As of May 2024, Bonza has suspended all of its services in Australia.
Read more about other airlines in Australia and their frequent flyer programs, including Qantas Frequent Flyer or Velocity Frequent Flyer.
There’s plenty of buzz surrounding Bonza Airline, the new ultra-low-cost airline in Australia. This independent carrier plans to send waves through the Australian market by making regional travel more accessible, eliminating the need for connecting flights via major cities. That’s right – most of Bonza Airline’s routes are short-haul, direct flights between rural centres.
For Bonza, this means little to no competition on routes underserviced by other airlines and greater fuel efficiency to keep costs low. And for the consumer – particularly the third of Australians living in rural areas – this means better accessibility between points A and B. Bonza’s flights also open up the gateway to rural travel for those in major cities like Melbourne, where the airline has established a base.
While Bonza Airline won’t offer a frequent flyer program or airport lounges, travellers can look forward to a high standard of service – especially with its fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
Here’s what to expect when Bonza Airline takes to the skies in Australia.
Bonza Airline routes
Bonza Airline initially aimed to launch in late 2022. After being granted an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) by Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Bonza Airline’s first flight took off on 31 January 2023 from Sunshine Coast to Whitsundays.
This is a significant milestone and we congratulate Bonza on achieving its Air Operator’s Certificate. The CASA and Bonza teams worked collaboratively throughout the application to ensure the airline’s operations met Australia’s high aviation safety standards.
Australia has one of the safest aviation industries in the world and travellers should be assured when they get on a Bonza aircraft that the operator has been assessed in detail to ensure it complies with the same safety requirements as other Australian airlines.
– Pip Spence, CASA’s Director of Aviation Safety and Chief Executive Officer, 12 January 2023
Bonza has two confirmed bases – Sunshine Coast, also the location of Bonza’s Head Office, and Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport. There are currently 27 routes planned by Bonza across 17 destinations in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales, with more routes expected to be announced.
Bonza Airline routes to and from Melbourne (Tullamarine)
- Between Melbourne and Bundaberg
- 2 flights per week
- Between Melbourne and Gladstone
- 2 flights per week
- Between Melbourne and Mackay
- 2 flights per week
- Between Melbourne and Mildura
- 3 flights per week
- Between Melbourne and Port Macquarie
- 2 flights per week
- Between Melbourne and Rockhampton
- 3 flights per week
- Between Melbourne and Sunshine Coast
- 4 flights per week
- Between Melbourne and Tamworth
- 2 flights per week
- Between Melbourne and Toowoomba Wellcamp
- 4 flights per week
Bonza Airline routes to and from Sunshine Coast
- Between Sunshine Coast and Albury
- 2 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Avalon
- 3 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Cairns
- 5 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Coffs Harbour
- 2 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Mackay
- 3 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Mildura
- 2 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Newcastle
- 4 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Port Macquarie
- 2 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton
- 3 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Tamworth
- 2 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Townsville
- 4 flights per week
- Between Sunshine Coast and Whitsunday Coast
- 3 flights per week
Other Bonza Airline routes
- Between Cairns and Mackay
- 2 flights per week
- Between Cairns and Rockhampton
- 2 flights per week
- Between Townsville and Rockhampton
- 3 flights per week
- Between Townsville and Toowoomba Wellcamp
- 2 flights per week
- Between Whitsunday Coast and Newcastle
- 2 flights per week
- Between Whitsunday Coast and Toowoomba Wellcamp
- 2 flights per week
How to book Bonza Airline flights
You can’t book Bonza flights via their website. Everything is done via the Bonza Airline app, called Fly Bonza, which can be downloaded to your iOS or Android device. Consequently, there’s no search function on the website to look up routes or dates.
Here’s how to search and book flights with Bonza Airline.
- Download the Fly Bonza app from Apple’s App Store or Google Play.
- Begin your search by selecting a departure airport on the home screen, or go to ‘Book’.
- Select your point of departure and destination, your travel date(s) and number of travellers then press ‘Show Flights’.
