Vietnam Airlines to open more short-haul routes

Vietnam Airlines will launch at least two more short-haul air routes next month to improve its direct air connections among the country’s major cities and other destinations.
The flagship carrier has loaded the detailed flight schedule and fare on its website at www.vietnamairlines.com.vn for the Hanoi-Chu Lai, a new domestic route that it will start from June 2 or just more than two weeks since it resumed the Hanoi-Vinh service.
Vietnam Airlines will operate four weekly flights on the Hanoi-Chu Lai on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, using small aircraft Fokker 70. It takes Vietnam Airlines one hour and 20 minutes to fly between the two localities.
Vietnam Airlines has promotional fares of VND400,000 (around US$21) on the website for a single trip on the Hanoi-Chu Lai route from June 2 till June 20 this year, with a condition that tickets should be booked before June.
Vietnam Airlines plans to increase the Hanoi-Chu Lai frequency to five flights a week during the 2010 summer schedule to meet the rising needs of both business people and tourists.
Also in June, Vietnam Airlines will open another short-haul air route between the central coastal city of Danang and the Central Highlands city of Dalat on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays in the initial time.
Launched just in time for the start of high season for domestic tourism, the Danang-Dalat service operated by the ATR 72 aircraft will create a direct air link between the economic and tourism hubs of the Central and Central Highlands regions.
Vietnam Airlines currently conducts short-haul flights from Danang to Buon Ma Thuot and Pleiku cities in the Central Highlands, and vice versa.
Vietnam Airlines is also planning to operate more flights from HCMC and Hanoi to Nha Trang and Binh Dinh this summer.
Summer is a peak season of balanced air travel when airlines register high seat occupancy of their flights on both ways. This is different from the high season during Lunar New Year (Tet) when the flights departing from HCMC before Tet and to this city after this biggest holiday of Vietnam are fully occupied while many seats of the flights on the opposite directions are often empty.