In-flight food and drink prices a complete rip-off

Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?

That's Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols talking, but it could be anyone silly enough to buy food onboard a flight operated by Jetstar, an Australian budget airline and subsidiary of Qantas.

A $15 can of weak beer anyone? $5 for a tiny tube of Pringles crisps?

It seems Jetstar has decided that the best way to make up for its relatively low fares is to slug passengers in its tiny seats a mega price for food and drink.

There's been a lot of online chatter about the sky high prices Jetstar is charging. My tip: eat and drink before you take off.

The Jetstar prices are just absurd. 

Take that $15 price tag on cans of Hahn Super Dry, Super Dry 3.5 and Stone & Wood Pacific Ale.

I asked AI how much I would pay retail for a case of 24 cans. The response: A case of 24 cans of Hahn Super Dry (375mL full strength, 4.6% ABV) typically costs between $55.00 and $66.00 AUD, depending on the retailer and current promotions. If you are looking for the mid-strength version (Hahn Super Dry 3.5%), a 24-can case usually ranges from $54.00 to $57.00 AUD. 

So four cans on board a Jetstar flight costs the same as 24 cans at your local bottle shop.

How about those tubes of crisps? 

AI tells me: Small 53g cans of Pringles crisps generally cost $2.70 at major Australian supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths, though they are frequently on special for $2.00. 

And don't forget Jetstar would buy in bulk, at a reduced price. 

Then there is $8 for a cup of packet noodles in the air. 

AI tells me: Budget Name Brands (Fantastic, Suimin, Indomie): Standard 70g–75g single cups or bowls cost around $1.75 to $1.90. 

So a fairly hefty mark-up there as well. 

It's up to you - but just be ready to be ripped off.   

    

AirAsia adds Australian flights but cuts Sydney

Good news for some Australian lovers of low-coast flights, but bad news for those based in Sydney

AirAsia today announced it is strengthening its network with planned frequency increases across its Perth–Denpasar, Perth-Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne-Kuala Lumpur services.

But as part As part of the rationalisation, the airline has made the "difficult decision" to suspend its Sydney-Kuala Lumpur route.

The decision reflects a combination of increased cost pressures, softer demand and the need to strategically align the airline’s network and fleet, the airline said in a media statement.

From December, Perth–Denpasar services will increase to 35 flights per week, while the strong performance of Melbourne–Kuala Lumpur will see the route return to daily services.

Perth–Kuala Lumpur has also experienced significant growth, with frequencies set to steadily increase to 14 flights per week.

Benyamin Ismail, general manager of AirAsia X said the decision was not made lightly, and acknowledged the Sydney-Kuala Lumpur route is key to supporting Fly-Thru and serves customers who travel to visit friends and family across ASEAN.

“This has been an incredibly difficult decision, and one that has not been taken lightly," he said.

"Sydney, which was launched back in 2012, has played an important role in our history and in connecting Australians with Malaysia and the wider region.

“The current operating environment requires us to make some tough choices. By accelerating the retirement of older, less fuel-efficient widebody aircraft and adjusting our network, we are taking the necessary steps to build a more resilient and commercially sustainable operation for the future.

“We understand how disappointing this will be for our guests, particularly those who have travelled with us over many years, and we sincerely thank them for their understanding and support."

The airline's teams are contacting affected customers from today, offering refunds which will be completed within 14 days, a Credit Account or date changes.

Air Asia remains upbeat

The airline industry has different positions on the future, but AirAsia X says it remains encouraged by resilient travel demand across key markets, supported by ongoing regional stabilisation. 

The budget airline said this week that it continues to focus on strengthening operational performance and network efficiency, building a more scalable operating model across the network.

The group is progressively restoring aircraft frequencies and capacity across its network, with full capacity expected by August 2026. 

It has announced services to several new destinations, including Busan, Bahrain, London, Batam and other domestic destinations. 

Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Group said: "Over the past several months, we have been reminded that resilience is not built during easy times but through how we respond to challenges. 

"Throughout this period, the group remained focused on strengthening our operations, improving efficiency and accelerating the adoption of AI and data-driven tools to support better decision-making and smarter execution across the business. 

"Today, we are a stronger, more agile and more focused ecosystem because of it."

Budget airline rakes in the cash

 

Ryanair is the European budget airline that a lot of people love to hate.

They dislike the fact that you pay extra for almost everything other than your seat. They hate the fact that Ryanair enforces luggage limits, and will gouge you at every opportunity.

