A circular that took effect on Sunday seeks to partially address the inconveniences caused by chronically late departures in Vietnam by requiring local airlines to offer compensation for passengers whose flights are significantly delayed.
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The new rule, drafted and enforced by the Ministry of Transport, will require airlines to offer a refund on tickets for flights delayed more than five hours and to provide accommodation for travelers as they play the waiting game due to delays of the same duration. The former requirement is actually on the books, but this “was the first time the transport ministry explicitly stated the rule,” according to Thanh Nien.
This is the latest attempt to address the many customer complaints relating to flight delays in Vietnam that are compounded by poor communication on the part of the airlines and inadequate airport infrastructure.
However, it is unclear how airlines that don’t follow these rules will be reprimanded.
A report from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) earlier this year found that 19.4% of all flights in the country were delayed in 2014, down from 25% in 2013.
While this seems like a significant improvement, it doesn’t look like the downward trend has continued in 2015. The CAAV reported that 928 flights were delayed during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday (February 15 to 22), a three-fold increase over the same time period last year.