- Select your fare type. ‘Flight only’ includes an 8kg carry-on allowance only, while ‘Flight + Bag + Seat’ saves you 10% off the individual price of these add-ons. If you’d rather add seat selection or checked baggage separately, select ‘Flight only’ and you’ll be presented with these options on the following screens.
- Enter passenger details.
- Click on the icon of your preferred payment type and enter your payment details. At the time of writing, Bonza Airline only accepts payment by Mastercard or Visa debit cards, Mastercard or Visa credit cards, or POLi bank transfer. American Express credit cards are not accepted, and buy now, pay later services like Afterpay and Zip Pay are unavailable.
- Review your flight details, passenger information and payment details.
- Hit ‘Book now’, and you’re on your way to flying with Bonza!
After you’ve booked your flight, ensure you keep the Fly Bonza app installed on your device. You’ll need it to manage your booking, check-in for your flight and redeem your digital boarding pass.
How do I manage my Bonza Airline booking?
Similarly, you can’t manage an existing booking – including purchasing checked baggage or selecting a seat – via the Bonza website. Access to the app is required (which you’ll already have from booking the flight) and the process to modify a booking is simple.
- In the Bonza app, go to ‘My Trips’ and enter your booking confirmation number and last name.
- You’ll be presented with the option to change your flight and manage add-ons like seat selection, checked baggage and oversized items.
As with flight bookings, any add-ons or fees payable for changes to your booking can only be made with Mastercard or Visa debit cards, Mastercard or Visa credit cards or POLi.
Does Bonza Airline have a frequent flyer program?
Bonza doesn’t offer a frequent flyer program or loyalty program for customers. But you can still earn points from your booking by paying with a points-earning credit card.
NAB Qantas Rewards Signature
- Sign-up Bonus:
- Up to 130,000 bonus Qantas Points + $250 cashback
- Rewards Earn Rate:
- 1 Qantas Point earned per $1 spent up to $5,000, then 0.5 points per $1 thereafter, capped at $20,000 per statement period, plus 1 additional Qantas Points earned per $1 spent on selected Qantas products and services²
- Annual Fee:
- $420 p.a.
- NAB is offering up to 130,000 bonus Qantas Points for new cardholders of the NAB Qantas Rewards Signature Card¹. The card includes complimentary insurances, such as International Travel Insurance, Purchase Protection and Extended Warranty Insurance³, and earns 1 Qantas Point per $1 spent on the first $5,000 per statement period, then 0.5 Qantas Points per $1 on spend up to $20,000.
Summing up
Bonza Airline’s flights are expected to provide greater connectivity across Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales rural centres.
And as a new airline in Australia, Bonza opens up the opportunity for Aussies to access more holiday destinations with ease.
Let us know in the comments below – will you be flying any of Bonza Airline’s routes in Australia?
FAQs
Bonza Airline commenced operations in Australia on 31 January 2023 with its first flight from Sunshine Coast to Whitsundays.
Bonza’s CEO Tim Jordan, a former Virgin Blue executive, founded the airline alongside Lydia Valenzuela and Peter McNally. The airline is independently owned and is privately funded by Miami-based 777 Partners.
Bonza will initially offer 27 routes servicing rural destinations in Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.
Bonza Airline is a low-cost carrier that offers flights within Australia from just $49 per person, one-way. Additional fees apply for seat selection and checked baggage allowance.
The cost of a flight with Bonza Airlines starts from $49 one-way, per person.
Bonza does not have a loyalty or frequent flyer program.
Bonza Airline doesn’t operate any lounges across its network in Australia.
Bonza Airline has two Australian hubs – Sunshine Coast (MCY) and Melbourne Tullamarine (MEL).
Bonza Airline operates a fleet of brand new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
I am wanting Bonza to add routes from Darwin to Adelaide and return, there are a very large percentage of expats from Adelaide living and working in Darwin, the costs of fares trhough the other airlines are ridiculous, it is cheaper to get to Bali than within Australia.
