To serve the 2024 Lunar New Year peak, transport units across Da Nang has planned to increase the number of trips; however, due to the demand of passengers choosing to travel by air, ticket scarcity only happens on airplanes.

The demand for people to travel by air during Tet holiday has increased. Photo: THANH LAN

Ensuring enough ships and vehicles during Tet

Mr. Pham Loi, the Director of Da Nang Bus Station Management and Transport Joint Stock Company, said he has asked coach operators to check the technical quality of vehicles before putting them into operation and monitor traffic safety through equipment that monitors the journey of each vehicle. At the same time, the company solves problems that arise every day at the bus station such as organising illegal ticket sales, charging customers higher than the registered ticket prices, illegally picking up and dropping off passengers.

Particularly for enhanced fixed route vehicles, they must have a fixed route badge issued by the Da Nang Department of Transport. Transport units must strictly comply with regulations on registration and posting of correct transport rates as prescribed. Also, they are not allowed to organise ticket sales in excess of the number of registered vehicles. In particular, transport units are required to have a plan to increase the number of vehicles serving Tet vehicles, ensuring no shortage of vehicles.

Through actual surveys and online ticket sales sites, it shows that the demand for travel during the Lunar New Year of the Dragon 2024 is not too stressful. Currently, there are still seat vacancies on many routes to Quy Nhon, Central Highlands, or Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces.

Ms. Le Thi Hai, an emigrant worker from Nghe An Province, working at the Hoa Cam Industrial Park, said that this year buying train or coach tickets is easier than usual and ticket prices have increased but not significantly. Meanwhile, Mr. Doan Kim Tuan, the Captain of the Passenger Transport Team, the Da Nang Railway Transport Branch, said that the demand for buying train tickets for this Tet holiday in Da Nang is not as stressful as many years ago. Currently, passengers can still book train tickets in the days leading up to Tet.

According to Mr. Thai Van Truyen, the General Director of Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company, to serve Tet, the railway industry will set up eight more train trips on the North - South route, along with adding more carriages to the existing trains, opening ticket sales, providing more than 4,000 additional seats in total.

Specifically, the company will operate additional train SE32 from Ho Chi Minh to Ha Noi on January 24 and 25; train SE11 from Ha Noi to Ho Chi Minh City on January 26 and 27; train SE25 from Quang Ngai and SE29 from Quy Nhon to Ho Chi Minh City on February 20 and 21. Previously, the railway industry had added the first phase of 3,000 train tickets during the peak days of Tet to serve people, bringing the total number of train tickets to 7,000 tickets. This year's Tet holiday, the railway industry provides more than 200,000 seats on nearly 400 train trips.

The Da Nang Bus Station Management and Transport Joint Stock Company is commiyuted to ensure enough vehicles to serve Tet for people. Photo: THANH LAN

Airlines increase flights, ticket prices are still high

On January 16, the Vietnam Airlines Group, including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines and VASCO), said it would continue to increase more than 310 flights with more than 66,200 air tickets during the 2024 Lunar New Year peak. Specifically, additional flights are on domestic routes during the peak Tet period from January 25 to February 24 in order to provide more air tickets on routes with high travel demand such as between Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Noi, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Vinh, Thanh Hoa, Quy Nhon, Hue, Quang Nam, Tuy Hoa, Da Lat, Cam Ranh, Buon Ma Thuot, Pleiku and Phu Quoc. The hike in flights brings the total number of domestic and international flights operated by the Vietnam Airlines Group during the Tet peak to approximately 2.64 million seats, equivalent to 12,374 flights.

According to a recent report from the Viet Nam Aviation Administration, although airlines have increased 472 flights with more than 92,000 seats, Tet air tickets on many routes have been almost sold out. As of January 12, Vietnamese airlines had sold from 80% to more than 100% of the total seats on flights between Ho Chi Minh City, Ha Noi and other provinces and cities during the peak period of Tet, from January 24 to February 25.

Surveys on online ticket sales sites of airlines and ticket suppliers show that round-trip tickets from Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang - Ha Noi and vice versa from January 24 to February 25 have decreased by about VND 500,000 to nearly VND 1 million compared to December 30, 2023 and before. However, this price is still high compared to the current difficult economic situation.

Also according to the Viet Nam Aviation Administration, in the period from January 24, 2024 to February 25, Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet Air, Bamboo Airways, Pacific Airlines will have a total of approximately 33,800 flights, an increase of 14% compared to the same period of Tet in 2023 and an increase of 21% compared to the current regular flight schedule. During this period, the Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City flight had a booking rate of up to 96.9%.

The Viet Nam Aviation Administration also requested the Viet Nam Airports Corporation, on the airlines' night flight needs, to direct domesti airports to develop service plans and human resource arrangements to be ready to serve night flights meeting the travelling needs.

Reporting by THANH LAN - Translating by A.THU