Airlines reduce number of aircraft, passengers worry about delays and cancellations.

Besides frustration over flight delays, cancellations, and ticket prices, many passengers and travel companies are also expressing concern about the upcoming Tet holiday flight schedule, fearing delays or cancellations as demand for air travel is projected to continue rising while many airlines are downsizing their fleets and reducing flight frequencies.

Passengers suffer from delays and cancellations.

Not only have Bamboo Airways and Vietravel Airlines reduced the number of aircraft, but they have also cut many routes, disrupting flight schedules. Many passengers have expressed frustration, reporting delays and cancellations, affecting not only domestic but also international flights. Some flights were canceled, and refunds were only issued after several weeks.

For example, many customers have complained that Vietravel Airlines repeatedly experiences delays from morning to afternoon, day after day. Most recently, flight VU780 from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi on October 21st, originally scheduled for 5:45 PM, was delayed until the early morning of October 22nd! Passengers affected by the flight schedule had difficulty reaching a support staff member when calling the airline.

Vietravel Airlines, which had aggressively expanded its domestic and international routes, has now reduced its fleet from six aircraft to just three, disrupting its operations. Meanwhile, Bamboo Airways is cutting numerous flights, both domestic and international, leaving customers who have already purchased tickets with the airline in a difficult situation.

A survey of the airline's website for the Hanoi - Frankfurt route in November revealed no flights available. According to our observations, Bamboo Airways ceased operations from Vietnam to Australia and Germany starting November 4th. Passengers who had already purchased tickets were surprised to receive cancellation notices. The airline offered options to reschedule their flights to the end of October or receive a refund. However, waiting for a refund takes at least several weeks, and buying tickets from other airlines costs twice as much.

This airline has also drastically reduced its domestic flight frequency since October 28th. For example, the Hanoi - Con Dao route has been reduced from 3 flights to 1-2 flights per day, the Hanoi - Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City - Hai Phong routes from 2-3 flights to 1 flight per day. The Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City route has been reduced from 9-11 flights to 7-9 flights per day...

We need a "conductor" for the Lunar New Year flight season.

Following the legal troubles of tycoon Trinh Van Quyet, Bamboo Airways has undergone restructuring, but the situation remains unfavorable. According to its 2022 financial report, Bamboo Airways incurred a loss of approximately 17,600 billion VND – an unprecedented figure for the airline. Meanwhile, its debts to suppliers such as fuel, ground services, and airport services are extremely serious, potentially leading to service suspension.

From 30 aircraft, the airline has reduced its fleet to 17, and further reductions are likely in the coming period. Since November 2023, the airline has completely ceased offering long-haul flights, including those to Frankfurt (FRA), London (LGW), Melbourne (MEL), and Sydney (SYD); the airline abruptly cut the London route in mid-October, and other routes appear likely to end in the near future.

With a sharp decrease in the number of aircraft and flights, airlines are keeping airfares high, with prices during the off-peak season being comparable to those during the peak season. In fact, domestic round-trip airfares are even higher than package tours to other countries in the region, causing tourism businesses to worry about a lack of customers and Vietnamese tourists turning away to travel abroad instead.

Airlines started selling Tet holiday tickets early, but prices on many routes have been pushed up quite high, even more than double compared to normal days. For example, the price of a ticket on the Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi route during Tet reached over 3 million VND/ticket, double the normal price, and at times, the price of a round-trip economy class ticket even reached 5-6 million VND.

According to an aviation expert, to limit the possibility of airlines arbitrarily raising ticket prices under the pretext of only carrying passengers one way during the peak Tet holiday season, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam needs to predict the total number of passengers and plan early. For example, it could require airlines to increase flights immediately to ensure sufficient supply and compensate for the cost of selling tickets at inflated prices.

"Besides the airlines' efforts, the regulatory role of the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority is extremely important. Regulating aircraft operations, inspecting and monitoring the situation where airlines collude to raise prices affects people's purchasing power," this person said, adding that if there is an early plan for passenger transport during peak season, the aviation industry will create a healthy environment where passengers do not have to buy tickets at excessively high prices.

Statistics from July 2023 to September 2023 from the Vietnam Civil Aviation Authority show that the frequency of flights operated by airlines is decreasing quite sharply.

Specifically, in July 2023, Vietnamese airlines operated a total of 28,260 flights, which decreased to 21,204 flights in September. The airlines that reduced flight frequency the most, in order, were Bamboo Airways, Vietravel Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, and Vietjet...