Flight Centre Australia is the domestic arm of the Flight Centre Travel Group and the largest retailer of travel in Australia. Headquartered on Grey Street in South Bank Brisbane, its portfolio including niche brands features 1,300 businesses across Australia, with the company posting before-tax profits of $349.2 million in June 2013.
Foundations
Founded by Graham "Skroo" Turner in 1981 following the success of his Topdeck Travel company, the first Flight Centre store opened in Sydney in 1982. Melbourne and Brisbane stores were soon added and by 1988 there were more than 50 Flight Centre shopfronts across Australia.
Following rapid growth, Flight Centre Limited listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in December 1995 for 95 cents per share, with stocks subsequently trading at $26.65 as of 6 March 2020. Turner stepped aside as chief executive in 2002, but resumed the role from Shane Flynn in 2005 in the wake of diminishing profits and share dividends. Share prices dropped to an historic low of less than $5 in the wake of the global financial crisis of 2007-08, but rallied in the wake of the company's aggressive push into Asian and American markets.
Stores
Recognisable for their iconic red exteriors, there are now almost 700 Flight Centre-branded shopfronts across Australia, helping to generate $2 billion in revenue alongside the company's online divisions. In 2004, Flight Centre acquired a state-of-the-art online booking system as part of its purchase of website travelthere.com, enhancing the booking capabilities of its popular Australian website.
The company has since adopted a blended strategy to sales – dubbed a "clicks and mortar" approach – augmenting its physical shopfronts with a growing online presence in a bid to offer multi-channel services. Flight Centre's first Australian 'hyperstore' opened in Perth's Hay Street Mall in late 2012, while a second flagship store located in the Queen Street Mall in Brisbane opened in 2013, housing some 60 consultants in the company's largest retail outlet. Hyperstore features include state-of-the-art digital signage, with further flagship outlets expected to open in Sydney and Melbourne from 2015 onward. From one retail shop in Brisbane in the early 1980s, today there are 550 stores worldwide. Flight Centre's overseas stores include Canada, China, Dubai, India, New Zealand, the UK, South Africa, the USA, Singapore and Hong Kong.
The Captain
Beginning in 1988, Flight Centre's advertisements have featured an iconic character known as 'The Captain' who features heavily in the company's television and brochure advertising. The character was initially portrayed by several actors until the only actor who was also a pilot and owned a uniform took over the role in 2003. Michael Hackwood, a licensed pilot and actor portrayed the role from 2003-2013. The character is now portrayed by a much younger Noosa-based actor named Richard Klinge.