That said, Ryanair is laughing all the way to the bank.

The airline this week reported a big jump in first-half year profits by more than 40% to €2.54 billion, travel news hub Travel Mole reported.

It cited a strong Easter period and saw passenger traffic grew 3% to a record 119 million people.

Revenues over the first six months of the year were up 13% to €9.82 billion

Ryanair Group CEO Michael O’Leary, said: “Fares benefitted from having the full Easter holiday in Q1 and we achieved a full recovery of the 7% fare decline we suffered in last year's Q2.

"Ancillary revenue was solid, rising 6% to €2.91 billion.”

The airline said operating costs rose 4% to €6.96 billion.

Ryanair now has 204 Boeing 737 Max aircraft in its 641-strong fleet.

Another budget airline shuts down operations

Yet another budget airline has gone out of business, leaving unwitting passengers stranded.

Icelandic low-cost airline Play has abruptly shut down, travel news hub Travel Mole reports.

That has led to thousands of stranded passengers as its entire flight network was cancelled.

The airline issued a message to customers saying: “Fly PLAY has ceased operations, and all flights have been cancelled. We kindly advise you to check flights with other airlines. Some carriers may offer special ‘rescue fares’ considering the circumstances.”

Customers were advised to contact their credit card issuers and travel agents to file for refunds.

The airline has offered Europe-wide flights and transatlantic services.

Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik said the sudden news impacted about 1,750 passengers at the airport.

Play flights to Baltimore, Barcelona and Lisbon were cancelled, as well as inbound services from Paris, London and Copenhagen.

More than 500 employees are likely to be made redundant.

Play, launched in 2021, had a 10-plane fleet and carried about 1.6 million passengers in 2024.

Meet the airline that wants to smell good - and leave a sweet taste

What do you want when you fly with a budget airline?

Most of us would opt for a good fare, a flight that is on time, a comfortable seat and respectful service.

German airline Eurowings, however, thinks we want a signature fragrance.

Eurowings is a low-cost carrier headquartered in Düsseldorf, and it is a subsidiary of Lufthansa.

It announced this week that is will be launching a new signature fragrance, Burgundy Breeze, "for a fresh, unmistakable cabin ambience".

Along with that it will offer take off/landing  mint and fruit candy as a "sweet gesture" and new boarding music "a relaxing listening experience for boarding and disembarking".

Seriously!

A Eurowings press release says: "The flight experience is being expanded step by step to include innovative, multi-sensory elements. Every new “signature moment” – from boarding to leaving the aircraft – is designed to be emotionally moving and surprising and to create a travel experience that will remain a positive memory.

I'm checking whether the release is dated April 1. It isn't.

“We don't just want our guests to feel safe and well looked after, we also want them to be truly engaged - with all their senses,” says Clemens Strauss, head of customer experience, marketing & sustainability.

“Small, thoughtful details make the difference here – they create tangible brand experiences.”

Burgundy Breeze has been  developed in collaboration with Cologne-based fragrance marketing agency Scentcommunication. 

"The composition of sea salt, pink pepper, floral notes such as water lily and a warm base of wood and vetiver creates a fresh, harmonious cabin ambience that brings the ease of the brand to life on board".

When disembarking guests will receive a sweet in the airline's corporate colours Burgundy or Sky Blue, with a fruity cassis or refreshing peppermint flavour. 

The new sound design, meanwhile, was developed specifically for the Eurowings brand and "creates a relaxing and calming environment for all passengers". 

The specially composed pieces of music contain sound effects and sounds that make travellers think of a vacation as soon as they board the plane – for example, the sounds of nature or a plane taking off are mixed into the “Organic Electro” sound.

I'm speechless. Are we all keen to breathe in some Burgundy Breeze?  

Budget airline adds new destinations from UK airports

Heading for the UK next northern summer? Fancy a cheap side trip to somewhere slightly more exotic?

Budget airline easyJet has announced it will launch six new routes from four UK airports this summer, news portal Travel Mole reports.

The airline is growing its UK fleet with an additional A320 aircraft at its Bristol base.

New services set to take off this summer include flights to Milan's second airport, Linate, from Manchester and Edinburgh, and two new routes from Birmingham to Gibraltar and Bordeaux.

The additional aircraft in Bristol will support the launch of new routes to Palermo in Italy and Almeria in Spain.

