Flight Centre Story Ourflight Centre History
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ourFlight Centre story ourFlight Centre history In 1982, Flight Centre opened its first store in Sydney, Australia with an aggressive growth strategy in mind and a goal of being one of the largest travel retailers in the world. Thirty years later, Flight Centre operates 29 retail, corporate and wholesale brands internationally, with more than 2400 locations spanning 10 countries and a global staff of over 16,000 team members. 38 years ourHow It Began timeline... 1973 • 23-year-old Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner lands in the UK for the ‘must do’ Australian thing of seeing Europe and gets 1976 job as a vet, which is • Four new buses what he had trained to purchased to meet the do. demand: ‘Snort’, ‘Snot’, • Skroo gets bored of ‘Slug’ and ‘Belch’. New being a vet and goes offices are opened in into partnership with Fulham. his vet friend Geoff • 5000 passengers ‘Spy’ Lomas. They buy a 1975 carried produces annual double-decker bus for turnover of £5 million. running tours to Europe 1973 • Top Deck Travel makes a for Aussie mates. The • First tour of six-weeks profit of £15,000 and is • Top Deck introduces first double-decker bus in Spain, Portugal and running successful tours six-month London to is purchased in Yorkshire Morocco departs at a 1974 to different European Sydney tours, a first for and christened ‘Argus’. cost of £110 per person. • Top Deck Travel is born. locations. any overland company. 1995 • Gary ‘Boxer’ Hogan is 1982 Mar appointed to lead Flight • Skroo and some of the Centre’s UK operation. other directors from He and colleague Mandy Top Deck Travel decide Johnson rent a house and to set up a travel agency start looking for suitable in Sydney based on 1988 store locations and the discounted airfares setting up deals with key model he had seen • The Flight Centre travel organisations. Flight while in London. It was ‘Captain’ is born and Centre opens first store decided to focus on the 1987 an airline pilot is used in the UK. Flight Centre model for the first time in the 1990 • Flight Centre has 30 • Flight Centre opens its rather than the blood, company’s advertising. stores and the company • Flight Centre has first store in Canada. sweat and tears business implements standard • Throughout the years 80 shops in Australia of running bus tours in • Flight Centre opens its names, logos, uniforms the ‘Captain’ was usually and New Zealand. Europe. first store in South Africa. and systems and stores an actor but in 2004 • Flight Centre Limited branded to stand out for the first time he • Flight Centre Limited is incorporated and the like (as Skroo put it) was a real-life pilot 1993 floats on the Australian first Flight Centre store ‘dog’s balls’. They are all working for Eva Air, the • Corporate Traveller Stock Exchange is opened. painted fire engine red. Taiwanese airline. established in Australia (FLT:ASX). YEARS in NEW ZEALAND March April June November 1982 1982 1982 1987 Flight Centre Flight Centre Flight Centre Flight Centre Sydney Melbourne Brisbane Auckland NZ 2003 • Acquisition of Britannic, a London-based 2004 Jan corporate travel business. • Flight Centre places 2nd on list of Top Employers • Flight Centre ranked 2003 in Canada by the Globe Australia’s Top Employer & Mail’s Report on • Flight Centre places 3rd for 2nd straight year Business Magazine. 1999 on list of Top Employers & judged Best Travel 2002 cont. • 1st Corporate Traveller in Canada by the Globe company by Intl Trade • Flight Centre opens its opens in Canada • Flight Centre ranked & Mail’s Report on Mag TTG. 100th shop in North as New Zealand’s Business Magazine. America. • Acquisition of ITG, a • Flight Centre UK places best employer (large publicly listed Australian • Flight Centre ranked 3rd in the Sunday Times • Flight Centre ranked company) in the corporate travel as New Zealand’s Top 100 Companies as New Zealand’s Unlimited/JRA Best business. best employer (large & the FT Best best employer (large Places to Work Survey. company) in the Companies to Work for. company) in the • Flight Centre ranked by Unlimited/JRA Best Unlimited/JRA Best • Flight Centre merges Deloitte’s as the best Places to Work Survey. Places to Work Survey. 