State-owned Vietnam Airlines and joint stock Pacific Airlines, the country's two biggest carriers, have decided to apply new fares on domestic flights from this March 1.
The move has followed the Finance Ministry’s approval to increasing ceiling airfare to VND1.7 million from VND1.5 million.
Vietnam Airlines, which is now occupying up to 85 per cent of the domestic market, will raise ticket prices by 13 per cent-15 per cent for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City flights and 20 per cent-30 per cent for other domestic routes.
The increases are reasonable, because oil prices rose by 50 per cent and aircraft hiring cost by 20 per cent compared with 2004 when ceiling airfare was defined, said Vietnam Airlines spokesman, Trinh Ngoc Thanh, noting that better services will be also offered.
The national flag carrier will sell a ticket for Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and Haiphong flights for VND1.7 million while other domestic flights departing from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang will cost VND800,000 per one way ticket.
Pacific Airlines also said that they will apply higher airfares to domestic flights from March 1
Two Flex airfares (VND1.2 million and VND1.375 million) for the Ho Chi Minh City-Hanoi flights will be merged in a single fare set at somewhere between VND1.45 million and VND1.55 million.
Flex flights linking Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi to the central cities of Da Nang and Hue will also cost about VND980,000 instead of the previous prices of VND680,000 and VND810,000.
Apart from the increase in ticket prices, Pacific Airlines will impose an additional fuel charge of VND100,000/passenger on domestic flights lasting about one and a half hours and VND50,000 for less travel time. (Labor)
Vietnamese
