Illustration. (Source: Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam) Airlines Bamboo Airways, Vietnam Airlines, and Pacific Airlines, open to sell preferential tickets from only 6,000 VND in June. Vietnam Airlines (VNA) on May 25 announced that from now until June 16, VNA will open sale of preferential tickets on most domestic routes with prices from only VND 39,000 (equivalent to VND 613,000 including taxes and fees) ) for short flights and 99,000 VND (equivalent to 679,000 VND including taxes and fees) for long flights. Short flights include between Ho Chi Minh City and Phu Quoc, Da Lat, Nha Trang, Hue, Tuy Hoa, Quy Nhon, Dong Hoi, Pleiku, Buon Ma Thuot, Da Nang; between Hanoi and Hue, Quy Nhon, Dong Hoi, Pleiku, Chu Lai, Da Nang. Long-haul routes include between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong; between Hanoi and Nha Trang, Da Lat, Phu Quoc, Tuy Hoa, and Buon Ma Thuot. The promotion is applicable for flights with departure time from now until June 16. In addition to VNA’s promotion, Pacific Airlines – a member of VNA Group – recently announced to sell air tickets from only 9,000 VND/way (equivalent to 580,000 VND including taxes and fees). on the airline’s domestic flight network. The program applies to tickets purchased and departed from now until June 30. Previously, on May 24, Bamboo Airways also announced a promotion program for June with a ticket price of VND 6,000, this ticket price does not include taxes, fees and surcharges. Sale time applies from 11:01 am on May 22 to 23:59 minutes on June 6. Flight time is from May 22 to October 30. Flight times are excluded from 1-7 to 15/8 and from 1-9 to 6-9. The applicable fare class is Economy Saver Max. The program applies to all domestic routes that Bamboo Airways is opening for sale (excluding the routes Hai Phong/Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City/Thanh Hoa – Con Dao), which includes the following routes: Ha Noi Noi to Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Phu Quoc; Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Thanh Hoa.

The decrease in travel demand, plus the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic in some localities, also caused many people to restrict travel, causing airlines to adjust fares to stimulate travel demand. Flights during the holiday season cost up to 3-4 million VND/ticket (one-way), but now only less than half a million VND/ticket. Airfares are cheap after April 30 – Photo: Quoc Thai Specifically, record the flight Ho Chi Minh City – Phu Quoc departing on May 3-4, if usually bought close to the time of departure, the ticket price is very high, but at the ticket office, the price is only 496,000 VND/ticket due to Pacific Airlines exploits, similar to Vietjet and Vietnam Airlines, the price is also in the range of 510,000-525,000 VND/ticket, and there are many flight time frames to choose from. Or the route Hanoi – Phu Quoc before the recognition ceremony, the prices of most airlines are high, at the peak of customers flying with Bamboo costs up to 4.2 million VND / ticket (1 way) but now starting from 3 / 3. 5 fares for this leg are about 650,000 VND/ticket, equivalent to 1.3 million VND/person (round-trip), passengers also have a lot of choices of hours and airlines depending on demand. The route from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi after the ceremony is also at an average of 600,000-650,000 VND/ticket, for guests to choose at night flight hours and from 700,000 VND/ticket for guests flying in beautiful time frames; Similar to other flight routes from Ho Chi Minh City – Hue/Chu Lai (Quang Nam)/Da Nang/Da Lat, etc., the average fare is only about 500,000 VND/ticket. Or a special route like Ho Chi Minh City – Con Dao in May, the flight ticket price is only at 2-2.3 million VND/person (round trip), usually this one-way ticket is also about 2 million VND. Airlines such as Vietnam Airlines, Bamboo Airways, or Vietjet Air… still maintain promotions lasting from here until the end of October 2021. For example, Bamboo Airways has a program to fly domestic routes from 30,000 VND/ticket (except for flights to/from Con Dao) that lasts until October 30. Vietnam Airlines in addition to preferential fares also cooperates with some localities to promote tourist attraction. For example, with Ninh Binh, the airline has a free program to visit Thung Voi (Ninh Binh) applied to guests with tickets departing from April 28 to May 31; Or on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory, from May 3 to June 15, this airline will sell tickets from Hanoi to Dien Bien with prices from VND 299,000/way (equivalent to VND 759,000/way included). taxes, fees)… (According to Women in HCMC)

