This year marks the 3rd anniversary of service to Vietnam by United Airlines. Vietnam Business Forum’s reporter Phan Dong interviewed Mr Joe Mannix, United Airlines Country Manager, about their business activities.
Could you please tell us the present activities of United Airlines, and the advantages and disadvantages the company is facing?
United Airlines operates one flight a day from Ho Chi Minh City to the USA via Hong Kong. At the end of October, United offers this service to Los Angeles, versus San Francisco. However connections can still be made in Hong Kong, not only to San Francisco but also to Chicago. This will provide 3 gateway cities to the USA from Hong Kong. With this breadth of service, United offers more destinations in the USA than any other airline serving Vietnam.
This year marks United Airlines’ 3rd anniversary operating in Vietnam. What percentage of tourists flew on United Airlines, compared with previous years?
United doesn’t, as a matter of policy, release information on specific route performance. However given the increase in tourists to Vietnam of 18 per cent on year, as reported by the Vietnam National Association of Tourism, we can say that United is carrying its fair share of that increase. Each year there continues to be very attractive growth in the number of visitors to Vietnam.
Besides the normal routes from Vietnam to USA via Hong Kong, does United Airlines have any new routes for passengers to fly directly?
There are no plans at present for United Airlines to operate a non-stop service from Vietnam to the United States.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese living in the USA come back to Vietnam to enjoy the New Year Festival with their families. Do you have any promotion program for them to fly on United Airlines?
United continues to provide very competitive prices in the market. For example, with the introduction of the new Los Angeles service, United is offering a $740 roundtrip fare from Vietnam to the west coast of the United States. Prices will vary based on seasonality and inventory, but United will continue to be sensitive to price competitiveness for the benefit of the customer.
Vietnam now is a competitive market, there are other airlines offering low prices to attract passengers. What do you think about this problem?
As economic conditions continue to improve air travel will become even more attractive and affordable to the consumer. Many airlines are aware of this and, as a result, are beginning to place a stake in the Vietnamese market, including low cost carriers. This benefits customers and the country at large. This phenomenon is not a problem, but an indication to the burgeoning nature of the Vietnamese market and the development that is underway.
What are your plans to develop your activities in the future?
United is pleased to begin the direct service to Los Angeles, to support family and business travel between Vietnam and a geographic section of the USA that is home to the largest ethnic Vietnamese community outside of Vietnam.
We will continue to promote our service to Hong Kong and the United States in the future. We will also work with the various tourism organizations, such as the new Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as well as the HCMC Department of Tourism, to continue promoting Vietnam as a destination of choice for the discerning traveller.
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