The Civil Aviation Authority asked Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines, and Vietravel Airlines to report on air ticket sales during the Tet holiday ( the Lunar New Year). According to complaints, people have been sometimes unable to buy tickets even though ticket prices are double or triple compared to normal days.
In fact, press agencies have questioned the CAAV about the scarcity of flight tickets many times. The Ministry of Transport has also issued a document requesting the CAAV to coordinate with domestic airlines to check and clarify the news of scarce and unaffordable flight tickets published by press agencies.
However, the CAAV replied that air tickets increased due to increased input costs. Moreover, as per the CAAV’s feedback, the scarcity of air tickets and sharp increases in prices is due to a sudden rise in demand. The CAAV also affirmed that air ticket prices are regulated according to market demand and no airline has been found to sell beyond the price range prescribed by the State.
During the past Tet holiday, people had no choice but to accept buying airline tickets at expensive prices. For example, flight tickets from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi during the peak season before the national holiday cost approximately VND4 million (US$162) a trip which is beyond the affordability of most low-income earners.
Similarly, in the days after Tet, it is still difficult to buy tickets for some flights from Hanoi, Chu Lai, and Hue to Ho Chi Minh City and the ticket prices are still high. On their websites, airlines still operate nearly 20-25 flights per day for the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City flight route, but tickets are scarce, some airlines even have no seats left.
Therefore, the CAAV has required airlines to report on air ticket sales during the Tet holiday. The inspection, examination, and supervision of air ticket sales during the Tet peak season should have been proactively carried out by the CAAV as soon as the aviation industry entered the peak travel period, instead of waiting for complaints.
