RAIL - Back On Track Forum

ABC News --> New airline Bonza given green light for flights across regional Australia

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1613535121751314435

With the recent announcement of late night flights returning back to Brisbane provides the need for later public transport services.

The Gold Glider via Skygate can't come soon enough and will be welcomed by many travellers arriving between 9.45pm and midnight 7 days a week.

Too bad the bus to the airport doesn't run after 6pm!

Quote from: verbatim9 on January 16, 2023, 19:26:58 PMWith the recent announcement of late night flights returning back to Brisbane provides the need for later public transport services.

The Gold Glider via Skygate can't come soon enough and will be welcomed by many travellers arriving between 9.45pm and midnight 7 days a week.

A good opportunity to.extend the Gold Glider to the airport where peak demand can subsidise off peak demand like other well patronised bus services throughout Brisbane.

You don't have to quote yourself for a reply you just made.

Having the Glider extended to the airport along with regular BAC shuttle services from the air terminals to the international Cruise terminal via Skygate will provide a good networked solution for the travelling public.

So BAC are running the shuttles to the cruise terminal?

Brisbanetimes --> Noise complaints about Brisbane flights heard from 226 suburbs

QuoteThe chorus of noise complaints about aircraft using Brisbane Airport has grown so resounding it is being heard from 226 suburbs.

This was "very concerning" given Brisbane had only 190 suburbs, said Marcus Foth, the chief executive of the Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance. ...

  

Quote from: ozbob on March 11, 2023, 13:52:24 PMBrisbanetimes --> Noise complaints about Brisbane flights heard from 226 suburbs

QuoteThe chorus of noise complaints about aircraft using Brisbane Airport has grown so resounding it is being heard from 226 suburbs.

This was "very concerning" given Brisbane had only 190 suburbs, said Marcus Foth, the chief executive of the Brisbane Flight Path Community Alliance. ...

  

Being someone who lives quite close to the Airport (Nundah), it's barely an issue. Most day's I don't even notice it, and when I do it's no where near as bad as people make it out to be. All an fuss about nothing IMO.

If you can't put up with the noise move further from the airport! And while you're at it move away from any road because those pesky trucks driving past boy are a nuisance. Oh and make sure you don't have a neighbour with kids! Oh, and don't live near a railway line! Those freight trains are super loud too! Like it's all part of living in an urban environment. If you want peace and quiet, don't live in the city. If you want the convenience of having an airport nearby, then put up with it.

https://twitter.com/ozbob13/status/1662455538654019586

Queensland Parliament E-Petition

https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/Petition-Details?id=3904

EXCESSIVE NOISE POLLUTION FROM BRISBANE'S FLIGHT PATHS

TO: The Honourable the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland
Queensland residents draws to the attention of the House Airservices Australia admitted in Senate Estimates that families and communities in more than 226 suburbs across Greater Brisbane are affected by noise pollution from Brisbane's flight paths. Three independent entities, the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman, the Brisbane Airport PIR Advisory Forum, and Trax International confirmed inadequate engagement and inaccurate information were provided by Brisbane Airport Corporation and Airservices Australia about changes to flight paths prior to the New Parallel Runway's launch. Since then, thousands of complaints have been sent to the Premier.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to establish a Parliamentary Inquiry into the impact of Brisbane's flight paths and ways to rectify the situation using the powers and advocacy of the State of Queensland. The inquiry's scope should encompass: (i) the clinical and cognitive effects of aircraft noise on Brisbane school children and students; (ii) the human health and environmental toll including ultra-fine particle air pollution; (iii) the influence of the aviation industry's donations to political parties and lobby groups; (iv) the need to reform state planning legislation as a result of inadequacies identified in the National Airports Safeguarding Framework 2016 with relying on Australian Noise Exposure Forecasts (ANEF) for land use planning; (v) the failure to engage communities and obtain a social licence to operate drone delivery services and air taxis in Queensland.

