Flight Centre UK

Flight Centre UK, travel agency specialising in long-haul travel and tailor-made packages

Flight Centre UK is the British subsidiary of Flight Centre Travel Group, an Australian travel services group. The company presents itself as a specialist in long-haul travel and tailor-made holidays, and operates as a travel agency with a presence in physical stores, by phone, chat, mobile app and online. Its catalogue covers flights, holidays, cruises, tours, car hire, insurance, foreign currency exchange and business travel.

Travel services and products

Flight Centre UK's offering is organised into several product lines: flights, holidays, tours, cruises, car hire, travel insurance, gift cards, travel eSIM and the so-called Captain's Pack. It also provides business and group travel services. The agency describes itself as a one-stop shop for travel arrangements, serving both leisure and corporate customers.

Destinations and featured deals

The website showcases selected deals for destinations such as the USA, Thailand, beaches, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and round-the-world trips. These offers are presented as holiday packages put together by the agency's experts.

International structure and presence

Flight Centre Travel Group was founded in Australia and today operates in eleven countries with more than 2,000 leisure, corporate and wholesale businesses. The Flight Centre brand has more than 450 stores and more than 3,500 travel experts across Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and the United Kingdom. The company also states that some of its team works remotely. In the United Kingdom, the company named on the website is Flight Centre (UK) Limited, registered in England with number 02937210.

History

The group's history dates back to 1973, when its founder, Graham Turner, and Geoff Lomas bought a double-decker bus for their first trip through Spain, Portugal and Morocco. In 1975 the tour operator Top Deck was born, based in London and, the following year, in Brisbane. Flight Centre opened its first offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in 1982; in London in 1984; in New Zealand in 1987; in Johannesburg in 1994; and in Vancouver in 1995. That same year the company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. In 2020, the pandemic forced a temporary suspension of trading and the loss of more than 15,000 employees, as well as the issue of more than one billion dollars in customer refunds. The company notes that it has evolved towards an omnichannel model.

Awards and ratings

Flight Centre UK states that it has more than 25,000 five-star reviews on Trustpilot. Among the awards it mentions are those for best travel agency in Australia 2025, Canada 2025, New Zealand 2025, Oceania 2025, the United Kingdom 2024 and South Africa 2022, as well as the award for Australia's most trusted travel agency 2024 and Feefo's Platinum Trusted Service Award 2023. The company attributes these recognitions to its own corporate presentation.

Operational data

The website states that 50% of bookings are made online and that 250 holidays are sold every hour. The company says that 65% of its experts are accredited in tours and cruises, that 40% of its customers are new and that more than 500 experts travel every year. It also notes that it has planted three million trees and that 75% of its employees consider it a great place to work. Financial protection for some flights and flight-inclusive packages is covered by the ATOL scheme, as detailed in the booking conditions.