Many airlines open ticket sales for Tet holiday

Some airlines, on July 15, announced that they had opened ticket sales early from July for the flights during the upcoming New Year and Lunar New Year from January 12 to January 20, 2023 (the 21st to the 29th day of the 12th month in the lunar calendar).
Many airlines open ticket sales for Tet holiday ảnh 1 Customers check in at Vietnam Airlines counters at Tan Son Nhat Airport in early July 2022. (Photo: SGGP)
Accordingly, the airfare for the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi route of Vietnam Airlines is from VND2.6 million (US$110.88) to VND3.5 million ($149.26) per economy class ticket; that of Vietjet is from VND1.7 million ($72.5) to VND2.3 million per ticket; that of Bamboo Airways is about VND2.6 million per ticket. Flights from HCMC to Da Nang and Nghe An have also sold tickets with prices from VND1.5 million to VND3 million per ticket.

On the afternoon of July 15, a quick record from some websites of domestic airlines shows that the airfares from HCMC to Phu Quoc and Buon Ma Thuot or from Hanoi to some localities increase significantly on peak days.

Nguyen Van Vu, from Nam Dinh Province, said that Pacific Airlines' afternoon flight from Buon Ma Thuot City to HCMC on July 17 costs VND1.8 million per person; the fare of other flights of Vietjet, Vietnam Airlines is from VND1.3 million to nearly VND1.7 million per person, respectively; meanwhile, the flights in the opposite direction from HCMC to Buon Ma Thuot City on the same day of the above carriers only cost from VND1.2 million to VND1.5 million per person.

Le Thu Ha, a resident in Hanoi, said that she had recently ordered a one-way travel ticket from Vietnam Airlines for the flight from Hanoi to Nha Trang on the morning of July 20 at a price of more than VND2.6 million per person. Meanwhile, during the off-peak time, the airfare is only VND1.3 million-VND1.7 million per person, depending on the carrier.

In general, air ticket prices have surged 30-40 percent compared to normal days in the off-peak period, especially during the Lunar New Year.

According to the airlines, because it is the peak of summer tourism, travel demand has increased sharply. Therefore, it is difficult to avoid overcrowding and price hikes. Besides, the increase in flight frequency, the boom in the number of tourists during peak times, and the shortage of human resources are factors affecting ticket prices.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Southern Airport Authority, estimated that the number of tourists during this summer peak would reach 110,000-120,000 per day. It shows that the aviation industry has gradually recovered positively, but on the other hand, it also puts great pressure on the operation, easily leading to overloading at peak hours.

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