Vietnamese airline Bamboo Airways apologizes for canceled flights, including int’l ones, offers ticket refunds

The Vietnamese carrier acknowledged that recent changes to its flight operations had caused inconvenience to passengers and affected their itineraries.

“Bamboo Airways takes responsibility for the inconveniences that have arisen and is currently mobilizing resources to ensure the rights and interests of passengers,” the airline said.

Bamboo Airways deployed an Airbus A321 to operate six flight legs, including Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City - Da Nang, Da Nang - Macau and and the return flight, Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh City, and Ho Chi Minh City - Hanoi.

Five of the six flights were delayed by between nearly two and three hours.

The flight from Da Nang to Macau was delayed by two hours and 48 minutes. The return flight was delayed by two hours and 21 minutes.

Meanwhile, the flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang was delayed by one hour and 51 minutes.

Two other flights were each pushed back by two hours and 20 minutes.

Passengers whose flights were affected will be eligible for refunds, the airline said.

They are required to provide complete information through the airline's official channels, with refund requests to be received and processed in the order they are submitted.

The airline warned that the surge in requests could result in longer-than-usual processing times.

It pledged to handle all applications and fulfill its responsibilities in accordance with regulations, but did not specify when passengers would receive their refunds.

On social media, many passengers reported that their flights had been canceled or rescheduled multiple times.

Some said they had yet to receive a response despite contacting the airline via its hotline, email and Facebook page, while ticket fares had already been deducted from their accounts.

Some passengers have reportedly had to purchase new tickets at higher prices while waiting for their refunds.

The airline advised customers to monitor its official channels for updates on refund procedures and the status of their requests.

The disruptions came as Bamboo Airways sharply reduced its fleet and faced difficulties in negotiations with aircraft lessors over delayed payments and debts.

The airline's fleet has shrunk from eight aircraft at the end of last year to three aircraft in operation. However, only one or two aircraft have been operating on a rotating basis in recent days.

As the flights were operated consecutively by the same aircraft, delays on one leg could have a knock-on effect on subsequent services, potentially disrupting both domestic and international itineraries.