Ms. Vu Thanh Thuy (Hanoi tourist) shared her first post in the Phu Quoc tour group: “I need to transfer a voucher for 2 nights of a 2-bedroom villa for 4 adults and 2 children at Andochine Resort Phu Quoc. Free breakfast and airport shuttle. The space here is super beautiful, the expiry date is until June 1, the price is only 7 million VND”. Ms. Thuy said the cost of one night in this hotel is 7 million VND/room. However, a family with small children, afraid to travel during the outbreak of the epidemic, had to cede it at a cheap price, accepting half of the loss. Falling into a similar situation, Ms. Nga (Lang Son tourist) shared with Zing worry when there is a risk of losing 70 million dong of airfare and hotel for 8 adults and 6 children. “The exact flight schedule is May 8, I have contacted the parties about the refund cancellation policy but have not received a response, now I have to take advantage of posting to make room at the hotel, help some or that part” , she says. Room pictures shared by tourist Vu Thanh Thuy. Photo: Andochine Resort & Spa Phu Quoc. Pham Hong Thuong’s account complained because the resort she had made a deposit required to have a certificate of refusal to leave the place of residence before agreeing to reserve the room. “I flew on May 10, booked a hotel a month in advance, but the epidemic was too stressful. Although not in an epidemic area, but where I live, there are cases of F1, F2. Due to the mandatory situation, I had to cancel the room, move day, but no one wants that.” Da Nang is also a locality that has suffered a lot of damage since the appearance of case information. Swimming activities, festivals, sports, religion… in the city must be temporarily suspended. Many members advise visitors to prioritize safety and stay in place. High-end accommodation such as Muong Thanh Luxury Hotel, Furama Danang Resort suffers from tourists canceling rooms due to fear of epidemics. “Many people accept to lose their deposit, not coming to Da Nang as expected,” a representative of Furama informed. When asked about the policy for cancellation or delay, the booking department of Danang Golden Bay, a 5-star hotel on Le Van Duyet Street, said that it is running a 50% discount program, so bookings cannot be canceled. room. “However, you can be supported to reserve a room until July 31 or based on the epidemic situation,” this person added. Exchange with Zing Tran Thi Bao Thu, Marketing Communications Director of Fiditour Travel – Vietluxtour, said that the company still maintains tourist routes to destinations that have not been banned from welcoming guests: “During the complicated epidemic situation, the tours are concentrated. We always train and periodically test 5K safety service skills in departments that directly work with customers.” Currently, attractions and entertainment in Phu Quoc are still operating normally, but in Da Nang, from 0:00 on May 4, karaoke service businesses, discos, bars, beer clubs, neighborhoods walking, the night market stopped working, hindering the tourists’ plans to visit the city.

The destination is also the starting point In fact, Hyun and other passengers bought air tickets of Air Busan to make a non-destination flight and buy duty-free goods organized by Lotte Duty Free. The purpose of the flight is not to travel from Incheon to any other country. It simply flies around in the sky, taking 130 guests through a Japanese island to legalize shopping conditions at duty-free stores in Seoul (usually only for international tourists). . Flights for duty-free purchases are becoming popular. Photo: Bloomberg. These types of flights are being talked about a lot in Korea recently. Correspondent of Korea JoongAng Daily The depiction of the scene at Incheon International Airport doesn’t look much different. However, when you look closely, you will see that none of the passengers have hand luggage. “They brought a lot of bags from duty-free shops. Some passengers even used multiple trolleys to move all the paid goods,” said Haley Yang, writer of Korea JoongAng Daily to speak. She chose the service of Korean Air, took off at Incheon International Airport and landed here too. Tickets range from 142 USD/person, the most expensive up to nearly 500 USD/person. “I haven’t been on a plane for over a year now because of the pandemic. Then I read about this flight in the newspaper. Since it’s my birthday, I thought getting on a plane again would be a fun way to eat. happy,” a woman surnamed Kim in her 30s shared. Lee Eun-kyung, 55, from Yeoksam, south of Seoul, also said she hasn’t flown for a long time. “I often traveled abroad before the epidemic. But now that it’s been over a year, at least I want to feel like I’m going on a trip,” Lee confided. In addition to the feeling of “craving to fly”, the bargain prices from duty-free items also motivate Koreans to buy this type of plane ticket. According to the Korea JoongAng Daily , domestic flights usually don’t come with duty-free purchases. However, by passing through Japanese airspace as above, people were eligible for tax exemption on goods worth up to 600 USD. Airfares can be offset by the difference in tax-free purchases. Photo: Nikkei. Passports are required for all passengers as this is technically