Flight Centre is reinventing itself. The group wants to shed its image as a travel agent or “middle man” and rather identify with the public as a “travel retailer”.
“Flight Centre Limited is transitioning from travel agent to a world class retailer of travel products to leisure and corporate customers. Being a world class retailer means we are the brand that people identify with and go to. It is very different from being an agent, a middle man or a dealer for someone else’s products,” said Andrew Stark, gm of Flight Centre Retail SA.
Flight Centre Limited will change its name to Flight Centre Travel Group, with the new identity set to be rolled out in South Africa over the next year. The branding on stores, however, will remain unchanged and it will still carry the name Flight Centre.
Flight Centre has launched a range of products in line with the change, including Captain’s Red Label Fares, a new fare package with “Price Drop Protection”. This means that if a customer finds an advertised available airfare for less than the Red Label Fare they purchased, Flight Centre will refund them the difference by issuing a gift card. There is also the MyTime hotel programme. MyTime allows travellers to enjoy VIP treatment at no extra cost when they stay at select resorts and hotels from around the world. Both products were launched in August in the South African market.
