This week Australia’s newest airline accomplished the rollout of its initial route network, capped off with the inaugural flight from Melbourne to Mackay in Queensland. Bonza’s fleet of recent Boeing aircraft at the moment are in full service on 27 routes to 17 destinations in Queensland, Latest South Wales and Victoria.
Data: Bonza
In somewhat over three months, Bonza has launched services to 17 destinations, rolling out the purple carpet at airports across the country, sometimes in airports which have never had jet services. Lots of the 17 cities had no direct connections, which meant long, tiring and expensive trips via a capital city for passengers to get to where they desired to be.
All of the dots are coloured purple
That is not the case anymore and with fares as little as AU$49 ($33) the value of a ticket isn’t any longer a barrier to a weekend away or an extended holiday or family reunion. The ultimate dot on the map to be connected was from Melbourne International Airport (MEL) to Mackay Airport (MKY) on Queensland’s Coral Coast, some 600 miles (970 kilometers) north of Brisbane.
Photo: Bonza
Bonza describes its journey, which began on January thirty first with a flight from the Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) to the Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP), because the “largest route map rollout in Australian aviation history.” Reflecting on the rollout in addition to looking ahead, chief industrial officer Carly Povey said:
“Our focus now could be firmly on improving our operations, earning the respect of shoppers after which we are going to proceed so as to add recent routes and a 3rd base to proceed our mission of connecting communities across Australia.
“Travellers have embraced our mission. – to attach more Aussies to their very own backyard than ever before – as their very own. I actually have been touched by the stories of families and friends reuniting and first-time flyers searching for adventures in recent destinations because that’s what Bonza is all about.”
Bonza’s first Melbourne – Mackay flight
Flight AB1031 departed Melbourne Airport on Tuesday at 16:21 and after a 2:33 hour flight landed in Mackay at 18:54.
Photo: Bonza
Within the three days since, this Boeing 737-8 has flown 12 sectors to all corners of Bonza’s network, which is a superb illustration of how the low-cost carrier utilizes its fleet. Bonza has established bases at its home port of the Sunshine Coast Airport and Melbourne International Airport, with two aircraft and their crews at each.
Connecting Melbourne to Mackay, a city with a population of around 130,000 people, creates considered one of the routes Bonza’s competitors say will not be economically viable. Nevertheless, with fares starting as little as AU$89 ($60) for the two-and-a-half-hour flight, it won’t be the ticket prices that get in the best way of the route’s success. The Melbourne service will operate twice weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with other Bonza flights to Cairns and the Sunshine Coast also operating from Mackay.
Photo: Bonza
Talking to locals at Mackay airport it’s clear that attending to Melbourne was way too expensive and an excessive amount of hassle for them when the one way was via Brisbane Airport (BNE) or one other hub airport. That is all modified now, and with a near-full load of enthusiastic passengers on my flight it seems that is one other inspired route selection by the Bonza team, finding a distinct segment where others didn’t.
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