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Bonza has presented yet more evidence that its unique business model of cutting out capital cities can work after revealing its flights were on average 88 per cent full over the Easter weekend.
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The airline revealed 62 per cent of all services across its existing routes over Easter had a load factor of 90 per cent, with flights to its base on the Sunshine Coast 94 per cent full on average.
Bonza is the first Australian operator to attempt to fly so-called “point-to-point” leisure services that skip out major cities and allow consumers to fly direct from holiday destination to holiday destination.
The business has said 93 per cent of its final network — 25 out of its 27 routes — are not currently flown by any other airline, while 96 per cent are not served by any other low-cost carrier. Many traditional carriers, however, have argued their model would not work in Australia.
In its first release of data on capacity, Bonza on Wednesday said every flight from Melbourne Tullamarine and Avalon to the Sunshine Coast between Thursday, 6 April and Tuesday, 11 April was completely full.
Bonza added its busiest routes over the Easter long weekend included Rockhampton to Cairns, Mildura to Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast to Albury, Rockhampton to Townsville, and Melbourne to Sunshine Coast.
The news comes as the point-to-point carrier launches its route between the Sunshine Coast and Port Macquarie – its second destination in NSW.
“We welcome this new route off the back of a successful Easter weekend where our team of legends took many full flights across our existing network,” said CEO Tim Jordan.
“We met customers who had never travelled by air before and others who were holidaying somewhere completely new thanks to low-cost flights putting regional destinations on their radar.”
Bonza has seen huge demand in its first three months of operation since launching in January, notching up over 100,000 bookings through its Fly Bonza app – enough to fill more than 500 flights.
Last month, Australian Aviation reported how Rex’s deputy chairman, John Sharp, quipped he “can’t imagine” why anyone would fly Bonza’s upcoming route between Coffs Harbour and the Sunshine Coast.
Speaking to BOSS magazine, Sharp hinted the two holiday destinations are too similar to make business sense.
“Coffs Harbour is a great place [with a] great hinterland, nice beaches, lovely climate,” he said. “Maroochydore [in the Sunshine Coast] has nice beaches and a nice climate.
“Coffs Harbour is in NSW, and people have their business and professional connections in Sydney. There is a small market from Coffs Harbour to Brisbane, but I can’t imagine anyone wants to go from Coffs Harbour to Maroochydore.”
