Airplanes are seen at Noi Bai International Airport. More flights have been added to serve rising demand for upcoming holiday but more expensive airfares upset many locals. — VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hung

Local airlines have increased flights to popular destinations to meet travel demand during the upcoming national holiday season.

However, the fares are rising by the hour.

Vietnam Airlines Group, including Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines and Vasco, is offering 500,000 seats, equivalent to about 2,600 flights to and from Ha Noi, HCM City, Da Nang, Quy Nhon, Da Lat and Phu Quoc, among other localities, between April 4 and May 3.

The number represents an increase of 100,000 seats compared to off-peak periods.

Bamboo Airways has plans to add about 110 to 150 flights per week, which is equivalent to 22,000 to 30,000 seats, with many routes operating at a frequency of up to four to five flights per day.

Popular routes are Ha Noi/HCM City to Phu Quoc, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon or Vinh, Thanh Hoa and Hai Phong.

Meanwhile, in addition to launching five new routes from Vinh, Da Nang, Thanh Hoa, Nha Trang and Da Lat to Phu Quoc, Vietjet will also increase flight frequency to meet passengers’ needs on the holiday.

Even though more flights have been added, many locals are upset about how expensive and rare some tickets are.

This can be seen from the limited number of flights from Ha Noi to Phu Quoc on April 30. According to the online ticketing site Abay, Vietjet offers the most affordable price at over VND1.8 million per way, but only 25 tickets at 5pm on April 30 were seen at this price.

On the same day, Vietnam Airlines had five flights but they were priced at VND2.9 to 4.2 million per ticket, depending on the ticket class.

Bamboo Airways has the highest price, with VND3.6 million per way at the cheapest and VND4.26 million the most expensive.

Prices on flights between Ha Noi and Nha Trang and between HCM City and Quy Nhon have increased significantly compared to two weeks ago.

While many airlines have launched more flights and discounts to stimulate travel demand, all of the announcements are accompanied by the phrase “not applicable during peak period”, which covers the upcoming holiday period.

Representatives of some travel agencies pointed out that local tourism is in a demand stimulus stage to recover from a year of bad luck.

The biggest problem now is boosting sales and encouraging locals to travel. However, it is essential for travel agencies to not increase their package prices immediately, but keep everything under control to build trust and confidence among customers.

“During this difficult period, some customers have helped local tourism revive. It seems unfair if travel agencies decide to increase their prices now," a representative said. — VNS