40 years of taking off
You’re about to take off on a 40-year flight through adventure, fun, success, stuff-ups, tragedy and triumphs. But, most of it all, it’s about surviving the storm, coming through stronger and enjoying the trip.
Today, we are one of the world’s largest travel retailers employing 12,000 people globally across a retail network of over 500 customer service centres, 23 businesses, and a corporate travel network spanning 90 countries.
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The 70s:
The facial hair is dodgy and the travellers are even dodgier...
1973:
Skroo (Graham Turner – our founder) and friend (Geoff “Spy” Lomas) buy a double decker bus and take off on their first tour around Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
1975:
Fast forward your Sanyo cassette deck to the mid 70s and that one bus has multiplied like guinea pigs. Top Deck is born, operating in London and the following year, in Brisbane, Australia.
By the end of the 70s, Top Deck was operating 26 buses and the crew are partying their way around Europe, pretending it’s a proper job.
The 80s:
Hello UK, NZ and... The Captain.
Captain’s announcement
Welcome to the 80s. Airlines have been deregulated and Skroo reckons Australia, the UK and NZ are ripe for the picking, which makes sense for a bloke who grew up on an apple farm. Flight Centre is born.
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Layover
1982:
Flight Centre opens in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
Layover
1984:
Frankie says Relax don’t do it... but we did it anyway and Flight Centre opens in London (making £60,000 profit with six consultants in the first 12 months!).
Layover
1987:
We say chur bro to our cousins across the ditch, and Flight Centre starts operations in New Zealand. It's also the first year we host our Global Gathering conference and awards event, celebrating our amazing people. It quickly becomes an annual tradition.
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In-flight entertainment
1988:
The Captain first appears (we’ve had 5 of those, ladies and gents, since!), and we introduce our famous “Lowest Airfares Guaranteed” slogan. Enquiry quadruples after trials on TV and press ads.
345 people
63 shops
The 90s:
More brands, more countries & we float
Captain’s announcement
The 90s were all about Friends, Seinfeld, Guns n Roses and Flight Centre floating on the Australian Securities Exchange. We open in South Africa, Canada, the USA, and re-launch in the UK. We also welcome a number of new brands into the family.
Fasten seat belt
1991:
The Gulf War. With the demand for international airfares on the decline, Flight Centre begins selling domestic flights. According to Skroo “the Gulf War showed us that certain shops and consultants were war and recession-proof."
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Layover
1994:
Throw a shrimp on the braai, because Flight Centre opens in Johannesburg, South Africa. It breaks even within the first three months.
Layover
1995:
Flight Centre opens shop in Vancouver, Canada. Phones were ringing off the hook with customers eager to book travel.
Cruising Altitude
1995:
Profit surpasses $10M and Flight Centre goes public on the ASX. Flighties purchase over 25% of shares available and set an Australian record for take-up by in-house people. The share price opened at AU95cents, and closed at AU$1.23.
In-flight entertainment
1996:
We hold the first Flight Centre Airfare and Holiday Expo at the Brisbane Convention Centre. In our first year, over 8000 customers attend. In 1997, 11,000. In 1998, we open Flight Centre Travel Expos across Australia and New Zealand.
3,000 people
440 shops
AU$5.95 per share
The 00s:
9/11, SARS and Facebook
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Captain’s announcement
We all know how the 2000s began. The world and travel changed forever with events like 9/11, the collapse of Ansett, the GFC and the Iraq War.
Many other travel businesses contract during these tough times, our strategy on the other hand was to keep expanding, acquire more businesses and enter new markets.
Grounded
2001:
9/11 significantly impacts customer confidence. Flight Centre Limited's monthly profit drops from AU$8 million in August to AU$3.7 million in September.
Prepare for takeoff
2008:
We launch the Flight Centre Foundation; our give back program to the communities we work, operate and travel in.
Plane Change
2008:
Our biggest acquisition to date (AU$135M) – Liberty Travel and GoGo Vacations in the USA at the end of 2007 – coincides with the Global Financial Crisis. We make the bold move to rebrand our tagline to “Unbeatable”.
12,900 people
2,152 shops
AU$17.57 per share
The 10s:
Profit in all 10 countries and we formally become Flight Centre Travel Group
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Captain’s announcement
We officially become the Flight Centre Travel group, reflecting the company’s transformation from its traditional roots as a travel agent to a world-class retailer of leisure and corporate travel products and continue to grow our family of brands, and enter new markets.
Prepare for takeoff
2011:
For the first time, all countries we operate in are profitable.
Cruising altitude
2012:
Flight Centre Australia turns 30 and Flight Centre New Zealand turns 25.
Layover
2012:
Liberty Travel opens a flagship store on Madison Avenue, NYC.
Cruising Altitude
2014:
Marks 20 years of Flight Centre South Africa and Canada.
Cruising Altitude
2014:
All 10 countries are profitable for the fourth consecutive year.
Fasten seat belt
2019:
Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, China, reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia in Wuhan. A novel coronavirus was eventually identified.
22,000 people
2,908
shops
AU$40
per share
The 20s:
The world stops. And re-opens
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Captain’s announcement
2020 will forever be remembered as “that year”. After facing government-mandated closures of the travel industry, we had to make some of the hardest decisions in our company’s history.
Grounded
2020:
International borders shut, airlines ground their fleets, FLT temporarily suspends trading on the ASX and Flight Centre stands down over 15,000 employees. In Australia alone we issued $1billion in customer refunds.
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Grounded
2021:
A year on we take out a full page ad thanking our customers for their patience, and support; we know the journey isn't over yet.
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In-flight entertainment
2021:
Flight Centre launches its new tagline “Experience our experience”. We welcome new Captains and made all of our amazing people official Co-Captains of the brand.
Prepare for takeoff
2022:
As part of our commitment to living and operating in a more sustainable world, we officially introduce a Flight Centre Global Sustainability Leader role.
Captain’s announcement
The future is bright, we’re turning 40, travel is back and we are flooded with new and returning customers ready to turn their travel dreams into a reality again.
The Future
Captain’s announcement
So what’s next? Well, if Skroo’s predictions are correct, the future for travel is looking pretty promising and we may well have a whole new bucket list to tick off.
The 2030’s
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Air Travel:
"Sydney to London in less than 6 hours. Planes will be powered by liquid Hydrogen processed by renewables." - Skroo
Coach touring:
"This will all be about immersive cultural experiences with small groups." - Skroo
Cruising:
"Ocean, river and expeditions will grow dramatically in popularity." - Skroo
Hotels:
"Rise of the boutique brands to complement customer's desires for authentic in-destination experiences. There will also be an increase in demand for tranquil, nature-based getaways." - Skroo
The 2040’s