2002 its Canada East, Canada company to work for • Flight Centre ranked #1 • Flight Centre ranked by West & USA operations • Flight Centre ranked by in the travel & tourism on list of Top Employers Deloitte’s as the best into one North Deloitte’s as the best industry in South Africa. in Canada by the Globe company to work for American wide travel company to work for & Mail’s Report on • Flight Centre ranked in the travel & tourism agency operation: Flight in the travel & tourism Business Magazine. Australia’s Top Employer. industry in South Africa. Centre North America. industry in South Africa. September 1999 Flight Centre Los Angeles 2004 Mar 2004 2005 Jul 2006 Jun • Flight Centre UK is • Corporate Traveller • Flight Centre has more • The Flight Centre again placed on the rebrands to FCm Travel than 1,200 stores in brand network spans Sunday Times Top 100 Solutions Canada, the United Australia, New Zealand, Companies & the FT States, the UK, South the United Kingdom, Best Companies to 2005 Jan Africa, Australia and South Africa, Canada Work for list. New Zealand, as well and the United States. • Flight Centre places 4th • Consolidation & as corporate travel The company has over on list of Top Employers expansion of corporate operations in China and 1500 shops and a global in Canada by the Globe travel operations into Hong Kong and employs staff of over 8,000 team & Mail’s Report on FCm Travel Solutions. more than 5,500 people. members. Business Magazine. • Acquisition of • Flight Centre ranked • Flight Centre ranked • Flight Centre ranked 2007 travelthere.com Australia’s Best Travel Australia’s Best Travel as New Zealand’s Company by TTG 3rd Company by TTG 4th • Flight Centre celebrates • Enters into joint venture best employer (large straight year. Straight Year. 25 years in business and corporate travel company) in the unveils its ‘Unbeatable’ operation with China- Unlimited/JRA Best • Acquisition of majority • FCm acquisition of brand. based China Comfort Places to Work Survey. shareholding in India- Bannockburn in Chicago. Travel Co. Ltd. based Friends Globe • Flight Centre ranked by • Agreement to acquire Travels. • Flight Centre ranked Deloitte’s as the best Nationwide Currency • Flight Centre establishes Australia’s Best Travel company to work for • Escape Travel franchise Services (Australian- a Green Policy including Company by TTG 2nd in the travel & tourism model launched based forex business a carbon offsetting Straight Year. industry in South Africa. in Australia. across 3 cities). program. YEARS YEARS YEARS in in in NORTH UNITED BUSINESS AMERICA KINGDOM Aug 2005 July 2006 Flight Centre 75th Shop of the Flight Centre Future UK 2010 2012 • 1st Employment Office • Flight Centre becomes opens in Vancouver. accessible 24/7. 2013 • Corporate Traveller • Flight Centre acquires celebrates 20 years • Corporate Traveller GoVoluntouring. reintroduced. in business. 2008 • 1st Corporate Traveller • Flight Centre’s other office opens in Montreal, • Flight Centre acquires • LAG reintroduced. brands now in Canada Quebec. USA’s Liberty Travel. include Corporate • 1st Flight Centre shop Traveller, FCm Travel opens in Winnipeg, Solutions, Cruiseabout, Manitoba. • Stage & Screen opens Intrepid My Adventure first office in Canada. 2011 Store, Stage & Screen • Flight Centre’ rebrands as • 1st Intrepid My Adventure Travel Services, the Airfare Experts Store opens in Toronto. GoVoluntouring, GOGO Vacations and Employment Office. 2009 • Flight Centre’s presence • 1st Cruiseabout opens in • Canada & USA split • 1st Flight Centre shop in Canada includes more Canada (White Rock, BC) businesses: FC Canada opens in Saskatoon, than 220 shops and staff and Liberty Travel USA. Saskatchewan. of over 1500. YEARS in BUSINESS ourTestimonials people Meet Greg Meet Kim Meet Brent As President of Flight Centre’s Canadian Although Canadian, Kim Knapp began her Brent Novak began his Flight Centre career operations, Greg Dixon is the quintessential Flight Centre career in 1999 as a travel in 2002 as retail Team Leader for Student example of the company’s “Brightness consultant in Canberra, Australia. While Flights in Melbourne Australia. After of Future” strategy. Australian born and working as a consultant there, she clearly showing a flair and interest for marketing, raised, Greg started with Flight Centre as a had the Peopleworks bug early recognizing he was offered an opportunity to take on consultant in 1988 and eight months later a need for their remote area and initiating the National Student Flights Marketing became Team Leader. Greg opened the first a newie support group. Kim moved back role based in Brisbane which he saw as a corporate office in Sydney, Australia and to Canada in 2002 joining the shop in great career move. This led him to take on then opened the first Student Flights office Oshawa as a travel consultant. In 2003, subsequent senior management roles within worldwide. He left the company to start his her Brightness of Future started to take retail for Vicmania and the UK until the own business and returned three years later shape as she took on the role of recruiter/ end of 2006. After returning to Melbourne as National Leader for Flight Centre Direct. trainer and moved into the learning centre from 2 years in London he made the switch In 2002, he became Sales and Marketing full time. Following the amalgamation of to Corporate as Brand Leader for FCBT Manager for FCm Australia/Asia followed Canada East, Canada West & the USA and before taking on the Area Leader role of by his move to Vancouver a year later to all leadership moving to Vancouver’s head Corporate Traveller and eventually General establish FCm Travel Solutions in both office, she became the Peopleworks liason Manager for Corporate Vicmania.