Bonza is making a beeline for Tasmania

Air travel between Queensland and Tasmania is about to get easier - and more affordable - thanks to direct Bonza flights between the Gold Coast and Launceston. Launching on November 21, the year-round flights will operate on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays every week. Bonza's chief commercial officer, Carly Povey, says the direct flights won't "cost the earth", with fares starting at $79 one way.

Meanwhile, there's some good news for Australians planning a trip to the land of the long white cloud, too, with Air New Zealand increasing passenger capacity on routes to and from Australia starting October this year. Seats on the Wellington-Melbourne route will go up by 38 per cent and on the Wellington-Sydney route by 7 per cent. Additional seats will also be added on routes between Auckland and Australian cities such as Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart.

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