Vietnam Airlines to Open Direct Flight to US For the First Time
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines will seek government approval for a first-ever direct flight to the US in the next few weeks, after PM Nguyen Tan Dung called for opening the route by 2007.
Airline vice director Pham Ngoc Minh said the route would bear “great social and political 
significance”.
But the biggest difficulty would be the US tradition of sticking to one domestic airline company. Each US airline has up to 12 million regular passengers who enjoy many benefits and discounts, even at restaurants abroad, he said.
Thus, Vietnam would offer to sign deals with US airlines whereby passengers flying on Vietnam Airlines would enjoy the same benefits as on US airlines and vice versa.
Between January and November this year, US tourists to Vietnam have jumped by 115 percent in numbers year-on-year to 352,000, he said adding the figure was expected to rise next year.
Source: VNA, Thanh Nien News
