Flight Details:
Airline: Bonza
Flight Number: AB1544
Route: Rockhampton - Gold Coast Airport
Aircraft: Boeing 737-8 Max
Rego: C-FLHI
Seat: 8F
Our return flight was scheduled for a departure time of 09:25 AM.
At roughly 8:40 AM, the call over the PA “Gday Bonza 1544 to the Gold Coast is now boarding”
At 08:44 AM we were back on the plane. Although the departure time was 09:25 AM, Bonza seem to open their gate and started the boarding process super early, which I think is a fantastic idea. I will touch more on this in my summary.
This time my seat was 8F, which is in front of the engines. I wanted to mix up the experience by flying towards the back and then in the front to compare. Interestingly there is one row less on the Flair 737, so it felt like the right hand side had a little bit more room than the seat heading to Rocky.
We pushed back at 9:23 AM and were taxiing at exactly 9:25 AM - On Time Performance 100% for these two flights. As we landed on Runway 33 I expected to take off from Runway 33 but instead we made a right turn down the Runway towards Runway 15 and backtracked before turning around for a Runway 15 departure, Rotation at 9:27 AM.
View Departure Video Here
Again I wanted to try out the onboard service, as this time the flight had more passengers onboard. I ordered 2 chocolate brownies, ginger beer and some of the Bonza keep cups. Once again these items came within minutes of ordering. I’m so impressed with how well it works. Much better than having to wait to for the trolley to make its way down the aisle.
Inflight Video
We started our descent into Gold Coast around Somerset Dam from our cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. We tracked over Brisbane Airport before heading overwater passing North Stradbroke Island.
We then made a long track out to sea before coming in towards Broadbeach, then making a left turn towards Runway 14.
Arrival into Gold Coast Airport
We touched down ahead of schedule at 10:28 AM, our scheduled arrival was 10:45 AM. Disembarking again from the front stairs at 10:36 AM.
Summary:
As this being my second experience flying with Bonza I can safely say for an airline that is only 1 year old, they are out performing airlines that have been operating here in Australia for a very long time in many different areas. I believe the idea of opening the gate and boarding process 30 minutes prior to the departure time allows passengers to board when they feel comfortable and not being lined up like cattle and having their bags weighed. If all Passengers are boarded there is a high chance the flight will depart on time if not before schedule. This is something that we experienced on both flights.
Another key winner for me is that the inflight service of food and drinks is how low cost carriers that do not offer complementary food should work. It’s extremely convenient and works so well. The App based ordering keeps that aisle clear and let passengers feel like they can order when they’re ready. I’m a massive promoter.
My biggest fear for Bonza is that once the planes have returned back to Canada, they will need to drop routes or will start to cancel flights as they did at the end of 2023 whilst they waited on approval from CASA. Bonza are expected to receive additional aircraft soon. But when this is, I’m not too sure.
For $55 return, the experience was enjoyable and rewarding. I personally think Bonza is a great business model, but it will only be successful if people continue to support them and I hope I can share the good word to help Bonza with their success. Next time you need to consider flying somewhere and Bonza is an option, I highly recommend giving them a go. Should this have been what Tiger Airways was turned into if Virgin Australia had the opportunity? We will never know. But I’m glad Bonza is here and I hope to see them stay at these prices and service.
Thanks for reading
Matt