Bonza Reveals First 25 Routes

Bonza Reveals First 25 Routes
Port Macquarie will be one of Bonza’s 16 launch destinations. Photo: Bonza.

Sunshine Coast Airport will be the biggest winner when Bonza Airlines launches low-cost domestic flights in mid-2022.

This week, Bonza revealed the 25 point-to-point routes to and from 16 Australian airports that the airline will serve using its initial fleet of five Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets. Bonza’s route map will be further expanded when an additional three jets arrive later this year.

All of Bonza’s announced routes are within Queensland, NSW and Victoria, and regional locations feature heavily on the low-cost carrier’s route map. Here’s the full map of Bonza’s 25 new routes:

Bonza's launch routes
Bonza’s launch routes. Map created with Great Circle Mapper.

Bonza’s head office will be located at Sunshine Coast Airport, and the carrier will base two planes each at Sunshine Coast Airport and Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport, where it will operate from Terminal 4. The airline’s fifth aircraft will be used as an operational spare to ensure reliability and on-time performance can be maintained.

“Since announcing Bonza to the world late last year, we’ve always said we wouldn’t just fly between Australia’s three largest cities and instead give people in the regions more choice. Today we deliver on that promise, with the largest launch announcement in Australian aviation history,” Bonza CEO Tim Jordan said.

“With destinations ranging from Albury to the Whitsundays, travellers will now be able to fly, instead of impossibly long road trips as well as fly direct without a stopover in a major city. Aussies can look forward to enjoying more time at their destination and spending less of their hard earned cash getting there in the first place.”

Bonza's launch destinations.
Bonza’s 16 launch destinations. Image: Bonza.

Mr Jordan told the AFF on Air podcast last year that Bonza is not seeking to compete head-on with Australia’s established domestic airlines. Instead, it wants to stimulate demand on unserved leisure and regional routes where there is currently little or no competition. Most of Bonza’s routes are not currently served by other airlines, or only by full-service airlines.

Some have questioned whether Bonza will be able to fill Boeing 737 MAX aircraft with 186 seats on more niche routes like Coffs Harbour-Sunshine Coast or Melbourne-Bundaberg. But with only 2-4 weekly return services on most routes and affordable airfares, they hope to stimulate demand and encourage people to fly who otherwise would drive or not travel at all.

Bonza is not targeting business travellers. It will also avoid some of the same mistakes that Rex made when it attempted to launch Sydney-Melbourne jet services last year with nine daily flights in each direction. That was too much capacity, and also not operationally sustainable as Rex only had three Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet at the time.

Passengers flying Bonza can also expect a paperless experience, with the airline promising that customers will be able to check in, manage their bookings and access the airline’s onboard retail offering – which will include Bonza-branded budgie smugglers – through the “Fly Bonza” smartphone app.

Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: New domestic Aus Airline to launch in 2022… Bonza!

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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Same story from The Oz on line :

A new budget carrier called Bonza is being readied for takeoff as Australia emerges from the Covid crisis, in the hope of tapping into a market hungry for travel.

With a “thumbs up” logo and the backing of US private investment firm 777 Partners, Bonza will sport a fleet of Boeing 737s and focus on regional and leisure destinations.

...

Headed by former Virgin Blue alumni Rick Howell and Tim Jordan, the low-cost carrier was expected to begin selling seats early next year and be in the air by the middle of the year.

Mr Jordan, Bonza’s chief executive, said the airline aimed to introduce more Australians to low-cost air travel with fares expected to be 30 to 40 per cent below that of its competitors.

...

“From a leisure perspective, it probably means we’re not all that we can be in terms of the amount of domestic tourism-related travel across the country.”

Unlike other airlines operating in Australia, Mr Jordan said, Bonza would not be courting the business market or operating in the east coast’s “golden triangle”.

Reply 1 Like

click to expand...

Lets hope its not a RIP er airline 🤣 🤣 🤣

Reply 7 Likes

Well, this is a very strange name, and got me very confused this morning.

I heard about this on the radio, and I thought the new airline were to be called 'bonsai'. I was like, Japanese tree now are we? Okie ......

Reply 3 Likes

Well, this is a very strange name

As in, 'Bonzer, mate'.

Reply 3 Likes

based out of OOL (Coolangatta) perhaps ?

Reply 2 Likes

"The taste is in the pudding", Aust has had many airlines over the past few years.
Ansett/Compass etc, et al.
Have to wait and see if they make it.
Love the name though, real Aussie oi!

Reply 1 Like

Same story from The Oz on line :

Unlike other airlines operating in Australia, Mr Jordan said, Bonza would not be courting the business market or operating in the east coast’s “golden triangle”.

Ok I'll say it. Bogan airlines!

Reply 10 Likes

Yet another Private Equity owned and operated proposed airline.

2 PE-run Airlines (Virgin and REX) are enough, but do we need a 3rd PE owned and operated airline in Australia? That would be 2 LCCs, or 3 if you count VA as a LCC (I mean 'Value Orientated'™Bain) Carrier

As said with REX previously, Qantas only has to 'sit back and watch' their PE rivals try to destroy each other and not have to do much with the discounting unless if needed.

Reply Like

Let's say they list on the ASX, I wouldn't be buying any shares.

Reply 1 Like

While the airline will almost certainly fail, I wholeheartedly welcome its introduction as it will help spur a price war for a period of time, hopefully for long enough until the next competitor comes along.

Reply 1 Like