A sea of purple travellers, including Bonza’s first customers and invited community members, boarded Bonza’s first flight from its home base on the Sunshine Coast to the Whitsunday Coast on Tuesday.
The route was the first of 27 to be gradually rolled out to a total of 17 destinations after Bonza went on sale last week with flights starting from $49 to $79 per person, one way.
The historic flight was said to be a game changer for both tourism markets as well as friends and family who can ditch the 12 hour drive in place of a direct flight.
“Our team of legends couldn’t be more excited to begin connecting Aussies for holidays and time with loved ones. What better place to start than arguably two of the country’s favourite holiday destinations. Whether you are snorkelling the Whitsunday Islands or grabbing a cold one in the craft beer capital of Australia – the Sunshine Coast – we are humbled to take you there,” Bonza chief executive officer Tim Jordan said.
Mr Jordan said he was thrilled to deliver on Bonza’s promise of stimulating new tourism markets by serving underserved regional communities. He also revealed that since going on sale days earlier, Aussies had embraced the opportunity to book a seat on the app with over 10,000 seats sold.
“What our first customers will experience onboard is a fresh approach to flying where we keep the bar high on quality, and our costs low,” he said.
The onboard experience includes an all Aussie menu with items ordered on demand from the Fly Bonza app and delivered directly to customers’ seats. Local menu partners were also invited on the flight with food and drink suppliers across the country to join future Bonza inaugurals closest to home.
Sunshine Coast Airport chief executive officer Andrew Brodie said, as the home base for Bonza, it was a momentous day for the Sunshine Coast as Australia’s newest low cost airline took to the skies on its inaugural flight heading to the Whitsundays, making this and other incredible destinations so much more accessible for everyday Australians.
“Bonza’s commencement of services signals a new era for our airport and wider region and over the next 12 months we will see an additional 772,000 seats into the region, which will generate more than $86 million in visitor expenditure,” he said.
Treasurer and Trade and Investment Minister Cameron Dick described Bonza’s launch on Tuesday as an important day for Queensland and a great day for Queensland tourism.
“As this Bonza flight takes off this morning, the sound from those engines is Queensland tourism roaring back from the pandemic,” he said.
“This is good news for Cairns, for Townsville, for Mackay and Rockhampton and the Whitsundays.
“And it’s especially good news for the Sunshine Coast.”
