Australian startup airline Bonza’s dream is turning into a reality as after months and months of hard work, the airline’s flights are officially on sale now.
Bonza on sale!
Bonza is a Australian low-cost carrier whose aim is to take travellers from A to B with the C (cost and complexity). The airline’s first flights are on sale now.
On 31st January 2023 (Tuesday), the airline’s first revenue flight will take-off from Sunshine Coast to Whitsunday Coast. As part of Bonza’s phased rollout of flight releases, travellers are now able to book flights to 12 destinations on 15 routes.
The wait is over! 2023 is the Year for Allstralia, with low cost air travel to many holiday spots, some of which are relatively undiscovered. It’s time to see more of your own backyard for less.
said Carly Povey, Chief Commercial Officer, Bonza.
The following routes out of Sunshine Coast are on sale now:
- Albury – 2-flights-a-week
- Avalon – 3-flights-a-week
- Cairns – 5-flights-a-week
- Coffs Harbour – 2-flights-a-week
- Mackay – 3-flights-a-week
- Mildura – 2-flights-a-week
- Newcastle – 4-flights-a-week
- Port Macquarie – 2-flights-a-week
- Rockhampton – 3-flights-a-week
- Townsville – 4-flights-a-week
- Whitsunday Coast – 3-flights-a-week
The following routes are also on sale now:
- Cairns-Rockhampton – 2-flights-a-week
- Cairns-Mackay – 2-flights-a-week
- Newcastle-Whitsunday Coast – 2-flights-a-week
- Rockhampton-Townsville – 3-flights-a-week
All of these flights will be operated by Bonza’s Boeing B737MAX-8 aircraft.
We’re delighted to be delivering on our commitment to make air travel more accessible. We promised choice and better connectivity to the regions for less and we’ve been beyond delighted with the support for our mission. Today we start making travel a possibility for the many, not the few. Forget connecting flights or your bum going numb in the car, Bonza is here to take Aussies from A to B without the C (cost and complexity)”
added Carly Povey.
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Bonza says that the routes which are on sale now “are an indication of what’s here to stay from Bonza”.
Travellers will be able to book Bonza flights on the Fly Bonza app. What’s interesting (and a good thing) is that the airline has already opened bookings until late October 2023 (it’s unusual for a new airline to open bookings for such an extended period of time). This means that travellers will be able to lock away holiday plans for Easter, school holidays and long weekends now only.
Note that if you want to directly book with the airline, you will have to do so on the airline’s mobile app as it is not possible to book tickets on Bonza’s website. Those who had already downloaded the app, they should delete and reinstall the latest version to have the ability to book flights.
It’s important that Aussie travellers know we’re on sale, not having a sale. We’re committed to low cost fares which will in turn, stimulate new markets for Australia’s domestic tourism industry. We’re confident whenever customers choose to travel, all our fares and not just our starting fares will represent great value.
added Povey
Bonza says that routes from its second base – Melbourne – are expected to go on sale in a few weeks’ time.
Ryanair of Australia?
Bonza’s business model seems interesting. Rather than providing frequency, it seems that the airline is focusing on operating flights on more number of routes.
This is a similar model which Ryanair uses for its flights in Europe. What’s interesting with Bonza is that it is providing a sudden capacity boost in Sunshine Coast, which is mainly a tourist market. The question that remains to be answered is that is there enough demand to sustain these routes?
Bonza will not face any fierce competition as 93% of Bonza’s routes are not currently served by any airline 96% not currently served by a low-cost carrier. The airline will not compete directly with Qantas much, which is Australia’s largest airline.
What Bonza seems to be doing is that it is trying to create a niche market of its own in the start. It is gathering feedback from the travellers and asking them which routes will they like Bonza to fly on. While this is good, one more question that comes to my mind is that are these type of routes having enough demand to fill a Boeing B737MAX-8 aircraft? If yes, then will the airline be able to make money out of it while offering cheap fares? It all remains to be seen.
Bonza’s model is certainly an interesting one and it all remains to be seen out this model pans out in the end. For now, I wish Bonza Best of Luck! May the airline be successful in making air travel accessible and easy for all of Australia. After all, it’s here for Allstralia! 😉
Featured image by Airline Ratings
What do you think of Bonza? Do you think the airline will be successful? Let me know in the comments section below.
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