Low-cost airlines rush into Vietnam - Vietnam Airlines

With the 2008 summer flight timetable launched by many international airlines, passengers will see many low-cost airlines opening routes to Vietnam skies in April.

Among the low-cost airlines appearing in April, Lion Airlines from Indonesia was the first to enter in Vietnam. In December 2003, Lion Air had opened route from Jakarta to Ho Chi Minh (HCM) City with 4 flights a week. However, in February 2005, the airline suspended the route because it was rearranging its operational structure. After three years of absence, on April 18, it will re-open a flight connecting HCM City to Singapore and Jakarta, using Boeing 737- 900ER aircraft.

Also in April, AirAsia from Malaysia, the leading low-cost airline in Asia, will open a daily direct flight from HCM City to Kaulua Lumpur and vice versa on April 15. This is the first time AirAsia has operated in HCM City after having opened a Hanoi-Kaulua Lumpur flight years ago. Thai AirAsia, a member of AirAsia, begins a flight from HCM City to Bangkok, with two flights a week this April.

Cebu Pacific from the Philippines, another low-cost airline in Southeast Asia, will officially kick off a flight to Vietnam on April 10. The carrier registered to operate two routes including Manila – HCM City with four flights a week and Manila – Hanoi with three flights a week. Airbus 319, Airbus 320 and Airbus 321 aircrafts with 200 seats each will operated on three routes. Cebu Pacific was licensed in February 2008 but it postponed opening the flight, in accordance with the ticket sale schedule. The Manila – HCM City flight route is currently run by Philippines Airline, making Cebu Pacific the second airline operating this flight.

Together with crowds of low-cost airlines, Viva Macau, a “half low-cost, half traditional” airline directly flied to HCM City from Macau, called the “Las Vegas of Asia”, with four flights a week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday in late 2007. Viva Macau was named a traditional carrier because it uses Boeing 767s, sells duty-free goods on board and has two service seat levels. It also sells tickets via the Internet and foods on board, thus it was also named a “low-cost” carrier.