Baggage check at Nội Bài Airport in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Ticket prices for domestic flights during the upcoming holidays on the occasion of Hùng Kings Commemoration Day, National Reunification, and May Day dropped compared to last week.

A round-trip from Hà Nội to HCM City, offered by Vietjet Air on April 23, departing on April 29 and returning on May 3, sells for just over VNĐ3 million (US$125), which is a 25 per cent decrease from April 14.

Vietnam Airlines is offering the same route for nearly VNĐ3.5 million, a drop of almost 30 per cent compared to April 14.

The price of tickets for flights to other popular tourist destinations such as Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang, and Phú Quốc during the holiday season has also been slashed. Many flights are already fully booked, leaving passengers with limited options for departure times.

With online check-in services available at almost all domestic airports, airlines recommend that passengers use web or app check-in within 24 hours before departure and boarding time to shorten waiting times at the airport.

Earlier, the Civil Aviation Administration of Việt Nam instructed airlines to increase flights from Hà Nội and HCM City to meet the high demand during the five-day holidays.

The agency requested 26 additional flights per day between the two cities and other tourist destinations such as Nha Trang, Đà Nẵng, Phú Quốc, Đà Lạt, Huế, Vinh, Buôn Mê Thuột, and Pleiku from April 28 to May 3, which will provide 4,500-5,000 additional seats.

Budget carrier VietJet Air has agreed to increase the number of seats by 20 per cent to 70,000. Vietnam Airlines Group, which includes Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and VASCO, will also operate more flights to Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng, and HCM City to meet the holiday demand.

Bus and train ready to serve

The upcoming holidays are expected to be a good chance for transport enterprises to accelerate operations to serve people’s increasing travel demand better.

Phạm Mạnh Hùng, director of the Hà Nội Bus Station Joint Stock Company, said that the five-day holidays coincide with the opening of the tourist season in many provinces and cities, resulting in a sharp increase in travel demand.

As scheduled, the company will arrange an additional 627 vehicles at the capital’s stations of Gia Lâm, Mỹ Đình and Giáp Bát from April 28 to the end of May 4, especially on some routes to provinces that are expected to see a surge in the number of passengers, such as Hà Giang, Quảng Ninh, Nam Định, Ninh Bình, Thanh Hóa, Thái Bình, Lào Cai, and Sơn La.

During the peak days, the number of passengers in the Giáp Bát and Mỹ Đình stations will increase by 300 per cent compared to normal days and is estimated at 18,000 passengers per day.

The Gia Lâm bus station is expected to serve 8,000 passengers per day, up 250 per cent compared to the figure on normal days.

To ensure the safety of passengers, representatives of Giáp Bát, Gia Lâm, Mỹ Đình, Nước Ngầm and Yên Nghĩa bus stations said that they have coordinated with relevant units to strengthen inspections to ensure that transport firms do not increase ticket prices and stuff passengers.

The railway sector has also built plans to increase the transport capacity on the North-South route and trains to tourist attractions.

Đỗ Văn Hoan, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hà Nội Railway Transportation Company (Haraco), said that the company plans to provide 81,000 tickets from April 27 to May 3.

A representative from the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR) said that during the period from April 28 to May 3, the firm would operate 22 more trains on the routes from Hà Nội to several tourism destinations such as Thanh Hóa, Nghệ An, Quảng Bình, Đà Nẵng, Hải Phòng and Lào Cai.

Meanwhile, 32 more trains will be added for the routes from HCM City to Đà Nẵng, Quảng Ngãi, Quy Nhơn, Nha Trang, and Phan Thiết. — VNS