Qantas Extends Help to Bonza Customers After Temporary Flight Suspension

SYDNEY- The embattled regional airline Bonza (AB) has disrupted flights nationwide today (April 30, 22024), leaving potentially thousands of passengers stranded while it evaluates its future.

Jetstar (JQ) and Qantas (QF) will offer assistance by providing complimentary flights, subject to seat availability, for Bonza passengers scheduled to travel today or currently stranded.

Photo: Bonza

Bonza Flight Suspension

Early morning Bonza flights to and from its Sunshine Coast base in Queensland and Melbourne routes to Rockhampton, Gladstone, and Tamworth were all axed this morning.

In a statement released just after 8 am, Bonza CEO Tim Jordan announced the “temporary suspension” of all services. He disclosed ongoing discussions regarding the business’s continued viability.

Jordan apologized to customers, emphasizing Bonza’s efforts to explore options to resume operations.

Speculation about Bonza’s financial stability has been rife since its inaugural flight early last year.

Photo: Qantas

Qantas Help

Among Bonza’s 36 routes, only six routes overlap with Jetstar or QantasLink:

• Melbourne – Gold Coast (Jetstar)
• Melbourne – Sunshine Coast (Jetstar)
• Avalon – Gold Coast (Jetstar)
• Gold Coast – Cairns (Jetstar)
• Melbourne – Mildura (QantasLink)
• Melbourne – Alice Springs (QantasLink)

In cases where Jetstar or Qantas operates a similar alternative route, passengers affected by today’s disruptions or those unable to return home can also travel at no cost. For instance, Brisbane can serve as an alternative to the Gold Coast, or Melbourne can serve as an alternative to Avalon.

Affected Bonza customers can reach out to Jetstar via Live Chat or by calling 13 15 38, or contact Qantas at 13 13 13 to arrange these complimentary flights.

Photo: Bonza

What’s Wrong with Bonza?

Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation analyst and editor-in-chief of Airline Ratings, indicated that the airline’s backers, the 777 partners, had implemented alterations to its aircraft’s leasing and financing arrangements.

He suggested that the budget carrier might have been caught by surprise.

“I believe Bonza’s issues lie overseas, primarily with leasing companies, rather than local management or the business model.”

However, he acknowledged that the low-profit-margin model could face challenges in regional Australia due to lengthy distances and relatively modest passenger numbers.

Since its inception, Bonza has been scrutinized for its flight cancellations, including large-scale cancellations during Christmas and the suspension of certain routes, reported ABC News.

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