Will you be having any flights from Mount Isa to Brisbane
or flights between Mount Isa and Alice Springs ?
CANT WAIT FOR CAIRNS TO SUNSHINE COAST
Can you tell me if you are likely to have flights from Albury nsw to coffs harbour. And return as I have family in Albury and they travel up to the coffs harbour area a couple of times a year and they are coming up by train as flying is 2 dear when up are on a pension. Or could this flights be included in another flight say the Melbourne to Sunshine Coast flight with pick-up drop off at these places
Seems Sydney to Regional ports has been given a complete bypass.
Hunter MUST have better service to regions from Newcastle. Especially to and from Toowoomba, Gladstone, Cairns and Gold Coast. The GC sadly neglected by Q and JS. With minimal flights at ridiculous times. Miners and business left without options except cost of 2 hour drive to Sydney plus 2 hours to Newcastle!
When are you going to fly Newcastle to Canberra?I
Will Bonza ever plan flights from Port Macquarie to Canberra ACT?
I like the Bundy to Melbourne route. Seems good to me although a Hervey Bay to Melbourne would be even better.
When you refer to Australia you really mean eastern states only.
Will you be flying to more destinations in the future like Darwin
So disappointed you will not be operating from Hervey Bay. Even just 1 flight per week up north would be life changing!
So excited to be able to fly from Sunshine Coast to Cairns (after Alliance stopped flying this route), and other regional QLD locations, without having to drive 2 hours down to Brisbane airport, (or longer if taking the airport bus) where it often takes longer to get to Bris airport than it does to fly to the destination!
Toowoomba to Townsville is great for me.
The current airlines schedule sucks I want an airline that fits into my schedule not theres.
Looks like it’s routes are based on cheapest touchdowns like Ryan Air and they get more money from being on the ground but looks like another WizzAir to me, which is a good experience, 1/8th filled plane and the company losing money.
Post Covid regional towns like Bundaberg would gain population by cheap flights into a hub airport, even a milk run into the hub airport.
No WA? Awkward fail upon launch!
With three planes initially, I think we can forgive them for focusing on the eastern states. But I do certainly hope they’ll make their way west when they are able to! (Same with Rex’s 737s).
Why? Because you live in WA? Haha how is that a fail?
Living on the Gold Coast there doesn’t seem to be any flights on Bonza to suit this part of Australia.
They currently only have 3 airliners. So they would’ve strategically decided the routes based on cost and demand. The GC is already well serviced by other airlines.
“… travellers can look forward to a high standard of service…”
Seriously? I thought Bonza was an “ultra low cost” airline. I’d be expecting the service to be of Jetstar or the former Tigerair standard. Certainly given the ULC model, any “service” will need to be paid for.
I look forward to being able to fly Bundaberg-Melbourne
No flights to Tassie. Isn’t that part of Aussie
They currently only have 3 airliners.Cut them some slack, they may get to Tassie and other states in due course.
I would love to fly bonza. Once they include Bendigo in their list of destinations. I have family in Albury, Gladstone and Mackay so it would be very convenient for me to keep in touch with the family.
I would think a route to Wollongong , the 3 rd largest city in Australia . That would service the whole South Coast of NSW.
3rd largest in Australia? LOL 🙂
3rd largest city in Australia haha go back to school
I think you mean the 3rd largest city in NSW, not Australia.
Unfortunately I live on the Gold Coast so Bonza has nothing for us. We need to be able to fly to desinations north of here such as Townsville,Mackay,Rocky, Bundeburg, Darwin and to rural NSW like Tamworth, Port Macquarie, Coffs and Newcastle
You can fly to all those places from Brisbane …
It would be nice to see Coffs harbour better served with flights to Melbourne and down the track Sydney.
I think its a mistake not using the money routes in the East from Melb-Syd, Bris,Gold Coast and even Perth, I wonder how long Bonza can last with its current business model
Well many have failed on the money routes before. Maybe Bonza, that has taken time to consider all options has found a niche. Once again, they have done the research into this not some random person like yourself who thinks they know better.