Summary
- Qantas offering free flights to Bonza passengers on shared routes, ensuring safe travel after Bonza’s sudden halt in operations.
- Virgin Australia also steps in, providing complimentary travel on select routes to help stranded Bonza passengers.
- Qantas offering support to Bonza staff with employment opportunities.
Qantas has moved swiftly to plug the hole left by Bonza’s recent voluntary administration, offering employment opportunities for its staff and free travel arrangements for passengers left in the lurch. Virgin Australia has also offered to fly Bonza passengers for free on select routes.
Qantas steps in after Bonza administration
Australia’s national carrier will help Bonza passengers impacted by the low-cost carrier’s cessation of operations with free flights on routes it shares with the airline, or on another “close alternative route”. Qantas and subsidiary Jetstar operate six routes that Bonza previously served:
- Melbourne – Gold Coast (Jetstar)
- Melbourne – Sunshine Coast (Jetstar)
- Avalon – Gold Coast (Jetstar)
- Gold Coast – Cairns (Jetstar)
- Melbourne – Mildura (QantasLink)
- Melbourne – Alice Springs (Qantas)
Travelers booked on a canceled Bonza flight will be able to fly on one of the above routes at no cost, depending on seat availability. Additionally, Bonza customers will be offered alternative travel arrangements close to their origin or arrival airports. For example, Brisbane Airport as an alternative to Gold Coast, or Melbourne as an alternative to Avalon. Affected passengers can contact Qantas or Jetstar to arrange travel.
Photo: Soos Jozsef | Shutterstock
Virgin Australia will also offer complimentary travel to affected passengers, although it shares fewer routes with Bonza – these two routes are Melbourne – Gold Coast and Melbourne – Sunshine Coast. However, like Qantas, it will also offer travel to and from nearby airports.
Related
BREAKING: Bonza Flights Suspended – Is This The End For Bonza?
The fate of Australia’s newest domestic airline is in the balance after Bonza suspended all its flights today and looks for a way to return.
Bonza has advised passengers with reservations from now until May 2nd not to go to the airport as discussions about the airline’s future continue. The carrier’s CEO, Tim Jordan, has stated that the suspension of services is “temporary” as talks “regarding the ongoing viability of the business” are held.
Staff opportunities
Qantas added that it has set up a dedicated careers page for Bonza staff interested in joining it or subsidiary Jetstar, “particularly in specialized fields which are unique to aviation” – you can find this on the Jetstar careers website.
Photo: Bonza
When an airline folds, it isn’t just inconvenient for passengers booked on its services. All the airline’s employees, from ground teams and flight planners to cabin crew and pilots, are suddenly out of work. It’s common practice for other airlines to step in and recruit staff left in the lurch, as it’s an effective way to bring readily trained and experienced professionals onto the team.
Has your reservation with Bonza been impacted? Did you manage to arrange alternative travel? Let us know in the comment section.
