Time travel

Flight Centre hits the big 4-0!

Flight Centre’s

“journey” began when Graham Turner aka “Skroo”, (nicknamed after a brand of screwdriver) and friend Geoff “Spy” Lomas bought a double-decker bus and called it Argas.

They then set up tour company Argas Persicus Travel – a name inspired by the turkey tick – and embarked on their first tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

Renaming it Topdeck Travel in 1975, the pair opened their first office in Brisbane, Australia. Within a year they had 26 tour buses and the crew were having the time of their lives, partying around Europe.

In 1981, Topdeck expanded into America and, seeing an opportunity with airline deregulation, the company opened its first Flight Centre retail shop in Sydney.

By the end of 1982 there were nine Flight Centre shops employing 50 people.

It launched in London in 1984 and by the end of the 80s it had introduced “The Captain” for marketing campaigns and its “Lowest Airfares Guaranteed” slogan.

The 1990s saw the creation of new brands including Great Holiday Escapes, Stage and Screen and Student Flights.

By 2011, Flight Centre was profitable in every country it operated in, but fortunes turned. When Covid hit, it lost 7,500 employees and gave $1billion in refunds.

Now back to celebrate 40 years in the business, it is offering customers the chance to win one of 40 holidays worth £5,500, designed by its experts.

Flight Centre’s global managing director, Andrew Stark, said: “Our 40th birthday is all about Flight Centre maturing into a truly global entity. We’re seeing customers who have never booked with an agent before coming to us.

“But it’s not just about booking travel, our people are experts because they’ve travelled far and wide.” Enter by August 31 via flightcentre.co.uk/p/birthday-comp