Mr. Ngoc Thanh (who lives in District 8) said he spent days hunting for flight tickets for the Quy Nhon – Ho Chi Minh City route on January 7 and 8, but none were available. Airline tickets from these airlines have been “sold out” for a few weeks now, leaving him and all day in a “bad mood” because he has just bought a ticket for the return journey to Tet, while he has not yet had access to a ticket after Tet .
“Business class tickets have also been sold out for a long time and if they have a very high price for the whole family of 4, while tickets are still on January 9 and 10 (i.e. Monday, Tuesday), it is too late to get tickets now . I am thinking of returning the return ticket and staying in Ho Chi Minh City to celebrate the New Year” – Mr. Thanh was worried.
Others have to accept double-priced business class tickets to return to Ho Chi Minh City to work after Tet. Such as the case of Mr. Nguyen Minh (living in Go Vap district) who just “bitten his teeth” to book a VND 5 million business class ticket for Chu Lai – Ho Chi Minh City route after all airlines no longer have economy class tickets.
The demand for air travel is so great during Tet that many Tet flights have been sold out for a long time
Observing on the airlines online ticketing system on January 6, the reporter of Nguoi Lao Dong newspaper noticed a surprise. Airlines have increased the number of flights for a number of routes, increasing the number of tickets from 1-2 weeks ago. Between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Da Nang, Vinh, flight tickets are still available for different time frames, and the ticket prices are not too high.
On the route from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City after Tet, Ms. Hoang Anh (who lives in District 3) expressed her surprise when she searched all agents about 2 weeks ago and could not find any airline tickets from Da Nang on the airline’s website system. Nang returned to Ho Chi Minh City on January 8.
“But this morning I accidentally visited again and found that the tickets were still many, many time frames of the day and the price was also around 2.5-3 million VND/time, including taxes and fees, no higher than it was then I bought it a few weeks ago. “- said Ms. Hoang Anh.
Some routes for Tet from Ho Chi Minh City to provinces such as Nghe An still have seats, but passengers will have to fly up to 2 routes, the ticket price is also very high.
In addition to the direct routes, the airline also offers connecting flights (one stopover) to meet the needs of passengers. Like the Ho Chi Minh City – Da Nang route on December 26, Vietjet, Vietnam Airlines or Bamboo Airways airfares start at VND 2.3 million/way including a stopover in Da Lat; or Ho Chi Minh City – Vinh, passengers can purchase connecting flight tickets to 2 stops, Da Lat, Hanoi with prices starting from 5 million VND…
Meanwhile, many others said that the price of airline tickets has risen sharply this year in the context of declining revenues, so they considered the option of returning home in their own car. Mr. Thanh Trung (who lives in Thu Duc City) and a group of friends from Nghe An said that he decided to drive from Ho Chi Minh City to his hometown by car.
“With a 7-seater car, a family of 5 will drive for about 3 days, including time to stop and rest in the evening. The cost is more economical than going by plane, it is important to have a comfortable time and take advantage of it. The whole family went on a trip and discovered it on their way back to their hometown,” Trung said.
The trend of driving your own car to the countryside is also chosen by many families during Tet this year. A small survey of reporters found that many families with residences in Nha Trang, Binh Dinh, Da Nang, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Quang Ngai… are ready to drive home on this Tet holiday, rather than across the way to go.
Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Administration said that after additional permits based on the slot coordination parameter (take-off and landing time) added at Tan Son Nhat airport during the day and night, the number of airlines has increased. Significant seats are available on most routes from Ho Chi Minh City to the Northern and Central Provinces, especially on the peak days around the Lunar New Year and the days after the Lunar New Year in the opposite directions. The booking rate on these routes is increasing rapidly and many routes have a booking rate of over 90% on days near Tet.
Source: CafeF