A new domestic budget carrier launches in Australia today (January 31), hoping to reduce domestic fares while paying tribute to Aussie culture.
Tim Jordan, CEO of Bonza, calls his airline’s take-off a historic moment for Australian aviation. “Demand for domestic travel is high and Aussies deserve for travel to be a basic right for many, not a luxury for the few. This has never been truer with today’s cost-of-living challenges.”
Tickets are now on sale via Bonza’s smartphone app and through registered travel agents, according to The Guardian. The airline will kick off with services to 17 airports, excluding Sydney.
“AUD200 (R2 500) flights are just out of reach for most families and ‘tradies’ in regional centres who have to fly via a capital city to reach their holiday destination. But at AUD75 (R920) direct to the destination, that’s a different proposition,” Jordan told Australian Traveller.
Bonza flight attendants will wear white custom sneakers and cotton T-shirts, and be allowed to mix and match their uniforms to their own taste. “We won't dictate what lipstick to wear, or whether you have to wear lipstick at all. We won’t ask crew to cover up their tattoos and just because you're female, that doesn't mean you have to wear a skirt. If you're non-binary, pregnant, work in the office or on board, we have options for you,” says Carly Povey, CCO of Bonza.
Besides speedos and bikinis with the Bonza logo, passengers can also purchase local favourites like banana bread waffles and beer, with several products on the menu made by local small businesses, some of whom give a percentage of their profits to charities. The airline also does not believe in trolleys offering in-flight catering, but rather allows passengers to have their food delivered to their seat after ordering on the Fly Bonza app.
Bonza currently owns three Boeing 737-8 Max aircraft, which it asked the Australian public to help name. They have now been named Bazza, Shazza, and Sheila.
