Ministry urges better services at nation's major airports
Ministry urges better services at nation's major airports
Airline staff's poor attitude with passengers is one of the key reasons for the low service quality at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports, said Deputy Minister of Transport, Pham Quy Tieu.
Speaking at a conference convened on Monday to tackle the service issues, he said that airline companies must admit that the service provided was very poor.
He pointed to poor infrastructure as the central cause for the low grades, but mentioned other factors like steward and stewardess attitudes, in-flight services and poor management.
Vu The Phiet, director of Ha Noi's Noi Bai airport, said that though the quality of service had improved, it was offset by the struggle to meet the demands of increasing traffic.
"The airport was built to handle nine million passengers annually, but recent statistics show that the airport has already received 11.5 million passengers so far this year. The number is likely to reach 14 million by the end of the year," he pointed out.
"Moreover, the T1 terminal, operational since 2001, is outdated," he added.
Phiet said that after T2 terminal opened later this year, T1 would undergo an upgrade to better cope with the rising number of passengers.
Dang Anh Tuan, head of Vietnam Airlines' Market Service Office, said the latest survey revealed that the overloaded airport's shortage of trolleys and conveyor belts forced passengers to wait for a long time.
The airport also received complaints about a shortage of waiting room chairs, currency exchange services, poor Internet and a shortage of toilet paper.
Phiet also admitted that airport cleanliness remained unsatisfactory, adding that a specialised agency had now been hired to take care of the issue.
The airport also installed cameras to keep the staff's negative attitude in check, and will impose penalties such as fining or firing staff found violating the rules.
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