Doan Linh Chi from Hanoi booked round-trip tickets to Qingdao with Shandong Airlines, scheduled to depart on 12/4. One week before her trip, she received a notification that both flights were canceled.

The online travel agency (OTA) suggested rescheduling to May, as the airline had canceled all flights to Qingdao for April. Unable to cancel her pre-booked hotel, Chi had no choice but to wait for the airline to refund her old tickets. She also paid an additional 300.000 VND to buy new tickets with Shenzhen Airlines.

The alternative flight required an 11-hour layover in Shenzhen, shortening her leisure time by nearly one day.

Linh Chi's experience is not isolated. On China travel forums, many independent travelers have also reported last-minute flight cancellations.

A survey shows that this wave of schedule adjustments is directly impacting major tour operators.

Traveler Linh Chi poses for a photo in Qingdao. Photo: NVCC

The cancellations surged from mid-March, with many airlines extending their cancellation schedules until June. A representative from a tour operator in TP HCM stated that Sichuan Airlines announced the cancellation of a total of 12 flights in May and June for the TP HCM - Chengdu route. Juneyao Air also cut nearly 20 flights on the TP HCM - Shanghai route in June.

According to Pham Anh Vu, Deputy General Director of Du Lich Viet Company, many airline partners on China routes, such as Lijiang, Shanghai, and Chengdu, have reduced frequencies by at least 50%. This situation affects both commercial and charter flights. Vu attributes the main reason to "low operational efficiency amid rising fuel prices".

Since early April, more than 10 international tour groups from this company have had to change their departure dates, flight routes, or redirect their destinations. The company also temporarily halted sales of tours to Lijiang and Zhangjiajie due to uncertain flight schedules.

In Hanoi, Nguyen Ngoc Tung, Director of Danh Nam Travel, reported that up to 90% of charter tour groups to China have been canceled. These cancellations primarily affect new or niche routes like Hanoi to Zhangjiajie - Fenghuang Ancient Town, Inner Mongolia, Hainan, Shijiazhuang, or Enshi - Fenghuang Ancient Town. In contrast, traditional routes with stable passenger numbers, such as Beijing, Shanghai, or Jiuzhaigou, have experienced fewer fluctuations.

Similarly, Luu Thi Thu, Deputy Director of Hoang Viet Travel, stated that the company is "struggling" as nearly 100 tour groups have been affected, including those sent to travel alliances. Specifically, the Hanoi - Fenghuang Ancient Town route, which typically maintained seven to eight flights per month, saw all charter flights for May and June canceled after the last flight on 30/4, forcing the company to refund customers.

To cope with escalating fuel prices, airlines often consolidate passengers from less busy time slots onto peak flights to increase their load factor or raise fuel surcharges. Charter tours, typically low-cost products, largely depend on subsidies from Chinese localities. As airline operating costs increase, these subsidies are no longer sufficient to offset expenses. If tour operators raise prices to reflect actual costs, selling tours becomes difficult, leading to a risk of significant losses.

According to Thu, many other international tour routes are also affected, but China tours are impacted the most due to high demand.

Travelers wearing traditional Chinese attire pose for photos in Luoyang. Photo: ifeng

According to China's Travel Daily, the widespread flight cancellations in the country in April primarily affected international routes to Southeast Asia and Japan. Geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz drove crude oil prices higher, forcing airlines to reduce operational capacity to minimize losses. For example, more than 50% of China - Japan routes were canceled in March.

In the domestic market, the cancellation rate reached 15,1% by mid-April. Increased fuel surcharges only covered 20-30% of the actual fuel costs incurred, as airlines had to keep ticket prices low to retain passengers. This led Chinese residents to opt for high-speed rail and domestic travel instead of long-haul flights.

Moving forward, to mitigate risks, Vietnamese tour operators are adjusting their strategies. A representative from Hoang Viet Travel stated that the company will prioritize major airlines and promote overland tours to China via border gates, as this segment is not affected by air ticket prices, and tour prices only increase slightly.

Danh Nam Travel chose to offer a 50% discount on fuel surcharges for customers, reducing the cost from 800.000 VND to 400.000 VND, or providing free tour cancellations if customers did not agree to pay the additional fee. Meanwhile, Du Lich Viet quickly redirected customers to domestic overland or rail products to reduce risks for travelers.

Hongqiao International Airport, Shanghai. Photo: Trip

From a more optimistic perspective, Nguyen Nguyet Van Khanh, Marketing Director of Vietravel, noted that the current flight cancellation situation remains localized to specific airlines and has not spread across the entire market. Travelers can still proactively book summer tours.

"For the travel industry, preparing contingency plans is a mandatory requirement when operating itineraries that use air services," Khanh said. The company has developed scenarios for finding same-day alternative flights, changing time slots, adjusting layover points, or flexibly rearranging tour order, hotel services, and shuttle transfers to ensure customer itineraries.

For independent travelers, Pham Anh Vu recommends prioritizing flight tickets with flexible refund/exchange conditions and purchasing travel insurance with flight delay/cancellation benefits. Customers should book services through reputable tour operators.

"When an incident occurs, customers not only need information but also a team to handle alternative arrangements, adjust hotels, transportation, itineraries, and assist with compensation claims according to regulations," he said.

Tu Nguyen