QuoteNew Australian airline Bonza scraps five routes, reduces regional flights due to low demand

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-13/sunshine-coast-bonza-slights-scrapped/102596110

QuoteBudget airline Bonza has announced it will scrap five routes and reduce the number of flights to some destinations due to a lack of "sustainable demand".

Key points:
Bonza is cutting five routes and reducing frequencies for some flights
The airline has apologised to affected customers
The company says it is focusing on reliability and servicing areas with proven demand
The airline, which only began taking passengers in January this year, will no longer fly from its Sunshine Coast base to Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Tamworth.

Flights from Toowoomba to the Whitsundays and Cairns to Mackay have also been culled.

Not really surprising. The origin-destination pairs didn't seem very compelling.

Makes you wonder what the basis for choosing the routes were? Was there a basis at all?

My hunch is it will go broke within 2-3 years. REX might buy pieces of it after that.

Their capacity utilisation is actually quite good (was around 90% for the first month of operation I think).  The routes that were dropped were clearly the more marginal ones and they have bumped up some of the services that are more popular.

Also understand they may have had to send a plane back to Canada for use at one of the parent's other carriers which probably means less reliability if they were to keep offering the previous timetable.

Airtrain/QldGovt negotiations re the state buying out the Airtrain infrastructure....wonder what ever happened to that? 

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/airtrain-in-negotiation-to-exit-contract-ending-airport-monopoly-20221103-p5bv8g.html

Quote from: SteelPan on September 10, 2023, 03:58:05 AMAirtrain/QldGovt negotiations re the state buying out the Airtrain infrastructure....wonder what ever happened to that? 

https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/airtrain-in-negotiation-to-exit-contract-ending-airport-monopoly-20221103-p5bv8g.html

Appears to be a stalemate at this time 

Told you. They are going to hold onto it as much as possible as they know the contract value.

The value of Airtrain decreases with each year towards expiry. At contact expiry the value is zero from Airtain's perspective, unless Airtrain gets an extension. This is because the value of a company is directly related to its future income stream.

The second option is to vary the contract so that additional Airtrain services are put on in the off-peak. This solves the problem and could be in the form of a shadow toll paid by the State Government.

Sydney Airtrain had something similar. The QLD Gov needs to decide if it wants more services, lower fares, or both.

This isn't a Sydney situation to renegotiate contracts. Sydney got into that position and changed the contract terms with its at the time owner that its multiple different owners want to change back to have a bigger profit but the state says no. It's a boot scheme. Ownership reverts back to the state once the contract expires. There is no guarantee that a new contract would be done with similar exclusivity's. They are holding onto the exclusivity that they hold. They don't care about renewing the contract. Legally bcc or anyone else can't run public buses there. Any public transport can't be run there. With the massive influx of people coming into brisbane there's a couple options for catching the train. Maintain pricing or have the state come in and subsidise the difference which either way means a massive profit for them. That's just using the train. Should buses be run that entitles them to more compensation as they still can set the terms for pricing. If the state inflated the amount of people coming that works against them as it only means compensation for future loses and breaking the contract. Shadow tolls do not apply here and won't work. You simply can not compare Sydney to brisbane other than they both have trains that stop at the airport.

https://x.com/ozbob13/status/1701614128727785503?

Response to the Excessive noise pollution from Brisbane's flight paths E-Petition presented to the Queensland Parliament

> https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/apps/E-Petitions/Home/DownloadResponse/9ea171dc-4c32-4b99-876f-76eaa0ed050c

There is more noise from modified cars, garbage trucks and leaf blowers than there will ever be from planes in this city.

It will be exciting to see the new updated master plan with the new terminal. Plus the new associated mass transit options such as an automated inter terminal train as well as Skygate station. Altogether, it will be a great 24/7 precinct in the future.

Quote from: verbatim9 on September 24, 2023, 12:05:31 PMIt will be exciting to see the new updated master plan with the new terminal. Plus the new associated mass transit options such as an automated inter terminal train as well as Skygate station. It will be a great 24/7 precinct in the future.

