Home » News » REVIEW: Bonza’s first-ever flight soared with style, comfort and innovation

1 February, 2023

REVIEW: Bonza’s first-ever flight soared with style, comfort and innovation

14 years in the making and Bonza has finally kicked off with its first-ever commercial flight.

The purple livery and iconic Aussie ‘thumbs up’ shone off the Boeing 737 Max 8 from the runway to show keen travellers that Australia’s newest airline has arrived.

Prior to boarding, guests and passengers were greeted by a press conference, featuring an array of Bonza’s c-suite and local tourism figures who answered media inquiries about the airline’s future, pricing prospects, possible destinations down the line, and more.

With 10,000 ticket sales already under its belt, hundreds of agencies partnered with the airline, innovative new approaches to commercial flying, and the goal of bringing aviation to “Allstralia”, Bonza was geared up to go.

Bonza CEO Tim Jordan speaking at the press conference (Supplied)

The press conference in the airport came to a close and the lively Bonza passengers – rife with anticipation – finally boarded the aircraft.

The plane of choice for the trip, called ‘Bazza’ in theme with the budget airline’s ultra-Aussie naming of its aircrafts, was Bonza’s carrier of choice for the day and flew lucky travellers from the Sunshine Coast up to the Whitsundays.

The interior of the plane was teaming with splashes of purple along the headrests and travellers were greeted by uber-excited cabin crew dressed stylishly in their modern and unique outfits that subvert dress code expectations of flight attendants.

What shocked this Travel Weekly writer is just how comparatively quiet the plane was compared to other Boeing 737’s. Travellers looked around a touch perplexed at how low the plane’s engines roared as the pilot hit the throttle for take-off.

Bonza is operating 3 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

During the flight itself, cabin crew, guests and invited media brought the plane to life with one Channel 7 reporter getting shots for the night’s news down the aisle, local tourism staff members greeting passengers, and a few international guests from Boeing and 777 Partners making their mark – after the seatbelt light was turned off, of course.

Bonza has opted out of the traditional cart method for food delivery, instead going for an inflight app that allows passengers to order and purchase food during the flight. Travellers can scan the QR code in front of them or use the Fly Bonza app and its delivered to them by a flight attendant.

The array of onboard choices exclusively features Aussie produce, beer, wine, spirits, and other non-alcoholic drinks (including beer) that vary from ANZAC bickies and banana bread waffles to a ‘snag-in-a-bag’. The airline has opted for reusable purple cups, that come with all drinks, in an effort to cut down on single-use plastics and help Bonza’s sustainability-minded philosophy.

Unfortunately, some passengers reported not receiving their food on this flight, but considering the interferences on the plane and the ongoing inaugural flight antics making this journey anything but typical, it’s understandable. These passengers were later refunded.

The budget airline’s inaugural flight soared through the air quietly and effortlessly as little turbulence and no flight interruptions meant that the lucky crew and passengers all arrived without a hitch.

A warm welcome party at the Whitsundays greeted the arriving passengers of Bonza’s inaugural flight with drinks and snacks on arrival that fit the spirit and theme of Australia’s newest airline.

Outside of the flight itself, the passengers onboard Bonza’s first flight enjoyed an elaborate lunch on Airlie beach which featured many of the food and drink brands Bonza serves on its flights.

Our coverage of how Bonza plans to tackle both aviation and the travel industry as a whole will continue over the coming days. Keep an eye out for how agents can utilise the new budget airline and what could come down the track from the home of Australia’s purplest planes.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest comments

hawkesp says:
February 1, 2023 at 4:06 pm
What I find hard to understand is that OOL is so far neglected. I would have thought that routes like OOL-TSV, OOL-CNS, OOL-MKY and OOL-PPP which are underserviced [or not at all] would be as popular and lucrative as those from MCY?
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