VN promotes one stop fares

Vietnam Airlines quotes competitive fares on onward routes from two gateways, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.Long-haul routes are more attractive because of relatively low fares and short layover times, but for short-haul sectors, non-stop flights from Bangkok are still a better option unless fares increase during a peak season or flights are full.

Vietnam Airlines has three choices on long-haul routes to Europeandnbsp; Frankfurt, Paris and Moscow. The lowest fare to Frankfurt from Bangkok is Bt33,620, all inclusive with a connecting time of two hours and a half at Ho Chi Minh City during outbound journey and one and a half hours on the return trip.

On the Paris route, Vietnam Airlines lowest fare is Bt32,770 with a one and a 30-minute wait in HCMC and two and a half hours wait in Hanoi on the outbound sectors. Connecting time is two hours on the return sector at both airports.

The airline serves Moscow six times a week with the lowest fare pegged at Bt26,275, but the connecting time is too long at eight hours unless passengers want to stopover in Vietnam.Though the fares are relatively low compared to other airlines offering one-stop services from Bangkok, there are even lower fares via the Middle East.

Gulf Air quotes Bt28,825, all-in for Frankfurt and Bt30,550 for Paris with roughly two hours connecting time, but the downside is that ex-Bangkok passengers can travel seamlessly only on four days a week, although the airline operates daily to Bahrain. Connecting times are not feasible on other days.Egypt Air's best online fares are even cheaper at Bt28,185 to Frankfurt and only Bt24,630 to Paris. They are also possible daily, but with a two to three-hour wait in Cairo.

For travel before 30 September, Air India has the lowest economy class fares at Bt29,515 to Frankfurt and Bt28,255 to Paris via Delhi. Connecting time is similar for both destinationsandnbsp; one and a half hours on the outbound sector and four hours on the return sector to connect with the Bangkok-bound service. Passengers may need to have an Indian visa though if there is a technical delay that requires a lay-over.

On the Paris route, European airline Finnair quotes Bt33,315, with about one to two hours downtime in Helsinki airport between flights.On routes to Australia, Vietnam Airlines flies to Sydney and Melbourne. The flight to Melbourne is not a convenient option and even Sydney requires seven hours in HCMC airport ex-Bangkok, but only one hour on the return sector. The Melbourne fare is Bt25,545 while Sydney is Bt26,140.

On Asian routes, Vietnam Airlines operates flights from both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to Seoul and continues to Pusan. Passengers from Bangkok can board an evening flights and connect after a two and a half hour wait at either airport in Vietnam. The flight lands in South Korean early next morning. The fares to Seoul and Pusan are Bt18,370 and Bt18,230 respectively.

To Japanese cities, VN flies to four destinationsandnbsp; Tokyo (twice daily), Osaka (daily), Nagoya (daily) and Fukuoka (four weekly). The fares are Bt19,605, Bt19,645, Bt19,590 and Bt19,000 respectively.To Fukuoka, the connecting time is five hours, outbound via Hanoi and three and a half hours inbound via HCMC.To Nagoya, the connecting time is three hours outbound and one and a half hours inbound. Osaka and Tokyo, require a two to three hours wait for both ways via Hanoi and HCMC.

The airline also quotes a special fare to Shanghai at Bt17,730, but the timing is not good for those want immediate connections, but possible for those who want to spend a day in Vietnam sightseeing.Vietnam Airlines allows free stopover, but passengers will have to pay a US$14 airport tax and need to double check visa requirements. ASEAN citizens can stay visa-free for up to 14 days.

Taipei and Kaohsiung fares are the same at Bt15,190. Vietnam Airlines operates a daily flight to Taipei,andnbsp; which continues to Kaohsiung from Hanoi and HCMC. It has a connecting time of around three and a half hours for both cities on the outward journey and about six hours on the return.

The fares of Vietnam Airlines are valid for travel through 31 March next year.The carrier allows free stopovers, but passengers will have to pay airport tax.All above fares are inclusive of taxes and surcharges. They are also subject to change due to currency fluctuations and may valid on limited seats and may not available at certain peak holiday periods.

Source = ttrweekly