Sky’s the limit for agents

THE day has finally arrived for Australia’s newest airline Bonza, which took to the skies for the first time this morning, just days after opening sales through its app-first approach ( TD 27 Jan).

Bonza’s first flight departed the carrier’s Sunshine Coast base bound for the Whitsunday Coast, the first of 27 routes to be rolled out to 17 destinations across the country, marking a new era for regional tourism in Australia.

Close to 95% of the airline’s proposed routes are not currently served by any airline, and 96% aren’t served by a budget carrier.

“What better place to start than arguably two of the country’s favourite holiday destinations,” CEO Tim Jordan said this morning.

Speaking on the sidelines of the big launch, Jordan also told Travel Daily that Bonza very much “wanted to work with agents”, noting that many customers prefer to book through travel advisors, which is why hundreds of local agencies have already registered with Bonza to book their clients on the carrier.

“We want to work with agents, obviously we have to do that across spaces that work for us... we have huge respect for what [agents] do, they provide a service and that’s fantastic, it just has to work with our cost base.”

Since ticket sales opened last Fri, over 10,000 seats have already been sold, with Jordan indicating that both the airline and its app-first approach had been “very, very well received”.

With three brand new Boeing 737-MAX 8 aircraft, soon to be expanded to five and then eight aircraft, the airline’s fleet will also be the youngest and most efficient in Australia.

Passengers on today’s flight enjoyed the full experience, including the opportunity to order from the all Aussie menu in the Fly Bonza app, where food was delivered directly to guests.