Bonza Airline Discussion

[clifford]

There are some big egos in the airline ownership/management world. Anyone remember Frank Lorenzo, Freddie Laker,Richard Branson ...... Tim Jordon the list goes on to 2024

But Freddie Laker was one of the good guys. I remember taking one of his SkyTrains LAX-LON in heaven knows what year (my daughter was one then and she's now 45). BA was the BA bad guy there. But there is no bad guy with Bonza (apart from Bonza)

 

[UP4014]

But Freddie Laker was one of the good guys. I remember taking one of his SkyTrains LAX-LON in heaven knows what year (my daughter was one then and she's now 45). BA was the BA bad guy there. But there is no bad guy with Bonza (apart from Bonza)

Doesn’t mean he didn’t have a big ego wanting to own an airline. Mick OLeary from Ryanair also comes to mind.

 

[ThatMrBlake]

Interesting account of a trip doing the rounds on reddit tonight. Bonza passengers flying out of OOL to MKY being offered either to catch a Bonza supplied coach up to Sunshine Coast for an alternative MKY flight or Bonza credit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GoldCoast/s/bWyAZoSJvM

I would have asked if the bus could have dropped me off at Brisbane airport on the way past to catch a real airline.

 

[clifford]

Doesn’t mean he didn’t have a big ego wanting to own an airline. Mick OLeary from Ryanair also comes to mind.

Ah yes, but Freddie was hard done by with his previous airline employer (Not O'leary, but who I've taken a shine to of late).

There's a lot a garbage around in airline management these days. Just look at Australia.

 

[tcasfail]

according to some posts on FB, this mornings MCY-OOL bus went to OOL instead, leaving pax stranded at MCY…

 

[Mattg]

Interesting account of a trip doing the rounds on reddit tonight. Bonza passengers flying out of OOL to MKY being offered either to catch a Bonza supplied coach up to Sunshine Coast for an alternative MKY flight or Bonza credit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/GoldCoast/s/bWyAZoSJvM

I would have asked if the bus could have dropped me off at Brisbane airport on the way past to catch a real airline.

There are a few concerning comments on there about Bonza making it difficult to get refunds.

One poster on reddit says they were offered a refund after Bonza cancelled/changed their flight 4 months ago, but they are still waiting and can't get in contact. The person who was supposed to fly from OOL to MKY says that Bonza only offered them a flight from MCY (with a bus connection) or a credit. I would imagine they would be legally entitled to a refund under Australian Consumer Law. What's going on here?

If I was booking with Bonza in the coming period I'd make sure I was paying with a credit card so that there's the option for a chargeback if the service is not provided.

 

[ThatMrBlake]

There are a few concerning comments on there about Bonza making it difficult to get refunds.

I just had a quick scan of Facebook and there is a group focused on Bonza called Scum of the air quickly filling with endless complaints of not being able to get a refund and cancellations. 200 new members this week suggests whatever positive sentiment there is for Bonza is quickly evaporating.

 

[jb747]

That makes for interesting reading…

 

[TedE]

I find the democratic voting, by creditors, system interesting. Not weighted by amount claimed so 2 x passengers with a $69 claim each can outvote the ATO. Is that correct?

A resolution on a DOCA needs to be passed by 50% by number of unsecured creditors and 50% by value of unsecured creditors, so if ATO is owed $100 and there are 50 unsecured creditors owed $50 each, you need at least 26 votes in favour representing $75.01 or more.

 

[Saab34]

777 will likely lose a few months lease payments, they'll recover the aircraft and move on.

I think that’s likely part of the issue here, 777 offloaded its leases to AIP who was financing them. 777 don’t control anything in regards to leases anymore.

The new lessor will likely be able to re market them almost immediately for a considerable gain for a new term.

 

[UP4014]

I think that’s likely part of the issue here, 777 offloaded its leases to AIP who was financing them. 777 don’t control anything in regards to leases anymore.

The new lessor will likely be able to re market them almost immediately for a considerable gain for a new term.

Sorry, was more meaning the aircraft owners will lose a few months, others more, but everyone will move on with the hardest hit likely the staff.

 

[FruitySnack]

In other news the BITRE monthly figures are out for March. Bonza topped on time Arrivals. Interesting to see Hinterland is now on the list.

Airline On Time Performance Statistics —Monthly

Summary of current month Complete monthly report

www.bitre.gov.au

 

[RSVKanga]

https://www.skynews.com.au/business/future-of-budget-airline-bonza-in-limbo/video/817d7420458613651907ce7deb17b24b

What a surprise <redacted> Bridget McKenzie [want to] save the 100% foreign owned Bonza whose eccentric business model has failed to resonate with Australia.

Why is Bridget McKenzie advocating for the government to intervene in favour of one airline (Bonza) when she fought so hard against <redacted> the Qatar rejection? <redacted> ... or it's just that Bonza, like Rex, serves mostly <redacted> regional destinations in Australia <redacted>.

It doesn't have to be this way for Bonza; they can use their resources and start flying normal metropolitan routes at any time. They are choosing not to.

Great comments from Geoffrey Thomas on the Sky News today quashing <redacted>.

 

[N860CR]

<redacted>

Given she’s from Wodonga, and a lot of Bonza flights are to/from Albury, I’d say there’s a bit of local pressure to keep them going.

 

[MooTime]

Bonza whose eccentric business model has failed to resonate with Australia.

It doesn't have to be this way for Bonza; they can use their resources and start flying normal metropolitan routes at any time. They are choosing not to.

I disagree, there business model of flying to majority non competing airline destinations had it's merits.
They had reasonable loads from reporting here on AFF.

They simply stretched it little too far n wind too early. That was an issue.

Need few more flying bits of metal. Simple.

 

[cambriamarsh]

I disagree, there business model of flying to majority non competing airline destinations had it's merits.
They had reasonable loads from reporting here on AFF.

They simply stretched it little too far n wind too early. That was an issue.

Need few more flying bits of metal. Simple.

The ability to book a ticket on a web site from day one might help too!

 

[Saab34]

It’s clear they got greedy with the OOL base. Between wet leasing foreign and local crews, delayed start, new in house crews, the costs must have been horrific.

I think it might have panned out differently if they never touched OOL. Seems like they have burnt whatever cash they had which was likely meant to last a lot longer, almost immediately.

 

[dajop]

It’s clear they got greedy with the OOL base. Between wet leasing foreign and local crews, delayed start, new in house crews, the costs must have been horrific.

Yes indeed.

Not to mention cannibalising their market. Essentially out of places like MQL and ABX, MCY and OOL are essentially the same market for most of the customer base (at least the holiday-maker segment, maybe some differentiation in the VFR segment).

Also they seem to have overestimated a lot of the demand in the intra-Qld market.

 

[dajop]

It doesn't have to be this way for Bonza; they can use their resources and start flying normal metropolitan routes at any time. They are choosing not to.

I think if they'd done this, they wouldn't have lasted 12 months and would have been crushed by Rex, Jetstar and Virgin. Too much competition already, and more difficult to establish the brand big cities than in smaller regional centres. Rex struggled themselves.

IMHO Good idea. Very poor execution. Routes like MEL-BDB, ABX-MCY, and even MQL-MCY (before they added MQL-OOL) seemed to be doing well, but two or three strong routes does not make a strong airline.

 

[Saab34]

IMHO they should have just stuck with MCY, and focused growth more on Melbourne.

They even only recently started about a fourth base, they just don’t seem to get it, trying to do waaaaaay too much.

Well sadly it seems it will be the death of them.