Airplane, train tickets almost sold out, bus seats available as Tết nears

Noi Bai international airport strengthens security during the Tet holiday (Photo of hanoimoi.vn

HÀ NỘI — As the Lunar New Year (Tet) approaches in Việt Nam, there is high demand for travel with airplane and train tickets being almost sold out on key routes. However, there is still availability for road transport, specifically bus seats.

To accommodate the increasing travel demand, airlines have taken measures such as adding more aircraft, increasing transport capacity on various routes, and scheduling additional flights during early mornings and nights. For instance, Vietnam Airlines Group, which includes Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines, and VASCO, is offering a total of 2.64 million seats for domestic and international flights during the Tet peak. Other airlines like Vietravel Airlines, Vietjet Air, and Bamboo Airways have also taken steps to meet the demand by adding more seats and aircraft.

Tickets for high-demand routes have been nearly fully booked or sold out, with booking rates of 98-100 per cent on routes like HCM City – Thanh Hoa/Vinh/Hai Phong/Hue/Quy Nhon.

In the case of train travel, the railway sector initially planned to provide more than 200,000 seats with 390 trains. However, due to increasing demand, they have continuously added plans to increase train services.

Additional trains have been introduced by the Hanoi Railway Transport Joint Stock Company on routes to northern localities, and the Saigon Railway Transport Joint Stock Company has organised more trains from HCM City to Hanoi, Vinh, and Phan Thiet, along with more carriages.

Passengers prepare to board a train. The Hà Nội Railway Transport Joint Stock Company has added more trains to help people back home to welcome Tết (Lunar New Year) festival.

As for buses, the Director of the Hanoi Bus Station Joint Stock Company, Phạm Mạnh Hùng, mentioned that the number of passengers passing through the stations during the Tết peak period is expected to increase by about 300-350 per cent compared to normal days. However, the current number of vehicles at the stations is still sufficient to meet the travel needs.

It’s worth noting that some bus companies have announced ticket price increases of at least 17 per cent during the Tet holiday, depending on the routes. — VNS