Six months into its operation as Australia’s newest low-cost carrier, Bonza is making some changes to frequencies and routes to improve reliability and experiences for customers.

The airline will cut five routes where there isn’t sustainable demand at present:

• Sunshine Coast to Coffs Harbour
• Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie
• Sunshine Coast to Tamworth
• Cairns to Mackay
• Toowoomba Wellcamp to Whitsunday Coast.

Some other (unspecified) routes will be reduced to just one flight per week.

These changes will take effect from 1 August.

Three strong performing routes, namely Sunshine Coast to Albury and Melbourne (Avalon) plus Melbourne (Tullamarine) to Port Macquarie, will welcome a new service each week.

Customers affected by flight cancellations will be contacted by the airline and will receive a full refund or alternate flights with Bonza, depending on their scenario. 

Bonza says these changes will allow it to maintain some spare capacity so there’s a buffer when things don’t go to plan.

Further, by focusing on well-performing routes, the airline says it’s setting itself up to be in a better financial position to compete and survive.

Bonza states that it will soon start selling tickets for the late October to April 2024 schedule which means travellers will be able to book flights for their summer holidays, Christmas or Easter 2024.

The airline is also working to establish a third base alongside Melbourne (Tullamarine) and the Sunshine Coast, and with that will come new job opportunities and new routes to existing and new destinations. 

To get news like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

Virgin Australia is today celebrating the arrival of a brand new Boeing 737-8 aircraft, an important milestone in its fleet renewal program.

The plane is one of 33 fuel-efficient Boeing 737-8 and 737-10 aircraft Virgin Australia has on order, with more set to be delivered in the coming months.

With the arrival of the new jet, Virgin Australia has also revealed the design of its refreshed business and economy cabins, which will feature on the new aircraft and will be retrofitted on the existing fleet as part of a $110 million investment.

Highlights include:

• in-seat power for all business and economy seats
• larger overhead lockers, with 50% more capacity
• wider business class seats, which also feature leg rests with extendable footrests, storage compartments, tablet/device holders and water bottle holders
• a new economy seat design, featuring a ribbed backing to elevate comfort and ergonomics
• a personal tablet/device holder for all economy seats.

Work to refresh the existing fleet will begin later this year and is expected to last around two years.

The airline also plans to install a new divider between the business and economy cabins (in fact, it’s not visible at all in the images supplied today) and remove one row of Economy X seats to make way for additional regular economy seats.

To get news like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

Jetstar has today announced the launch of direct Melbourne-Fiji flights, starting 16 December 2023 – just in time for the bustling Christmas season.

These Melbourne-Fiji flights are designed to meet the escalating demand for travel to the tropical paradise, as evidenced by the strong response to Jetstar’s relaunched Sydney-Fiji service.

Jetstar plans to conduct three flights a week using its Airbus A321neo LR, noted for its quieter and more fuel-efficient operations.

Each year, it will carry up to 72,000 customers to Fiji from Melbourne.

To commemorate this milestone, Jetstar is introducing a 24-hour sale from midday today, slashing prices for one-way fares to a mere $179. So if you’ve been itching for an exotic holiday, there’s no better time to snag those tickets.

With the launch of the Melbourne-Fiji service, the schedule for the Sydney-Fiji route will be adjusted to three return flights per week starting December 16, 2023.

Below is the new flight schedule:

• Melbourne to Fiji (Nadi): Flights JQ121 depart at 06:15 on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and arrive at 12:15.
• Fiji (Nadi) to Melbourne: Flights JQ122 depart at 13:15 on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and arrive at 17:50.
• Sydney to Fiji (Nadi): Flights JQ119 depart at 09:45 on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and arrive at 14:55.
• Fiji (Nadi) to Sydney: Flights JQ120 depart at 16:00 on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, and arrive at 19:50.

Jetstar’s newest direct flight offering from Melbourne to Fiji is a welcome addition, especially for those eager for a tropical getaway. Just remember, the sale ends at 11.59am AEST on July 5, 2023.

Qantas resumed its seasonal Perth-Rome flights this weekend, timed perfectly for Aussies looking to say “ciao” to Europe this northern summer.

The flights operate three days per week on Qantas’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner until 3 October 2023, offering more than 22,000 seats over this period. 

The airline has also confirmed it will operate the service for a third year in 2024. 

That’s testament to how popular the Rome flights have been. 

The Rome service isn’t just about getting you to Italy quicker; it’s about offering more flexibility too.

You can pair up your Rome flight with Qantas’ daily direct services between Australia and London.

This means you can land in Rome, enjoy la dolce vita, then jet off to London, and return from there to Australia, all on one return ticket.

Domestic connections within Australia are available, of course.

For those with an appetite for more travel in Europe, the Rome service also opens up the gates to other Mediterranean and southern European destinations via Qantas’ network of partners.

Qantas says the 2024 Perth-Rome flights will start going on sale next month.

The Dreamliner aircraft feature economy, premium economy and business class.

While reward seats are a bit tricky to find, it’s worth keeping an eye out for them, as we have seen some seats released in all cabins this year, albeit sporadically.  

To get news like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

Qantas has unveiled its pioneering cabin design for the fleet of Airbus A350s that will fly nonstop from Sydney to New York and London starting from late 2025.

After introducing the first and business cabins earlier this year, Qantas has now revealed the rest of the aircraft’s interior, featuring a Wellbeing Zone, alongside premium economy and economy cabins.

