Flight Centre celebrates 30 years in Canada, plans to open 20-25 stores within five years

“It’s an incredibly important year for us as we grow our business and retail footprint,” said Anita Emilio, executive vice-president and general manager of Flight Centre Canada.

That was the message Monday night (Dec. 8) at Flight Centre Travel Group’s (FCTG’s) lofty downtown Toronto headquarters as the iconic travel company celebrated three decades of operating in Canada.

Throwing a red-and-white bash for over 100 suppliers, executives, consultants (flown in from communities across the country), and media – perfectly festive for the season, but really giving a nod to Flight Centre’s iconic colours – the night (sponsored by Air Canada, Qantas, Collette and G Adventures) toasted 30 years of success and the adventures still to come.

That includes an ambitious plan to open 20–25 Flight Centre stores in Canada over the next three to five years, including two imminent openings in Toronto and North Vancouver, said Emilio, speaking with trade journalists before the party ramped up.  

“We’re focused on opening locations in the centres of Toronto and Vancouver,” she said. “In order for us to get the traction we want, we need to be in these cities for foot traffic and visibility.”

The new shops will add to the nine physical travel agencies Flight Centre currently operates in Canada, in addition to its virtual, remote and corporate departments.

A new chapter

The news marks a turning point for Flight Centre, which, like many in the travel industry, was forced to scale back operations in the fall of 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic—resulting in the closure of stores and layoff of more than 600 employees in Canada.  

Chris Lynes, managing director at Flight Centre Canada, also present last night, said it is “unlikely” that the company will return to operating 90 stores in Canada as it did pre-pandemic.

“Our digital efforts are continuing and our corporate business is quite large,” he said. “We will scale it, but not to what it was prior.”

Throwback to 1995

Flight Centre entered the Canadian market in 1995 with its first store in Vancouver, building on its Australian origins to become a leading travel retailer offering discounted airfares and full-service travel solutions.

Over the past 30 years, FCTG has expanded across Canada, added brands such as FCM Travel (a corporate travel management business) and Envoyage (formally Independent by Flight Centre, a host agency arm), and has evolved from a flight-focused business into a one-stop-shop for tours, cruises, and travel insurance.

Today, more than 30 brands fall under the FCTG name.  

Your Centre for Travel

Growing its physical presence with storefronts, displaying signature “Captains,” (brand ambassadors), in multiple provinces, Flight Centre has played a significant role in the Canadian travel scene.

Recently, the company has been focused on modernization, unveiling a new tagline, “Your Centre for Travel,” which leans into Flight Centre’s role as full-service travel retailer, offering a global shop network and bookable product online and via an app.

On a local level – in Toronto, specifically – Flight Centre recently opened a new flagship in the city’s financial district, showcasing a commitment to in-person travel planning.

The store, which opened in May, is located in Royal Bank Plaza, in a high traffic area, directly connected to Toronto’s PATH system.

As previously reported, the shop (which replaced the long-standing Yonge and King location) features digital enhancements, including Flight Centre’s iconic airfare ticker boards, and areas for everything from quick getaway chats to in-depth travel consultations.

Central to it is the belief that human interactions – in an age of AI-powered content – still hold immense power in the travel-planning process.

“There are people who really do value sitting and consulting with an advisor in person,” said Emilio.

And it’s not just seniors. (Although, “they do represent a large portion of it,” Emilio said).

It’s younger people, too – a demographic that appreciates curated experiences and value for money, she said.

“We've had an incredibly strong quarter,” Emilio went on to say.

The ongoing geopolitical conflict with the United States hasn’t taken a bite out of sales – it has only fuelled the leisure market’s desire to travel further.

“Europe has grown incredibly for us, so has Asia and South America,” Emilio said. “It’s amazing, because for that type of complex travel, people need consultation.”

The modern storefront

This is one reason why Flight Centre continues to embrace the traditional storefront travel agency model, even in an increasingly digital world.

“Bricks and mortar still works really well for us,” said Lynes. “It validates what the business is and was. We see a scale increasing and a need for human connections.”

The new and spacious Flight Centre in Toronto’s financial district is about “getting back to the roots” of the company’s early days in Canada, Emilio said.

What’s evolved, post-pandemic, is the store’s ability to serve customers outside of traditional operating hours thanks to the implementation of virtual and remote capabilities.

“It took [the team] a few months to figure out the flow of traffic and how it worked,” said Emilio. “But they had their best month in November and are on track to have a strong December.”

Another aspect of the strategy is ensuring that an adequate number of travel advisors are available to meet the demand.

“As we grow, that's going to be an important piece of the puzzle for us,” said Emilio, noting that Flight Centre is actively hiring.

“Obviously, we're looking for experienced travel advisors…but we’re still set up to take people who don't necessarily have the experience they might get from travel and tourism school. We’re going back to our roots and looking for people who have a passion for travel.”

Emilio, who began her career at Flight Centre, and then left for two decades before returning in 2023, praised the quality of the company’s training program.

“When I was outside of the business, I always knew Flight Centre advisors were so well trained. When someone applied for a role, I always felt confident that they had the necessary skills to be incredible at what they do,” she said.

Flight Centre, since the layoffs of 2020, has also welcomed back some of its advisors that were displaced during the pandemic, Emilio said.

The next era

Looking ahead, 2026 shows no signs of slowing down.

“We’ve just come off of two consecutive years that were our best in the nation,” Lynes said. “We’re half way through our financial year, and right now, it all points to another incredible year.”

Later, Lynes thanked the night’s guests for believing in the brand – and for growing with it.

“The next era of Flight Centre in Canada is just beginning,” he said. “It’s super exciting.”

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