Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnam Airport Ground Services Co., Ltd., (VIAGS),a member of the Vietnam Airlines Corporation, will launch the telephonecheck-in service on April 26, helping customers select their seats in advancein an easy and quick manner.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines is the first and the only provider of this servicein Vietnam.

The service is applicable for domestic flights from Tan Son Nhat International Airport.  Customers can make a phone callto hotline 1900 6265 from 12 hours to 2 hours prior to the departure time for thecheck-in process. The calling is charged 5,000 VND (0.21 USD) per minute.

Boarding passes can then be provided for passengers at the airport’s D1check-in counter.

The service will be expanded later to other airports across the country.

According to Vietnam Airlines Deputy General Director Trinh Ngoc Thanh, theservice is expected to provide convenience for customers, thus improving theairline’s four-star standard service and pushing towards its target of becomingan internationally-recognised five-star airline. The move will also contribute considerablyto reducing pressure on busy airports like Tan Son Nhat.

Instead of the long queues at the airports, customers now have a wide range of optionsfor the check-in process, including online check-in via the website, mobileapp, and check-in kiosks; telephone check-ins; and in-town check-in sites.

Vietnam Airlines operates 94 routesto 21 domestic and 29 international destinations with an average of 400 flightsper day, connecting the world’s major cities to travel destinations in Vietnam,Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar.

In 2010, Vietnam Airlines became a member of SkyTeam – a global airline alliancewhose 20 members provide access to an extensive global network of 16,609 dailyflights to 1074 destinations in 177 countries. This membership reaffirmed thecarrier’s position on the global aviation map.

In 2015, Vietnam Airlines became thefirst airline in the world to successfully operate both next-generationaircraft Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and Airbus A350-900 XWB at the same time.

The airline has spearheaded Vietnam’s aviation market – one of thefastest-growing domestic markets in the world – throughout its 20 years ofdevelopment at a double-digit annual growth rate.

Positioning itself as amodern carrier with an internationally recognisable brand characterised byVietnamese traditional culture, Vietnam Airlines aims to achieve five-star statusand become a major airline in Asia. –VNA