HCMC
- Domestic airlines, including Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar Pacific and Air
Mekong, have restructured their routes and frequencies in order to deal with
low demand for air travel, which often lasts throughout November.
As the latest airline in the local aviation
market, Air Mekong is counting on multi-sector routes to attract passengers.
The carrier launched the Hanoi-HCMC-Con Dao route earlier this month and will
commence the HCMC-Buon Ma Thuot-Vinh route from October 1.
The HCMC-Buon Ma Thuot-Vinh route is extension
of the current HCMC-Buon Ma Thuot route, on which Air Mekong flies every day.
The airline expects the new service will be attractive to passengers who want
to travel by air between Buon Ma Thuot and Vinh, as no carriers offer flights
between the Central Highlands city and the city in north-central Vietnam.
With the Hanoi-HCMC-Con Dao route, Air Mekong
targets those passengers who travel from the capital city to the resort island
off Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.
Jetstar Pacific, meanwhile, has reduced
frequencies on certain routes with unstable demand for air travel. For example,
the low-cost carrier has halved its number of flights between HCMC and Hue to
one daily service and now operates 9-11 daily flights for the HCMC-Hanoi route
and 11 HCMC-Haiphong flights per week.
Jetstar Pacific explained it conducted the
number of daily and weekly flights depending on bookings, which vary from day
to day during the low season, when demand for air travel to tourist
destinations could fall by 35-40% from summertime.
Earlier this month, the country’s second
largest carrier suspended its Hanoi-Nha Trang service as demand plunged after
summer and business was not efficient in a time of rising operating costs.
Due to increasing input spending, Vietnam
Airlines has proposed a 1.5-fold rise in fare ceilings as a measure to help
airlines weather tough times, with approval probably in November.
In addition to frequency adjustment, the
national flagship carrier provides passengers with more conveniences and added
values.
From next week, Vietnam Airlines will allow
passengers to use the Sacombank Plus debit card to pay online for the tickets
booked via the carrier’s website. Sacombank will become the ninth bank partner
of the airline for such online payment.
Vietnam Airlines has added hotels and resorts
of three to five-star ratings in different local destinations to the list of
properties applicable for its customers of free and easy packages.
Air Mekong lures passengers by offering them a
20% discount for room tariffs at Con Dao Resort on the island where the carrier
started to conduct flights on the Hanoi-HCMC-Con Dao route. Passengers are also
subject to free-of-charge tennis, mini golf and kayak services for an hour a
day.
Vietnam Airlines and its subsidiary Vietnam
Air Service Co. (Vasco), Jetstar Pacific and Air Mekong currently exploit 40
domestic routes to 20 airports in Vietnam.
By Mong Binh - The Saigon Times Daily
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment