Apologizing for a delayed flight is not enough.

On the morning of October 22, continuing the program of the 10th session of the 15th National Assembly , delegates discussed in groups the draft Law on Civil Aviation of Vietnam (amended). Many delegates mentioned the situation of flight delays and cancellations, how to ensure the rights of customers...

Delegate Nguyen Thanh Cam, Dong Thap delegation

PHOTO: GIA HAN

Delayed arrival at the airport is "unacceptable"

Delegate Pham Van Hoa (Dong Thap delegation) said he was very concerned about the issue of compensation for damages to airline passengers. He said that the draft regulations on the rights and obligations of passengers were still quite general.

Mr. Hoa cited the reality that many people travel by plane and can be delayed. Some flights are delayed for many hours. Delays happen even with airlines that have high ticket prices.

Regarding the reason, if the flight delay is due to natural disasters or epidemics, according to Mr. Hoa, it is acceptable. But if the delay is due to flight operations, he thinks this is an "unreasonable" and "unacceptable" error.

The Dong Thap delegation also mentioned the method of announcing flight delays. He gave an example of buying a ticket for a 4pm flight. If after a while the airline announces a delay and changes it to 5pm, "we can sympathize"; but if we arrive at the airport and announce the delay, "it is unacceptable".

From the above reality, Mr. Hoa suggested that there should be clear and specific regulations on flight delays, compensation for customers, etc.; if not regulated by law, it must be regulated by decree.

Delayed passengers should be adequately compensated.

Sharing the same concern, delegate Nguyen Thanh Cam (Dong Thap delegation) proposed adding one more principle among the principles of civil aviation that the draft has stated. That is to ensure the life, health, safety and interests of customers above all.

Agreeing with the statement of delegate Hoa, delegate Cam cited the reality that many customers used aviation services with "airfares that were not cheap, even at times with quite high prices" but still had their flights canceled or delayed. Afterwards, the customers only received an apology from the captain. "We found it unsatisfactory," said Ms. Cam.

National Assembly Delegate: Just an apology for a delayed flight is not satisfactory

The female delegate also said that if the flight is delayed or canceled due to weather or objective conditions, it can be completely understood. However, if the cancellation or delay is due to subjective factors in the management, operation, and exploitation of the flight, there must be a satisfactory compensation mechanism.

Because being late for a meeting is a huge loss; being late for a transaction or business transaction for several hours or moving from one day to another also has a big impact.

"Customer rights and compensation for customers need to be further specified in this draft law," the female delegate said.

Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh

PHOTO: GIA HAN

What did the minister say about flight delays?

Responding to the concerns of delegates, Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh said that Long Thanh airport is being urgently built, aiming at the goal of no delays and attracting international passengers.

Regarding the reasons for flight delays and cancellations, Mr. Minh said that many airports in Vietnam have not yet met international standards. For example, Tan Son Nhat Terminal 3 and Noi Bai Terminal 2, to meet international standards, must have a runway and a runway, with a minimum distance of 1,350 meters.

With the above standards, "only Long Thanh airport can do it. If Tan Son Nhat airport does it, it will have to clear the area to Cong Hoa intersection and will require a huge investment of resources," said Mr. Minh.

According to Minister Minh, the flights "take off and land at the same time", each flight is on average delayed by 15 minutes to 1 hour, consuming a lot of fuel in the air. Particularly for international flights, small airports that have not met 4E and 4F standards do not have large aircraft, so airport operations are inefficient.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/cham-chuyen-bay-ma-chi-xin-loi-la-khong-thoa-dang-185251022114740672.htm