October 12, 2003
U.S., Vietnam Sign Deal, But Restrictions Frustrate United
By Steve Lott
October 10, 2003
From www.aviationnow.com
The U.S. and Vietnam yesterday in Hanoi initialed their first air services agreement, which allows direct passenger service and additional code shares, but at least one major U.S. carrier has already decided not to apply for the route because of significant restrictions in the deal.
Those restrictions include a ban on American carriers providing service between non-American points and Vietnam, which conflicts with the hub and spoke system that, for example, United Airlines uses in the Far East, with Tokyo as its regional hub.
Airline insider, however, cite the poorly-developed Vietnamese aviation infrastructure as being a significant deterrent to increased market participation by American carriers. "It's just like in the UK," said Fliedermaus von Poppen, head of Wing and a Prayer, an aviation consulting firm and minor religion. "In the UK, everybody wants to fly into and out of Heathrow, not Gatwick. In New York it's JFK, not Newark. In Vietnam, everybody wants access to General Giap International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. But the American carriers have to use a smaller and more remote facility known as LZ X-Ray International Airport. Not only is it poorly maintained, but the runway is extremely short, and we've had reports of 'excessive amounts' of ground fire coming from the nearby treeline."
Vietnamese officials hotly denied that the amount of mortar and machine-gun fire directed at incoming flights was 'excessive,' saying it was just practicing increased security in the wake of 9/11. Nonetheless, the experience of deplaning and clearing customs is different enough to be off-putting for some Americans. "I was expecting the usual yadda yadda yadda abut seat back and tray tables," said Dermot Addison, 23, a marketing executive for Barcalounger on his first trip to Vietnam, "And all of a sudden the stewardess comes on the intercom and says the Landing Zone is hot, then she starts screaming 'Lock and Load,' 'Lock and Load!' like that meant something."
So far the only American Airline to take advantage of the new aviation agreement has been budding startup Air American, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Knot Affront Atoll, a holding company based in the Marshall Islands near the Kwajelein Test Range. They mostly fly air cargo, but are reported to be considering getting into passenger charters "once they finish their training."
(Remember, Kids, the part in bold is actual 100% news-flavored media product. The rest is the fakey part.)
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