When is this plan expected to be released?

Quote from: RowBro on September 24, 2023, 12:07:29 PM

Quote from: verbatim9 on September 24, 2023, 12:05:31 PMIt will be exciting to see the new updated master plan with the new terminal. Plus the new associated mass transit options such as an automated inter terminal train as well as Skygate station. It will be a great 24/7 precinct in the future.

When is this plan expected to be released?

Within the coming year.

And most likely will be like every other "Master Plan" for the precinct - Glossy brochures that come to nothing in the future. Hmmm, that seems familiar actually...

Couriermail --> Brisbane Airport starts work on $5b redevelopment $

QuoteBrisbane Airport will this week launch a $5 billion redevelopment set to transform Queensland's gateway to the world.

Phase one of the 10-year project will see a complete overhaul of airport entryways and access to flights at the domestic terminal, with travellers able to move straight from the car park to a new security screening system while passengers can relax pre-flight in cafe-style gate lounges or enjoy the offerings of almost a dozen new dining outlets.

A new mezzanine level will give travellers with carry-on luggage direct access to a state-of-the-art security screening zone with new technology able to scan electronic equipment such as laptops and computer tablets without the need for it to be removed from luggage. ...

Future BNE Projects

> https://www.bne.com.au/corporate/projects/future-bne-projects

^^New seamless connections to the plane when getting off the train.

Delta announces flights into Brisbane bringing the total number of passengers flights across airlines to 5 a day to the USA, likewise with arrivals. Then you also have the Air Canada flights on top.

Wow, with Brisbane Airport announcing all these extra flights recently, ground transport will be in high demand.

I hope negotiations with Airtrain can increase ground transport capacity at a reasonable price as well.

BNE will be putting that second runway to good use!

Questions over Bonza Airlines future.

Not surprised at all. Odd network, LCC model with no opportunity for cross-subsidy either from an airline parent company or from higher-margin business travelers.

https://x.com/ozbob13/status/1785101427620421926

ABC News --> Bonza budget airline cancels flights across the country as it considers 'viability' of business

QuoteEmbattled regional airline Bonza has cancelled flights across the country today, stranding potentially thousands of passengers, as it considers its future.

Early Bonza flights in and out of its base on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, along with Melbourne legs to Rockhampton, Gladstone and Tamworth were all cancelled this morning.

Bonza CEO Tim Jordan released a statement just after 8am saying all services would be "temporarily suspended".

He said discussions were being had about the ongoing viability of the business.

Mr Jordan apologised to customers, saying Bonza was trying to find a way to keep flying.

Bonza's financial position has been the subject of intense speculation since its first flight early last year. ...

IIRC, I did mention on the forum a while back this would be Bonza's likely fate.

Budget airlines in Australia are generally loss making as they don't have the benefit of business class passengers who are willing to pay more to get more.

If the budget carrier is not associated with a full service parent airline, there is no cross subsidy opportunity either to prop it up.

IMO the base would be better set at Western Sydney Airport when it opens as well.

Unless Rex buys them, I think they will go into administration soon.

I would have used them, if it weren't for their shonky parent company and poor fleet availability meaning constant cancellations. I like going to out of the way destinations, but dont want to risk being stranded and having to rebook for $$$$ on another airline, negating any savings.

I am reading the company board has now put Bonza into Voluntary Administration.

It is difficult to believe a positive business case existed from the outset.

Bonanza wiped from departure boards
https://amp.smh.com.au/business/companies/bonza-wiped-from-departure-boards-as-ceo-mulls-future-20240430-p5fnkp.html

Quote from: #Metro on February 15, 2022, 06:29:54 AMI reckon this new airline will be bankrupt within 24 months.

There is no money to be made in low-cost carriers. The market is already highly competitive.

Business travel is what brings in the dollars, not leisure.

well called.....as much as i would like to post a smiley emoji....there are people who will be losing jobs...

https://x.com/ozbob13/status/1785492781273907481