Domestic airfare is almost twice as expensive as international airfare, travel companies complain about difficulties

(Dan Tri) - Ticket prices from Hanoi to Phu Quoc in early July are nearly twice as expensive as those from Hanoi to Busan (South Korea).

Ms. Nhung (living in Hanoi) and her husband plan to take their two children on a beach trip this summer. In recent days, despite searching on many different channels, she has not seen any sign of a decrease in ticket prices.

According to Ms. Nhung, a round-trip ticket from Hanoi to Quy Nhon at the end of June costs 6 million VND/person. Meanwhile, in mid-July, the airfare for this route is approximately 5 million VND/person/round-trip.

"My family has 4 people, the ticket alone costs more than 20 million VND, plus the cost of food, transportation, and sightseeing is another 15 million VND. The total cost of the trip is up to 35-40 million VND - a huge amount of money. Therefore, I am considering moving to another location that is closer," said Ms. Nhung.

According to a survey by Dan Tri reporters, summer airfares from Hanoi to beautiful coastal areas such as Da Nang , Phu Quoc, Quy Nhon, Nha Trang... are all high.

Specifically, the Hanoi - Quy Nhon flight departing on July 10 and returning on July 13 has a round-trip ticket price ranging from nearly 5 million VND to more than 6 million VND/passenger (depending on the airline).

Airfare from Hanoi to Quy Nhon (Photo: Screenshot).

Meanwhile, in early July, the highest round-trip ticket price from Hanoi to Phu Quoc of Vietnam Airlines was about 9 million VND/passenger, while the price for this route of Vietjet Air was at one point more than 8 million VND/passenger.

Round-trip fares for the Hanoi-Da Nang route in early July range from VND3.5 to VND4.6 million per passenger (depending on the airline and flight time). This price is considered more affordable than many other routes. However, some passengers complained that the price still increased by about VND1.2-1.5 million per passenger compared to last year.

It is worth mentioning that airfares from Vietnam to some Asian countries during the summer are cheaper than domestic peak seasons.

Specifically, at Vietjet Air, in early July, the price of a round-trip ticket for a Hanoi - Busan (South Korea) flight was only 4.8 million VND/passenger, or for the Hanoi - Singapore flight was 5.4 million VND. The price of a ticket for a Hanoi - Bangkok (Thailand) flight in July on Vietjet Air was 3.2 million VND, and on Vietnam Airlines it was more than 5.7 million VND.

Difficult to close tour for customers

Domestic airfares during the summer are high, and representatives of some travel companies complain that it is difficult to "close" tours for customers.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Thu Tra (Deputy Director of Tripplus Travel Company in Hanoi) said that the listed airfare at a high level caused the tour price to increase compared to last year, making her feel very stressed.

"This year, we have not had any groups go to Quy Nhon because the ticket prices are high. Meanwhile, last year, there were 4-5 groups of tourists coming to this coastal city every month," Ms. Tra lamented.

According to Ms. Tra, customers are looking for information about summer and winter travel. However, after receiving high quotes, many people want to spend more time thinking or choose to travel by road.

Coastal areas in the Central region attract tourists during the summer (Photo: Tran Thanh Cong).

During the process of consulting customers, Ms. Tra's staff witnessed many tragicomic situations, the reason being simply because the airfare increased the tour price.

Specifically, a company in Hanoi wanted to buy a tour to Phu Quoc for 17 employees. When hearing the price of 8 to 9 million VND/person for a 4-day, 3-night trip, the customer immediately turned around.

"Due to the high price, the group immediately switched to Dragon Hill (Hai Phong) with a price of 1.5 million VND - 1.8 million VND/person, which surprised us," Ms. Tra shared.

Agreeing with the view that summer airfares are high, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel - said that the business is proactive in obtaining good-priced tickets before 2025.

"We have recorded that about 70% of customers who inquired have decided to book tickets for the summer, while the rate of customers booking tours ranges from 30 to 50%," said Mr. Tu.

Explaining the low rate of "closing" tours, Mr. Tu said that this year, the trend is that customers prefer to book only plane tickets and cars for travel. After that, the family makes their own schedule and destination, chooses their own restaurant instead of following a fixed schedule.

"Increasing airfare prices affect customers' choices, especially for business groups of 100-200 people. For example, the Hanoi - Da Nang tour is listed at only 3.5 million VND, but when adding airfare, the cost increases by 1-2 million VND/person, making customers hesitant," Mr. Tu added.

According to Mr. Tu, 70-80% of customers who buy the company's services choose to go to the beach, especially in the Central region.

Regarding foreign tours, customers tend to choose tours priced from 6 to 10 million VND such as going to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand... or visiting China by road.

Why do airfares increase in the summer?

Talking about the reason for the increase in airfares, the Deputy Director of a large air ticket office in Ba Dinh District (Hanoi) said that there are many reasons leading to this situation.

The main reason is that airlines have reduced flights at "unfavorable" times. Last year, many airlines launched flights late at night or early in the morning with cheap fares suitable for passengers who are willing to travel late and return early.

Tourists love the blue sea and golden sunshine (Photo: Thanh Huyen).

"Many flights no longer have cheap tickets like in previous years, so passengers have to buy expensive tickets. In addition, the number of additional flights during the summer is not much, some routes only increase by 1-2 flights/day," he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Bui Thanh Tu - Marketing Director of BestPrice Travel - assessed that the increase in airfares during the summer is a "scheduled occurrence".

Summer is the peak tourist season, the demand for travel increases. Airlines will take advantage of this period to exploit, so ticket prices are often listed at high levels. After August, many coastal areas in Vietnam enter the rainy season, the number of visitors will decrease.

"Air tickets are sold in price ranges from low to high. Customers who want to buy cheap tickets have booked them since the beginning of the year. During the peak summer season, the low-price range is sold out, only high-price tickets remain," Mr. Tu emphasized.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/ve-may-bay-trong-nuoc-dat-gan-2-lan-di-nuoc-ngoai-cong-ty-du-lich-than-kho-20250620102737937.htm