng giá dịp cao điểm- Ảnh 1. — Airfares are getting more and more expensive

For domestic flights, to protect consumer rights, the Ministry of Transport issued Circular No. 17/2019 promulgating the price framework for passenger transport on domestic flights and Circular No. 34/2023 amending and supplementing a number of articles of Circular 17/2019.
Currently, Vietnamese airlines declare domestic air transport service prices at many levels to meet passenger needs and ensure they are within the price range specified in the above circulars.
Notably, the Ministry of Transport said that according to the market mechanism, during peak periods (demand increases too much compared to supply), airlines all increase the rate of selling tickets at high prices. On the contrary, during low periods or flights at the beginning of the holidays, when the demand for passenger transportation is low (demand decreases sharply compared to supply), airlines all lower ticket prices.
This explains the situation during peak holiday periods, even though passengers wait to "hunt" as soon as airlines start selling, it is almost impossible to buy good-priced tickets. Even during the 2024 Lunar New Year, airlines opened ticket sales half a year before Tet, but most of the routes that were just opened for sale only had tickets that reached the ceiling, with sky-high prices.
That is why for many years, the phrase "hunting for plane tickets" during peak season has become increasingly luxurious, because although airlines always affirm that they open for sale in many price ranges, in reality, the cheap ticket ranges are actively "closed" early, or even not opened.

Workers abstain from drinking to save money to buy plane tickets for Tet, tearfully: 'There's no money left over all year!'

Also according to information from the Ministry of Transport, in order to better serve people's travel needs and with suitable ticket prices, especially during the peak period of the Lunar New Year of Giap Thin in 2024, the Ministry of Transport has issued a work plan to better serve people's travel needs, ensure traffic order and safety, and prevent and control the epidemic during the New Year, Lunar New Year and the Giap Thin spring festival season in 2024.
In particular, airlines are directed to increase flights during peak days. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, during the peak period of the Lunar New Year, airlines are expected to provide 5.5 million seats on domestic routes, an increase of 4% compared to the Lunar New Year, and approximately 2.1 million seats on international routes, an increase of 36.8%.
At the same time, monitor ticket sales and bookings of airlines during the Lunar New Year to find solutions to supplement capacity on routes with high demand to meet passenger needs.
At the same time, the Ministry also supports and encourages airlines to ensure transport forces and increase operating capacity by seeking short-term leased aircraft, extending the daily operating time of the fleet, and increasing the operation of night flights...
Airports and airlines are required to comply with regulations on price declaration, price posting, and price information disclosure, and not to allow illegal ticket price increases.

Source link