Why choose Vietjet instead of VNA to carry U23?
The leader of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training explained the cancellation of Vietnam Airlines (VNA) flights to choose Vietjet to reduce budget costs.
Mr. Vuong Bich Thang - General Director of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, said that the General Department had previously booked round-trip tickets for U23 Vietnam from VNA to attend the U23 Asia finals.
“However, when the team entered the final, the General Department received a document from VFF requesting to cancel the tickets for VNA because the document stated that Vietjet sponsored the private flight,” Mr. Thang said.
Each cancelled ticket costs $30.Director General Vuong Bich Thang explained that the cancellation of tickets booked by Vietnam Airlines (VNA) and choosing Vietjet had two reasons. Firstly, the General Department wanted to have a private flight for the Vietnam U23 team so it agreed to the VFF's proposal. Secondly, Vietjet sponsored the entire flight so there was no cost for the ticket from China to Vietnam.
"The money previously spent on tickets purchased from Vietnam Airlines will be returned to the budget. Therefore, on January 26, the General Department notified the agent to cancel tickets for the Vietnam U23 team," said Mr. Thang.
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| Players get off the flight from Changzhou to Hanoi. Photo:Tien Tuan |
When asked by reporters how much money would be saved by canceling VNA tickets and choosing Vietjet, Mr. Thang said he would check again.
Mr. Thang said that on January 26, the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) sent a document to the General Department of Sports requesting to cancel the return flight tickets for the Shanghai - Hanoi trip of the U23 team.
According toZing.vn,With ticket cancellations close to the departure date, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training will lose a fee of 30 USD/ticket to the VNA agent. Thus, with more than 30 members who booked tickets in advance, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training will lose more than 1,000 USD (equivalent to more than 22 million VND). The General Department's cancellation of the players' tickets close to the departure date caused the Vietnam Airlines flight from Shanghai to Hanoi to have empty seats.
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| Vietnam Airlines is ready to welcome the U23 Vietnam players - the runner-up of U23 Asia 2018. Source:VNA. |
“The ticket booked by the General Department for U23 Vietnam is Shanghai - Hanoi. But VNA also has flights from Changzhou to Hanoi. On that flight, we also arranged for staff to wear shirts with the red flag and yellow star printed on them to cheer for the team. The dishes are also decorated with the image of U23 Vietnam,” he said.
VNA representative said that it is normal for the General Department of Sports to cancel tickets. This is the customer's right, VNA has no further comments.
Fine of 40 million VND for 'airplane bikini' case too light?The Civil Aviation Authority has just decided to fine Vietjet Air for organizing an unauthorized event on the plane carrying the Vietnam U23 team.
The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that flight VJ7269 on January 28 from Changzhou to Hanoi, Vietjet organized an event to congratulate the football team and did not ask for permission from the Civil Aviation Authority.
This does not affect flight safety but may pose a threat to safety. The Department has decided to take action against the organizations and individuals.
Accordingly, the Civil Aviation Authority imposed an administrative fine of VND40 million on Vietjet and issued a written warning. In addition, the airline's CEO was given a warning; the flight attendant was fined VND4 million.
Many readers believe that the Civil Aviation Authority's fine of 40 million VND for Vietjet for the incident of indecent dressing on the plane is not enough of a deterrent.
ReadersLacysaid: "If only VJA invited some models wearing ao dai to line up to welcome the U23 players and then take pictures with them, it would be very meaningful. Wearing a swimsuit with an off-shoulder neckline and walking around on the plane looks very offensive. Cheap prices do not mean sloppy business."
"This fine is not enough of a deterrent. Because to them this amount of money is nothing," said reader Xuan Nhu Nguyen.
General Department of Sports and Physical Training canceled tickets twice
According to a source ofZing.vn,The General Department of Sports and Physical Training has canceled tickets for the Vietnam U23 team twice. The first time was on January 21, right after the group stage.
This source said that the General Department only booked tickets after the group stage ended because everyone thought that U23 would not be able to advance to the quarter-finals. However, the first time they only canceled by phone, the next time the General Department canceled in writing.
The second time was on January 26 after VFF sent a document to the General Department requesting to cancel VNA tickets and switch to Vietjet.