The design process has been in the works since 2019, involving tens of thousands of hours to create what Qantas refers to as the “A350 cabin of the future”.

This flight of the future will be able to accommodate 238 passengers for nonstop flights of up to 22 hours, connecting Australia to almost any location across the globe.

This development is part of Qantas’s Project Sunrise initiative, which aims to reduce point-to-point travel time by over three hours, compared to one-stop routes.

The front of the A350 will feature six First Suites arranged in a 1-1-1 configuration, with a 2-metre flat bed, a dining table for two, a separate recliner chair, and a 32” 4k touchscreen TV.

Meanwhile, the 52 Business Suites arranged in a 1-2-1 layout come equipped with sliding doors for added privacy, lay-flat beds, large dining tables, bespoke lighting and 18” 4k touchscreen TVs.

The 40-seat premium economy cabin and the 140-seat economy cabin feature generous seat pitches: 40 inches in premium economy (two inches more than the existing 787s and A380s) and 33 inches in economy (one inch more than other aircraft).

Seats in both cabins also feature ergonomic leg and footrest systems, and various personal storage options – the most comprehensive on any Qantas aircraft to date.

One of the standout features of this aircraft is the industry-first Wellbeing Zone. Strategically located between the premium economy and economy cabins, it offers passengers on-screen guided exercise programs, sculpted wall panels and integrated stretch handles, a hydration station, and a variety of refreshments.

Every seat, across all four cabins, will include multiple fast USB-C charging ports. Moreover, each premium seat will have an integrated wireless charging system, offering more convenience.

As part of its commitment to staying connected, Qantas is also offering fast and free WiFi to all its passengers.

Bluetooth connectivity will be available across all cabins, allowing customers to connect their personal headsets to individual inflight entertainment screens.

In addition, Qantas has conducted groundbreaking scientific research to mitigate jet lag and enhance sleep and overall wellbeing before, during and after ultra-long-haul flights. This research has informed the design of the A350 cabins.

To get news like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

Japan’s largest airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) has confirmed it plans to relaunch direct Perth-Tokyo flights on 29 October 2023.

The airline began operating this route in September 2019, but it was short-lived and scuttled in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

From 29 October 29, flight NH882 will depart Tokyo’s Narita Airport at 11:20am every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, landing in Perth at 8:30pm.

From Perth, flight NH881 will take off at 9:55pm, touching down in Tokyo at 8:30am the following day.

ANA will fly one of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on this route.

In business class, passengers are treated to comfortable seats with direct aisle access and a fully-flat recline. The layout is 1-2-1 or 1-1-1 depending on the row.

ANA 787-8 Business Class

ANA 787-8 Business Class

There’s a very small premium economy cabin with a 2-3-2 layout, followed by economy, which is 3-3-3 with a pretty good 34-inch pitch.

If you’re keen to use points to fly with ANA, the good news is that it’s a member of the global Star Alliance, which means you can book award seats through one of its alliance partners like Singapore Airlines.

ANA and Virgin Australia have also launched a partnership which may see Velocity Points holders being able to book seats – though this hasn’t yet been confirmed. We may hear more details about this in the lead up to Virgin’s launch of Cairns-Tokyo flights later this month.

To get news like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

In a major development for travel to and from Tasmania, Rex has announced the addition of Hobart as its fourth Tasmanian destination.

With the launch of daily flights between Melbourne and Hobart from 17 August, travellers can now anticipate cheaper airfare options.

For some time now, Rex has been maintaining a presence in Tasmania with regular flights operating to the North West Tasmanian cities of Burnie and Devonport, as well as King Island.

Today’s announcement marks a big leap forward with the inclusion of the Tasmanian capital city into Rex’s flight network.

The Melbourne-Hobart flight schedule has been designed to accommodate holiday-goers’ convenience. Flights departing Melbourne at 12.15 pm will land in Hobart by 1.30 pm. Meanwhile, the return Hobart-Melbourne service will take off at 2.15 pm and touch down in Melbourne just 75 minutes later at 3.30 pm.

This schedule also ensures favourable connections for flights to and from Sydney, Adelaide, and Brisbane.

With one-way economy fares starting from just $79, Rex is offering a full service, which includes baggage allowance and an onboard snack.

Business class fares begin at $349.

This development follows on the heels of another significant announcement by Rex: the addition of two more Boeing 737s to its fleet and the introduction of a direct Adelaide-Sydney route, slated to begin on 29 June.

To get news like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter:

Virgin Australia has today announced changes to its Velocity Frequent Flyer loyalty program, including a new pricing structure and a one-off release of extra reward seats.

New reward seat prices

The airline has introduced three new price tiers for domestic economy reward seats.

Tier 1 seats represent a price reduction from before, while Tier 2 is the ‘old’ pricing and Tier 3 prices are actually higher.

Business class costs remain the same.

The airline hasn’t said how these different pricing tiers will be applied.

It seems likely that the key issue will be demand. For less popular routes and travel periods, expect Tier 1 or Tier 2 prices to apply, while in peak periods, the higher pricing will probably come into play.

Tier 3 pricing will be implemented from 5 July 2023.

More reward seats

Virgin Australia has also released a million extra domestic economy reward seats, available to book from today until 18 June 2023.

The seats are spread out across its domestic network.

Seats are available through to 30 April next year, but blackout dates apply, such as around school holidays.

To get news like this delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletter: