The Story Of Bonza, Australia’s New Low-Cost Airline

Bonza, mate, the airline for Australia, will soon be the newest airline to join the Australian aviation industry, with regulatory approval pending.

Utilizing the 737 MAX, they’ll aim to be different from the competition from the moment you look to book a flight and, in addition, will serve markets that currently lack crucial transportation links directly.

I had the chance to sit down with Tim Jordan to discuss all things Bonza, including the story, critical aircraft choices, how to establish an airline, and more. In the first part of a mini-series, we dive deeper into the story of Bonza, how it came about and more. 

Starting An Airline

One question that’ll commonly come to mind is how one starts an airline, or, better yet, how an idea comes about to make such a commitment and investment of time, resources, and money. But, for Tim Jordan, the airline’s founder and CEO, it was not as late as you may imagine. 

“I guess the origins of Bonza were back in 2009. I returned from three and a half wonderful years in the Philippines, during which I transformed Cebu Pacific into the low-cost carrier it largely is today. Then, I would step out onto the veranda or the porch, look up at the aircraft flying over the top of my house, and realize that most of the people I was living with couldn’t afford to get onto that aircraft.

Tim continued by saying that these findings came to him at a time many wouldn’t expect, but sometimes, where our most thought-provoking ideas emerge, was bizarre.

Unfortunately, it’s a reality often found in many other countries, beyond the Philippines, and even in the case of Bonza, Australia. Airfares are not cheap; unfortunately, they have only risen since the pandemic began.

Looking Deeper Into Australia

For Bonza, though there was importance placed on communities priced out of airfares, regional communities also deserve adequate transportation in the form of flights, but maybe lack it, or it is simply too out of reach to be a reasonable means of transport. 

“There is a complete disconnect here in Australia, and, in many parts of the world, there has been, whereby people in regional centres earn the least amount of money from a demographic perspective. And yet the airfares are the highest. On the other hand, people in capital cities with access to low-cost carriers generally earn more money, yet they have the lowest airfares available.”

Tim Jordan In The Aviation Industry

Tim Jordan has worked extensively in the aviation industry, from FlyArystan to serving as Chief Commercial Officer at GoAir in India and at Cebu Pacific, as previously touched on by Tim. It’s a wealth of experience that started at a young age, working regular airport jobs and getting a feel for the industry.

As the years progressed, Tim found his footing and direction, which led him to senior management positions across various carriers and, now, to founding and launching Australia’s newest airline.

Tim’s passion for aviation is evident when you speak with him. After travelling the world and working in different markets, he felt personally responsible for improving the current situation in Australia regarding travel, airfares and more. He wanted to influence the market, and in came Bonza. 

Bonza Fitting Into Australia

Australia isn’t without airlines, having essential companies that have been present for a considerable period.

Therefore, it was always poised to be a tough market to crack. So Tim and his team needed to ensure that Bonza’s business model was not only well thought out but also one that wouldn’t put them at a disadvantage against the competition. Bonza isn’t looking to be the next Qantas, and that’s important. Tim says: 

“This market already has some good airlines in it, without a doubt. But their focus is squarely on the business end of the market. And it works for them. That’s great. There is just a gap in the market for a leisure-focused, independent, low-cost carrier to fill the significant niche that exists in this market, which has already been filled around all of the other largest domestic aviation markets in the world, but just not here in Australia.”

Looking Into The Bonza Branding

One of Bonza’s most notable features is its branding. Featuring purple as its primary colour, it steers away from the typical white Australians see on airlines. Tim explained how the livery and critical colour branding are a bit more personal than you might think. 

“We wanted to do bright colours. Like most low-cost carriers, you know. In this particular market, you know, Red was gone. Orange was gone. Yellow, you know, it’s a tricky one. Someone was after lime green at one point, and I went, “No, don’t like that.” So purple, to be quite honest. My wife tells me that, you know, the purple of the sunsets and sunrises, so that works. I also have the Jacaranda trees. So I have a bit of an affinity for purple, I think, as a consequence, and that’s where it ended up.”

Becoming Bonza

In this piece, maybe one of the elephants in the room is the name Bonza. Tim took the time to explain the thought process, the meaning behind the name and how it came from a list that included hundreds of other alternatives.

“Bonza, we wanted something very different in the market. We wanted to say we’re very proud to be Australian while also being different in the market. We started with a list of about 300 different. There’s some bizarre stuff on there. But we ended up with Bonza. It means good, well-executed, and, you know, that’s exactly what we need to be: we need to be excellent, and we need to be well executed, and if we can achieve that. Well, you know, that’s Bonza.”

Bonza is part of Australian slang and is used in some regional areas. Aside from starting the airline, Tim’s mission is to work towards bringing the word Bonza back. They believe that through an airline made for the people of Australia, they’ll be well placed to do so. 

With a passionate team behind the airline and an intention to be the airline for Australia, focusing on a customer experience unlike any other, in a time where airlines have come under fire for their poor handling of paying customers, Bonza is excited to begin services with a hopeful start date of early 2023, subject to regulatory approval.