The new routes to Milan Linate have been enabled by the opening of a five-aircraft base at Linate next spring, following approval by the European Commission.

The airline will also open a three-aircraft base at Rome Fiumicino from March 30 next year, joining existing bases in Milan's main Malpensa airport, and Naples.

Flights to Linate from Manchester and Edinburgh will take off for the first time on March 30, with flights up to seven days a week throughout the year.

These complements existing easyJet services to Malpensa.

The airline will also increase frequencies from London Gatwick to Milan Linate from one to up to two daily departures.

From Birmingham, flights to Bordeaux will take off from May 1 and to Gibraltar from June 1.

New flights from Bristol to Almeria will launch on June 24 and operate twice a week. 

A new summer route to Sicily’s capital of Palermo will launch on June 26 with twice-weekly departures.

“Following another consecutive record summer, easyJet is continuing to grow in the UK next year with more aircraft, enabling us to offer an even greater choice of flights and package holidays,” said Ali Gayward, easyJet UK country manager.

EasyJet currently serves 21 UK airports, offering 585 routes to 136 destinations from the UK to Europe and beyond.

Australian budget airline goes into voluntary administration after flights are grounded

The future of recently launched Australian low-cost airline Bonza is in doubt after it cancelled all its flights this morning and then announced it had gone into voluntary administration.

The company has appointed Hall Chadwick as voluntary administrators, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission said.

Early flights in and out of the budget airline’s base on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast were cancelled on Tuesday, along with routes from Melbourne to Rockhampton, Gladstone and Tamworth.

Last year, only a few months after launching, Bonza slashed several routes from its schedule, citing a lack of "sustainable demand".

Bonza CEO Tim Jordan said all services were “temporarily suspended” in a statement released on Tuesday morning.

Jordan said discussions were being held into the airline’s ongoing viability.

“We apologise to customers who are impacted by this and we’re working as quickly as possible to determine a way forward that ensures there is ongoing competition in the Australian domestic aviation market,” he said.

Virgin Australia offered free seats to anyone caught out mid-journey by the Bonza groundings, but many Bonza routes are not covered by other airlines.

Bonza launched in early 2023 and has recently been selling seats for as low as $49.

The Financial Review has reported an aviation source suggesting that the airline's creditors have repossessed Bonza’s fleet of Boeing 737-MAX 8 planes.

Airline to shut down after financial turbulence

Another budget airline has hit turbulence and will shut down just two years after launching.

Calgary-based ultra low-cost airline Lynx Air launched in 2022 but faced "significant headwinds", company says.

Lynx Air launched with a promise to make air travel more affordable for Canadians, but it will cease operations on Monday. Many weekend flights are already marked "Non operational". 

"Over the past year, Lynx Air has faced a number of significant headwinds including rising operating costs, high fuel prices, exchange rates, increasing airport charges and a difficult economic and regulatory environment," the company said in a news release.

"Despite substantial growth in the business, ongoing operational improvements, cost reductions and efforts to explore a sale or merger, the challenges facing the company's business have become too significant to overcome."

Air Canada announced it will cap fares and add 6,000 seats in “select markets” to assist passengers in the wake Lynx Air’s closure, which has left passengers stranded across the US, Canada and Mexico.

“The measures are to provide Lynx Air customers affected by the carrier’s shutdown affordable options in the economy cabin on Air Canada flights for travel within Canada, to the US and to Cancun in Mexico, so they can return home or make alternative travel arrangements for planned winter trips,” the airline said.

Another Canadian carrier, WestJet, said it would be offering 25% discounts on economy tickets for stranded Lynx passengers on routes WestJet also serves.
  

Lynx routes included Toronto and Montreal to Cancun and to many US destinations including Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa, Phoenix, Boston and Las Vegas.

The start-up airline had filed for creditor protection in Canada, but pledged to operate “most” of its flights through the weekend.

It has directed customers who are booked beyond its final day of operations to seek flight refunds through their credit card companies.

Court documents show Lynx owes around $140 million to Indigo Northern Ventures, the firm led by long-time airline investor William Franke that helped Lynx get airborne, local media reported.

The airline's former CEO, Merren McArthur, was also in charge of now extinct Australian carrier Tigerair. She resigned in September last year to return to Australia. McArthur has also headed Virgin Australia Cargo and Skywest Airlines.

"My heart goes out to my wonderful friends and colleagues at Lynx Air after today’s very sad announcement," she said on LinkedIn. 

