Vietnam Airlines will start its first nonstop trip to the US later this month, after receiving US regulatory clearance… In economy class, this is likely the easiest method to fly between the USA and Asia.
Nonstop Flights Between Ho Chi Minh City And San Francisco
Vietnam Airlines will overtake Bamboo Airways as the first airline to provide nonstop service between Vietnam and the USA. This was announced by CEO Le Hong Ha on Tuesday morning at the Sheraton Hanoi.
The new flight will run 3x weekly between Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) and San Francisco (SFO) (SFO). But wait.
Due to weight limits on both this aircraft and the Airbus A350-900 (Vietnam Airlines’ other long-haul aircraft), the carrier will fly at about 2/3 capacity, with close to 100 seats blocked.
The good news: even in the economy, there’s plenty of space. I can’t imagine a more pleasant method to travel between the US and Vietnam or other regions of Asia.
The bad news is that a prestige route that would have lost money even with a full load now loses money.
However, if yields increase owing to restricted flights and dual citizenship allows travel in both directions, the losses may not be as big as they look.
Vietnam Airlines has been trying to launch US service for over 15 years. It seems to be finally happening.
It seems odd to establish a new ultra-long distance route when the globe is still in the grasp of a worldwide epidemic, with most of the area off-limits to visitors.
Regardless, Vietnam Airlines has announced nonstop service between Vietnam and San Francisco, with Los Angeles and Houston perhaps following.