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Flight Centre history
Flight Centre company history timeline
Flight Centre was founded by Graham "Skroo" Turner in 1981.
By the time Turner returned to Australia in 1983, his next business was well under way.
The brand launches in London in 1984 and by the end of the decade, has introduced The Captain and its “Lowest Airfares Guaranteed” slogan to marketing.
By 1986 the founders had sold out of Topdeck, and the following year Turner, James and Harris joined their loosely affiliated travel agencies into one business and Flight Centre Aust Pty Ltd. was born.
Harris nominates the first Gulf War, in 1990, as the company's most precarious moment, when travelers seeking flight refunds were akin to a run on the bank.
Once the Gulf War starts in early 1991, understandably, people are scared to fly.
FLT has been listed on the Australian Securities Exchange since 1995 and currently has a market capitalisation in the order of $AU 3.6 billion.
When Flight Centre listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in 1995, staff bought 25% of the shares on offer, paying 85 cents (a 10 cent discount). "One of the things that differentiates Flight Centre is the emotional and physical sense of ownership the staff has for the company," says James.
It followed Graham Turner's departure from day-to-day operations when he stood aside from being Chief Executive Officer in 2002, allowing a senior manager Shane Flynn to replace him.
In November 2006 a company associated with the founders and a private equity firm is offering $17.20 a share (and somewhat less to current "controlling" shareholders) to take Flight Centre back into private hands.
In February 2007 the privatisation of Flight Centre failed when investment bank Lazard rejected the deal even though the majority of minority shareholders agreed with the privatisation bid.
In 2008, Flight Centre acquired GOGO Worldwide Vacations, a travel wholesaler with more than 40 locations in the United States and in Canada.
FCL posted profits of $201.0 m in 2008, before tax.
A joint venture with 99 Bikes and the acquisition of Advanced Traders (Merida bike brand) in 2009.
In 2009, Flight Centre once again had decreasing profits, in a very challenging year for world travel, posting only $40.4 m, before tax.
In 2010, Flight Centre acquired Gapyear.com, an global social network and travel advice website, and it was up substantially on the previous year with a profit of $198.5 m, before tax.
In 2011, Flight Centre continued to trade strongly with a profit of $213.1 m, before tax.
By 2016, Flight Centre Canada is part of FCTG The Americas with the USA and Mexico.
© Flight Centre Travel Group Limited (formerly Flight Centre Limited). All rights reserved 2021
© Flight Centre Travel Group Limited (formerly Flight Centre Limited). All rights reserved 2022
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Flight Centre competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Travel | 1951 | $450.0M | 2,200 | - |
| FCM Travel | 2004 | $11.0M | 6,501 | - |
| World Travel Holdings | 2005 | $390.0M | 3,000 | 11 |
| Uniglobe Travel Partners | 1977 | $7.3M | 97 | - |
| Omega World Travel | 1972 | $160.0M | 920 | 4 |
| National Travel | 1977 | $7.6M | 50 | - |
| Rail Europe | 1995 | $14.0M | 200 | - |
| Viking River | 1997 | $124.5M | 5,000 | 16 |
| arrivia | 1997 | $1.2B | 15,000 | 74 |
| The Travel Agent | 1979 | $3.9M | 35 | - |
Flight Centre history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Flight Centre, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Flight Centre. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Flight Centre. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Flight Centre. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Flight Centre and its employees or that of Zippia.
Flight Centre may also be known as or be related to Flight Centre, Flight Centre Travel Group Limited, Flight Centre Usa, Inc. and Flight Centre, Usa.