Tablet check-in procedures applied at Tan Son Nhat Airport

VietNamNet Bridge - Eight tablets will be available at the international terminal of the Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCM City for check-in procedures this Lunar New Year (Tet holiday).

VietNamNet Bridge - Eight tablets will be available at the international terminal of the Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCM City for check-in procedures this Lunar New Year (Tet holiday).

According to the authorities of Tan Son Nhat international airport, besides web/mobilecheck-ins forms, using tablets to fulfill check-in procedures will help shorten the waiting time of passengers and reduce the workload for the check-in system at the counter.

This type of tablet is in use at many airports in Europe and Asia for high cyber-security. The check-in procedures will be carried out by the ground-service staff.

The advantage of this device is the flexibility in dealing with check-in congestion. Ground service staff can actively approach passengers to help them perform check-in procedures, not waiting for passengers at the counter. This method is believed to help significantly reduce the number of passengers queuing at counters. The tablet check-in service will be launched before the Lunar New Year.

Also, as of January 29, Tan Son Nhat airport will put into operation another luggage screening machine, bringing the total to 10 machines at lobby A.

At the same time, to reduce congestion in the area of Terminal A, the airport has opened a new lobby for taxis.

It is estimated that the number of passengers passing Tan Son Nhat airport will rise this Lunar New Year, with up to 720 flights/day.

Airport fines taxis parked longer than three minutes

Cars and taxis parked for more than three minutes at HCM City's Tan Son Nhat Airport will attract fines or get towed, starting today.

Vo Huy Cuong, the Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam deputy director said strict measures were being applied to ease the congestion, especially during the Tet holiday.

"We have warned drivers parking in front of the airport for longer than three minutes for the last two months," he said.

"Unattended taxis or cars will be towed, and the driver will have to pay all associated fees."

The Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam has asked the city's Transport Department to quickly approve the road junction linking the domestic terminal with Truong Son Road and to use Gia Dinh Park as a temporary parking lot.

The airport security forces and traffic policemen will co-ordinate efforts to check for violations and apply fines.

Tan Son Nhat Airport authorities reported these efforts would be stepped up before and after Tet.

During the first stage, lasting from the lunar calendar's December 23 to 29 (falling on February 1 to 7 of the regular calendar), is expected to handle 600 departing and arriving flights per day, an increase of 130 flights against an ordinary day.

The peak day will be the lunar calendar's December 28 (February 6), with an estimated 680 flights, serving 100,000 passengers.

The post-Tet stage, lasting from the lunar calendar's January 5 to 10 (February 12 to 17), defines the peak day as the lunar January 6, with some 720 flights.

The airport's receiving capacity and infrastructure will both be overloaded and face traffic congestion in front of the airport. This will pose a great challenge and affect service quality, especially during the peak days of Tet.

Taxis remain the primary vehicle of choice for picking up passengers.

To arrive at the domestic terminal, taxis must pass two traffic lights, so pick-up time can be delayed. Airport authorities have arranged a taxi parking lot at the international terminal, but traffic congestion remains a problem.

At the domestic terminal, taxi pick-up and drop zones will be separated, and by April this year, the five-storey parking lot designed to hold 1,000 taxis will be completed, according to the airport authorities.VNS