FCTG unveils “FCB 4.0”
FLighT Centre Travel Group (FCTG) last night celebrated its 40th anniversary with an event in Sydney where CEO Graham Turner unveiled “bold plans for Flight Centre Brand (FCB) 4.0”.
The new platform was described as “an industry-first blended ecosystem of technology and traditional booking systems”, linking together all the different ways clients book travel including in-store, on mobile or desktop, over the phone or via an app.
A soon-to-launch global website will offer “world-class booking functionality”, showcasing a standardised global brand but with regional and in-store functionality for bookable travel products, pricing and promotion.
“We’ve used the past two years to right-size the business and reinvent Flight Centre after taking stock of our future ambitions,” Turner said.
“Without leaving our core assets behind, we’re moving from a world of complexity to one of simplicity for our customers and consultants,” he added.
The FCB 4.0 model aims to deliver a consistent Flight Centre client experience, with dynamic and globalised pricing, the Helio booking system with automated best deal search, a refined customer sales management tool called CustomerOne, and a singleview display of all booking data of the end-to-end journey for both clients and consultants.
Flight Centre brand Global MD, Andrew Stark, was also present, revealing online bookings had grown from 5% of TTV pre-COVID to 20% now, and forecasting an increase to 40% by 2025.
The overall strategy is to be a “leading global travel retailer, famous for flights plus holidays, underpinned by people and technology,” he said.
LasT night’s 40th birthday celebrations for Flight Centre saw some of the firm’s top executives kick up their heels at Sydney’s Hubert Restaurant, with the milestone marked by the launch of the Flight Centre Brand 4.0 omni-retailing platform (see p1).
Flight Centre brand CEO Andrew Stark said as well as facilitating increasing consultant productivity and providing an enhanced client experience, the new system reflects the evolution of travel as customers put sustainability topof-mind when booking holidays.
“To meet this evolving customer demand, Flight Centre Travel Group’s booking platforms have also been designed to inform and help clients make decisions around their travel options, providing CO2 reporting and carbon offsetting solutions that contribute to positive climate action,” Stark said.
“Our suppliers are also taking positive steps to reduce their impact, with many of our preferred partners having implemented comprehensive environmental and broader Corporate Social Responsibility strategies,” he added.
A video celebrating the last 40 years was also showcased - see it at traveldaily.com.au/videos.
Pictured at last night’s event are Andrew Stark, Flight Centre Global MD; Darren Wright, Global CMO Retail; Flight Centre cofounder Bill James; Haydn Long, Public Affairs Manager; Kelly Spencer, Flight Centre Australia GM; James Kavanagh, Global Leisure CEO; and Global CEO Graham “Skroo” Turner.