an international flight and is only available to Korean citizens. “Destination-free flight is a new concept. However, without tax-free shopping incentives, I don’t think I would book a ticket,” Kim said. 46-year-old Seo Young, from Bundang, Gyeonggi (South Korea), explained that the value of the goods made up for the airfare. With an order worth more than 1,100 USD, the amount he and his companion had to pay was only 608 USD, or nearly 50%. “A great policy, we saved quite a bit of money,” said Seo as he pushed a cart loaded with duty-free merchandise. A special card for passengers on the flight. Photo: Korean JoongAng Daily. In terms of procedures, basically, guests flying this type will have to wear a card that says “international tourist flights do not land at Incheon International Airport”. This helps airport staff distinguish them from guests coming from abroad (must be quarantined upon entry). According to the pen of Korean JoongAng Daily , everything on the flight is relatively similar to other flights. The staff remind guests to wear masks, leave empty seats to implement social distancing… However, the most interesting point is that sometimes, the pilot gives information about the current position of the plane. “Attention passengers, we are flying over Gangneung, Gangwon. On the right, you can see the Taebaek mountain range and on the left is the East Sea”, “We are flying in Japanese airspace, near Tsushima island. will re-enter Korean airspace in about three minutes”…, the occasional sounds rang out. Recovery efforts These non-destination flights are an effort to save the duty-free industry, which is shrinking because of the Covid-19 epidemic. Before the pandemic, the global duty-free market was worth $85 billion in 2019. It is expected to reach $139 billion by 2027. However, the pandemic appeared and countries began to close international flights. With few passengers flying, the revenue of companies in this field also dropped sharply. Dufry AG, a Swiss company that operates duty-free shops globally, admits revenue has fallen by as much as 71%. “Many of my guests accompanied me carrying bags full of duty-free goods. I told my friends this trip was really worth it because of the opportunity to shop duty-free,” Hyun shared. According to the Bloomberg , people like Hyun can’t cover the financial loss. But at least they benefit some businesses. Sung Junewon, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp. in Seoul, said: “Contributions from non-destination flights are small but better than nothing. Every little bit counts.” Currently, seven Korean airlines are operating this type of flight with a total of 8,000 passengers. Authorities are also planning to allow foreign flights to land in Incheon. Passengers can spend several hours shopping without leaving the airport before returning to their first destination.

Sweating in the Sunday afternoon sun, visitors check in to the online system – no proof of residency is required – and right after that they get a free dose of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine and receive get a vaccination card. Many tourists in need of vaccination have flown from abroad to Miami Beach, USA People are coming from all over Latin America like Ecuador, El Salvador, Venezuela, where the implementation of vaccination is slow or there is a shortage of vaccine supply. “In my country, Covid-19 is getting out of hand and there is not much chance that we will have access to a vaccine anytime soon,” Maria Bonilla, from the Republic of Honduras, told AFP on Saturday. . The 40-year-old accountant flew to Miami with her 63-year-old and 73-year-old parents. The three of them stood in line together, wearing masks. “We decided to look for a solution outside of the country,” Bonilla said. On Friday, 50-year-old Blanca Diaz, from Mexico, reached the same conclusion: “They’re just starting to vaccinate the elderly,” she said of the Covid-19 vaccination situation in her homeland. myself. Bonilla is acutely aware of her privilege to be able to travel with her parents for vaccinations. “Unfortunately vaccination has created a divide as some of us have access to health protection and others do not,” Bonilla said. Miami City Commissioner David Richardson, a Democrat, told AFP he had mixed feelings about tourists coming to Miami Beach to get vaccinated. He said: “I think we, the US government should help as many people as possible. My only concern is that it seems that people who can afford to buy plane tickets can come to the US and get vaccinated. right now but what about the poor people in South America?”. Richardson also requested, urging the US government to send the vaccine support abroad “so that everyone can access the vaccine, not just the people who can afford to come here”. On Sunday, the Johnson & Johnson vaccination counter had injected about 175 people. This is a popular vaccine brand among travelers because only a single dose is required. (According to TNN/Dan Tri)