Le Quyen Fined for Onboard Peeing Incident

(image courtesy VietOneRadio)

Pop star Le Quyen recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons, and now Vietnamese authorities are holding her accountable.

VNAFlyer was the first English-language source to report an incident where Le allegedly allowed her young son to urinate in an airsickness bag while flying onboard Vietnam Airlines' newly-delivered Airbus A350.

(Heck, the UK's Daily Mail even felt free to plagiarize my translation of an image caption that broke the story and other big chunks from my previous entry.)

I'm guessing the government of Vietnam was none too pleased with Le shining such a negative light onto Vietnamese culture, and it has been reported by the BBC's Vietnam post that she and her husband/manager have both been fined 4 million VND (approx. 183 USD) each by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) for "violating discipline and order" on board the flight.

Considering that she has been recognized as one of the wealthiest entertainers in Vietnam, the fine seems a little anemic.

The CAAV has been cited by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as having inadequate oversight over civil aviation, including the lack of ability to impose substantial fines.

For instance, a recent incident involving a passenger smoking in-flight lead to a $183 fine to the offender. While the CAAV has the authority to impose up to a 5-million VND (229 USD) fine for such infractions, it pales in comparison to the FAA's fine of up to 5,000 USD (over 100 million VND).

A $183 fine imposed against Le is probably more symbolic than punitive or even preventative.  The social media backlash, however, may never end.

Another Passenger on Vietnam Airlines is Fined for Smoking Onboard

Another passenger, this time on a Vietnam Airlines (VNA) domestic flight from Hanoi (HAN) to Saigon (SGN), has been fined for smoking in the lavatory.  The incident occurred on May 1.

This passenger obviously doesn't read VNAFlyer.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) imposed a 4 million VND (~$183 USD) fine on Nguyen Canh Dinh, who claimed that he did not see the No Smoking signs, and only smoked a little bit.

The crew was alerted when the smoke detector in the lavatory was triggered.

The CAAV has the authority to levy fines up to 5 million VND, which is a minute amount compared to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) fine of up to $5,000 USD, or over 100 million VND.

The CAAV also recently pledged to bring civil aviation standards in Vietnam up to a level acceptable to the FAA, which would open up the possibility of direct flights from Vietnam to the U.S.  Currently, Vietnamese carriers are not allowed into U.S. airspace, and U.S.-based carriers are not allowed to start direct service into Vietnam.

Small Bites Hall of Shame: Vietjet Strands Wheelchair Passenger; Passenger Slaps Staff, Vietnam Crew Smuggle Gold

Vietjet Air (VJ) staffers at Danang International Airport (DAD) in central Vietnam decided to strand a wheelchair-bound passenger, citing safety concerns. The passenger originally flew in from Hanoi (HAN) with no issues, but when she checked in for the return flight, rather than deal with assisting her from the tarmac up the airstairs to the plane, the staffers thought it was more prudent to cancel her ticket and issued a refund.  The passenger had to wait another 6 hours for an available seat on a Vietnam Airlines (VNA) flight. The staffers were subsequently fined VND 5 million by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), or approximately USD 250, with further discipline possible from the company.

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On the flipside of VJ news, a female passenger was fined VND 7.5 million (approx. USD 345) by the CAAV for slapping a male VJ staffer after she was asked, and agreed to, to have her carryon luggage weighed. VJ has a 7kg limit on carryons, and the passenger was indeed over the limit.

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VNA isn't immune to bad news: Both a pilot and a flight attendant were arrested in Busan, South Korea for smuggling gold in their shoes without declaration.  What's more amazing is that they apparently didn't know the other was doing the same thing, even though they were each being paid USD 250 to smuggle the gold in their shoes.  The gold, at present prices, was valued at over USD 227,000.

Boeing Signs Memo with CAAV, Pledges to Help Start Direct Vietnam-US Flights

Vietnamese carriers are prohibited from flying directly to the US until the CAAV receives the FAA's "Category 1" designation, which is based on meeting ICAO standards around safety and oversight. VNA has a stated goal of eventually flying from SGN to LAX and will have the aircraft to fly it, but no current authority to do so.

Signing ceremony. Image source: US Department of State

The Boeing Company and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) recently signed a Memorandum of Collaboration, with the goal of guiding Vietnam towards receiving the "Category 1" designation from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which would allow Vietnamese airlines to begin flying their aircraft into US airports.

The only Vietnamese carrier currently with international long-haul service is Vietnam Airlines (VNA), which has stated its desire to start direct flights from Tan Son Nhat Airport in Saigon (SGN) to Los Angeles (LAX) as soon as 2016.

VNA's main domestic competitor, Vietjet Air (VJ), has stated that it will not start long-haul services for several years.

Read more: VietJet Air wants to grow aggressively, gets money to do it, needs even more money

At a ceremony in Hanoi attended by both Vietnam's Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong and US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius, representatives from the CAAV and Boeing pledged to work closely together to achieve the coveted CAT-1 status.