"The airline industry is not for the faint hearted at the best of times, but it takes a special kind of courage and commitment to launch a start-up airline in Canada in the middle of a pandemic…. a wildcat courage and commitment."

Bonza to link Launceston with the Gold Coast

Tasmania is becoming more and more connected.

Low-cost airline Bonza this week announced it will connect the Gold Coast to Launceston (above) for the first time with year-round flights starting in November.

The unveiling of Launceston as a destination marks the Tasmanian debut of Bonza, and is the 18th destination for the carrier which launched this year.

From November 21, travellers will be able to fly directly between the Gold Coast and Launceston three times a week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with prices starting from $79pp via the FlyBonza app.

Launceston Airport CEO Shane O’Hare said the new route will open up more leisure opportunities for Tasmanians searching for a holiday in the sun.

“These year-round services will make it much easier for Tasmanians to enjoy Australia’s favourite holiday hotspot, but it also opens the door for thousands more tourists from south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales to visit our state,” he said.

Bonza CCO Carly Povey said the carrier’s buzz is already reaching Tasmanians, who have downloaded its app 11,000 times, adding “there will be more destinations for Launceston, and Bonza’s wider route map, to come”, with details to be revealed “when the time is right”.

The flights are still subject to regulatory approval but they must be confident as tickets are already on sale.

"This is good news for Aussie travellers and the many small-to-medium businesses who make up the local tourism and hospitality industries,” Povey added.

Launceston is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy and a gateway to nature experiences including Cradle Mountain. It is thee first destination outside of Australia’s East Coast to be added to Bonza’s network.

Budget airline offers a further 20% off fares

A flight between Sydney and Auckland for $169, or Melbourne and Kuala Lumpur for $339?

Those are just two of the offers in the AirAsia mid-year Grand Sale. which was launched today and last for just one week.

The sale enables travellers to enjoy 20% off all seats and all flights to 130 destinations across Asia.

The premium flatbeds on AirAsia X are also on sale at 20% off.

The promotional fares are available for bookings starting today until July 16 for the travel period between September 4, 2023 and March 31, 2024.

Among the offers are:
Auckland to Sydney from just $169 (economy), $389 (flatbed)
Auckland to Kuala Lumpur from $471 (economy), $1599 (flatbed)
Sydney to Kuala Lumpur from $319 (economy), $959 (flatbed)
and Gold Coast to Kuala Lumpur from $349 (economy), $859 (flatbed)

Leisure destinations in Malaysia include Langkawi, Kuala Terengganu, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kuching, along with international cities such as Singapore, Brunei, Bangkok, Kaohsiung, Guilin, Medan and more.

There is also 20% off ancillary offerings including Hot Seats (extra leg room and priority boarding) and all AirAsia airlines are included in the sale: AirAsia Malaysia (AK), Thai AirAsia (FD), Indonesia AirAsia (QZ), Philippines AirAsia (Z2), AirAsia X Malaysia (D7), Thai AirAsia X (XJ).

All fares are, of course, subject to embargo periods and terms and conditions apply.

Bookings can be made via the AirAsia Superapp.

Bonza aims to fly high straight away

 

Fledgling Australian airline Bonza has announced it will operate up to eight aircraft in its first 12 months of operation, subject to regulatory approval.

Speaking at the CAPA Australia Pacific 2021 Aviation Summit in Sydney CEO Tim Jordan said the proposed low-cost carrier planned to better connect Australia, including the regions.

The aircraft will be the 737 MAX 8 and will be leased from 777 Partners - Bonza’s investors who operate their own leasing company.

With Bonza currently in discussions with many airports around Australia, an announcement of initial routes and aircraft bases is expected over the coming weeks.

“We are thrilled to share our commitment to operating up to eight aircraft within the first 12 months of operation," Jordan said.

"This is another way in which we are focussed on creating new market-growth opportunities for regional Australian destinations, better connecting all of Australia, and in turn, stimulating direct and indirect job opportunities for the aviation and tourism industry.”

The aircraft will each have 186 economy seats and are fuel efficient, which will help keep fares low, while also critically delivering less emissions than older aircraft. 

“Today is an exciting day for Bonza," Jordan said. "We are very happy and humbled to be attending the summit to discuss the next phase of the aviation and tourism sector’s rebound.”

Bonza will start operations takes in the second quarter of 2022.