Today marks the start of Bonza’s two months of rolling out new routes, although not all will be as romantic as this Valentine’s Day flight.
What I am about to write seems a little far-fetched, but before we start, may I tell you that it is undoubtedly fair dinkum.
This morning, two Bonza passengers, Shazza and Bazza, renewed their wedding vows with a Bonza 737 MAX 8 as the backdrop. While that sounds lovely for the happy couple, there is more to this than meets the eye.
Photo: Bonza
You couldn’t make this up
The first two Boeing 737 MAX 8s in Bonza’s fleet are named Shazza and Bazza, and the one that Shazza and Bazza renewed their vows in front of is Bazza. After the ceremony, Bazza (the airplane) departed the Sunshine Coast Airport on a Valentine’s Day flight to one of its new Queensland destinations, Mackay Airport (MKY).
Photo: Bonza
A second route is now on the boards
In the official record books, Bazza is known as VH-UIK, built in 2019 for LOT Polish Airlines, but now seeing service for the first time. Flight AB593 departed Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) at 11:26 and took a little over an hour to cover the 721 kilometers (448 miles) to Mackay, where it landed at 12:36. The re-vowed couple will join the other Bonza guests for a pool party and BBQ in Mackay, before returning to the Sunshine Coast later today.
Photo: Bonza
Between today and April 20th, Bonza will inaugurate 13 new routes as more of its 737 MAXs come online. The routes are now on sale via the Fly Bonza app, and speaking today, CEO Tim Jordan sounded like a very happy boss. He said:
“Bonza is off to a flying start. On 27 January, we went on sale for the first time, selling over 10,000 seats in just three days, and since then, customers have been continuing to embrace our app first approach.
“On 31 January, we had wheels up for the first time, and today, we share the love with our mates in Mackay.”
Bonza’s mission is to connect people
Historically startup airlines in Australia have not fared well, primarily because they tended to take on an existing duopoly on the so-called Golden Triangle routes between Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Bonza is adopting a very different approach by looking to connect communities that were either not served at all or were missing out on services from a low-cost carrier.
Jordan has been clear that Bonza is about connecting communities and bringing air travel within reach of those who make long drives to catch up with friends and loved ones or to see more of their region. One of his catchphrases is that “travel should be about the many, not the few.”
Photo: Bonza
Perhaps the best person to illustrate Bonza’s direct impact is Richard Barker, the CEO of North Queensland Airports and the host of today’s BBQ pool party. He welcomed the thousands of airplane seats Bonza is bringing to the region, saying that “these new flights enable cost-effective travel, whether that be for leisure, visiting friends and relatives or business.”
“Passengers now have an easy option to fly between Mackay and the Sunshine Coast, whether they are heading south towards Noosa or north to explore the Mackay region. What used to be a 10-hour drive is now just a one-hour flight.”
Mackay is one of Bonza’s crossover points, where customers can head north to the tropical beauty of Cairns for just AU$49 ($34) or south to the Sunshine Coast for AU$59 ($41). Once Bonza has its network up and running, travelers in Mackay will have three fights per week to the Sunshine Coast, two weekly to Cairns and two weekly to Melbourne.
It would be great to hear about today’s flight from those on it. Let us know in the comments.