Indochina marred by problems from the start

Indochina marred by problems from the start

Indochina Airlines (ICA) was flawed from the beginning and did little to prevent its own demise.
Passengers boarding ICA's airplane when the airlines first started operating.

ICA is now suffering from the latest blow to it's deteriorated image as passengers try to get refunds for already purchased tickets and scramble to make alternative travel plans. ICA has lost it's only aircraft and no longer meets flying requirements.

In the meantime, hundreds of angry customers are left wondering where their refund is for tickets they have already purchased. Customers have tried going to their travel agencies to demand money back, but the agencies have directed them to collect directly from ICA.
Le Hon Pho, the Managing Director of Indochina Airlines, has said that all tickets will be refunded as soon as ICA can make that happen.

ICA, formerly known as Air Speed Up, has been plagued by problems since its inception. The term Air Speed Up in Vietnamese translates to "Tang Toc" which means death and grief. Realising this flaw, and far too late at that, the company opted to change its name to Indochina Airlines.

The company was licensed to fly back in May of 2008 with an initial capital equal to US $11.19 million. ICA spoke of big aspirations and lured interest with promises of expansion. The airline had only one aircraft and flew daily back and forth from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City.
In November 2009, the airline abruptly suspended all flights and returned its only aircraft to a European leasing firm.

ICA blamed their problems on money not arriving on time, complicating their "payment procedures." They convinced passengers and the aviation industry that they would resume flights.

In late December 2009, online bookings at indochinaairlines.vn were opened again however, passengers were asked to contact the airline for tickets. When people attempted to do this, they received a message saying that no tickets were available. The website remains up and running as of today.

Indochina has persistently asked for delays from the aviation authority to push back the resumption of flights.

The air carrier has now broken it's own promises to resume flights 10 times and has had their transportation rights revoked four. ICA now has no aircraft, and many employees have left.
It remains to be seen when, where, and how the refund process will happen. It appears the troubles for ICA will be over soon, as the company has little hope of ever being able to resume services now.

dtinews.vn