This new budget airline wants to take you to the lesser-explored Australia

Australia might still be a few months out from air travel returning to normality but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited about a new budget airline. 

As per The Guardian, Bonza is a new ultra-low-cost domestic airline who want tap into the post-lockdown boom by offering flights to some of the country’s most neglected destinations.

The airline has announced its intention to enter the Aussie market in early 2022 and industry experts already think that by targeting budget-conscious passengers they’ll fill a gap in the market.

Bonza’s chief executive, Tim Jordan, sent out expressions of interest to 46 airports across all states and territories on Tuesday, October 12th, looking for “regions and cities to step forward to be part of our initial route network.”

With lots of air travel experience, Jordan knows that Bonza won’t be able to compete with the established big boys like Qantas and Jetstar.

Instead, he aims to copy the low ticket prices offered by European short-haul airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair. I’ve flown with both of those airlines a lot and it’s a mixed bag.

I distinctly remember booking a flight to Stockholm and finding out that the airport was actually in the middle of the Swedish countryside, necessitating two-hour bus trip to even get to the city. It did, however, cost me less than a train ride between Glasgow and London so it’s swings and roundabouts.

Jordan also wants to focus mostly on leisure destinations as opposed to frequent services between capital cities. “Our product will not appeal to the business traveller – there won’t be multiple frequencies a day you can choose from for those who need to return later that day,” he said. “It will be more like three or four frequencies on a route per week.

This allows us to fly routes where there isn’t currently a non-stop service between the two points … We won’t be stealing traffic from other airlines, we’ll be growing demand for domestic trips. More than half of the markets we will operate in, no other carrier currently flies.”