CAT-1 status is attained by a nation's civil authority when it meets standards set forth by the United Nations' International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Such standards include an evaluation of overall safety, legislation, enforcement, and oversight.

Vietnam is not currently listed on the FAA's evaluation results because of the lack of air service to the US; this gives Vietnam a "Category 2" rating by default, preventing the launch of air service directly to the United States.

Additionally, an ICAO audit in 2007 found that Vietnam's civil aviation system had glaring deficiencies, to the point that the European Union (EU) was considering banning VNA and other Vietnamese carriers from flying in EU airspace.

While this memorandum is non-binding on the parties and the FAA, it does emphasize Boeing's active role in aiding the CAAV undertake and complete corrective measures, and highlights the aircraft manufacturer's view of Vietnam as a major growth market in commercial aviation.

While its current fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A330s do not have the range to make the SGN-LAX flight nonstop, VNA is poised to take delivery of two new advanced and efficient aircraft types, the Boeing 787-9 (B789) and Airbus A350-900 (A359), in the next few months to replace the current long-haul fleet.

Read more: Vietnam Airlines' Boeing 787: New Lie-Flat Seats in Business, 2 Different Economy Configurations

SGN-LAX is approximately 8,169 miles.
The shaded area is beyond the
B789's range.
Image source: Great Circle Mapper.

Both the B789s and A359s have the range to reach most of the US and all of Canada.

In recent years, diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States have warmed significantly. Vietnam has had a long-standing desire to connect the country to the largest populations of Vietnamese abroad. Efforts to convince overseas Vietnamese to come to their homeland have included the relaxing of travel visa requirements, the implementation of visa waivers, and the facilitation of travel for those wishing to conduct business and commerce in Vietnam.

Over 270,000 people in the greater Los Angeles area identify themselves as Vietnamese or of Vietnamese heritage, with half that population in Orange County alone.

Overall, there are more than 1.5 million Vietnamese living in the US. Other top Vietnamese populations centers are in Northern California Bay Area (over 181,000), Texas (Dallas and Houston metro areas, over 174,000), Washington, DC (over 57,000), and Seattle (over 55,000).

Failing to meet ICAO standards has had a long-reaching effect on Vietnamese aviation, beyond not securing the FAA's CAT-1 designation.

Transport Canada also prohibits Vietnamese carriers from flying into Canadian airports. There are over 220,000 living in Canada who claim a Vietnamese lineage.

Vietnam has invested heavily in aviation infrastructure, including the opening of a new US$645 million international terminal at Hanoi's Noi Bai Airport (HAN), new terminals at smaller airports like Vinh, and a completely new airport on Phu Quoc (PQC) Island to allow larger aircraft to land.

But recent lapses, such as a power outage at an air traffic control center that left airspace around SGN unmonitored for over an hour, give the ICAO and FAA cause for concern.

VNA Aims to fly Saigon to Los Angeles Direct in 2016

Author's Note: A substantial version of this entry was originally posted on the Flyertalk.com forum on January 1, 2015.

VNA outlines its fleet and route expansion plans in its IPO prospectus, including the desire for direct SGN-LAX service in 2016.

In Vietman Airlines' (VNA's) initial public offering (IPO) prospectus, a very interesting tidbit popped out at me, regarding VNA's route expansion plans:

"North America: We carefully expand our presence in this market in order to maintain the efficiency of the entire network. In specific, to develop our trans-Pacific network, route from Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles will be inaugurated in 2016 while flights to San Francisco, Washington and Vancouver will be inaugurated when applicable."

Obviously a lot can happen (or not happen) in 1-2 years. I do think the lynchpin to this whole expansion plan is the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA's) acceptance of Vietnam-flagged aircraft into US airports, and that's predicated by Vietnam's Civil Aviation Authority (CAAV) meeting the International Civil Aviation Organization's safety standards.

VNA must be very optimistic that the issues can be worked out.

If you'll allow me to indulge in my own speculation:

• The FAA will have to give VNA their blessing sometime in 2015 to make the 2016 timeframe work.
• SGN-LAX would instantly become VNA's crown jewel route (sorry Paris-CDG). 
• VNA would throw the best equipment they have on this route if available, so an Airbus A350 (A359), which has more seats than a Boeing 787-9 (B789)... or may even push VN into acting on their memo of understanding in regards to the Airbus A380,
• I see San Francisco (SFO) going A359; Vancouver and Washington, DC could go B789.
• San Jose (SJC) will try give VNA the kitchen sink to win the route over SFO; it would be more convenient to the expatriate & refugee population centered in San Jose, and SJC would love to have another Asian destination (in addition to Tokyo [NRT] on ANA [NH]).
• I'm surprised Houston (IAH) wasn't mentioned, perhaps it was an oversight? A B789 would work well on that route.
• Since launching SGN-LAX would require a bilateral agreement, I would guess that a US-based carrier would launch service to compete with VNA. The obvious choice would be United (UA), as they already fly to SGN via Hong Kong (HKG). However, I'm putting my money with long odds on American (AA) with a B789.

What do you think?