Flight Centre revamps Student Flights to attract 21st century students, backpackers and FITS

Flight Centre has announced today that it will be pushing the growth of a major part of its business by overhauling and updating its Student Flight product in Australia.

The new brand, dubbed Universal Traveller, will be aimed travellers at the 18-35 demographic which will offer unique products and exclusive offers to a broader range of travellers the previous incarnation.

“The customer base and product offering have significantly evolved”

FLT managing director Graham Turner said: “This is an exciting brand enhancement for our people, our customers and our suppliers and is geared towards increasing our share of this large market sector. Student Flights, the brand that we have traditionally used to target this demographic, was launched in Australia in the mid-1990s as a dedicated flight offering for students and backpackers.

“Broader base”

“Since then, the customer base and product offering have significantly evolved, but this evolution into a full-service agency – with world-class offerings for younger travellers across a number of key product ranges – was not reflected in the brand name. This was hampering its growth potential.”

Fuller went on to add: “We believe Universal Traveller more accurately reflects the brand’s specialisation and will resonate with the broader customer base of students, backpackers and young professionals that its core products are targeted at and will appeal to.”

Universal Traveller product categories:

• Flights – including the exclusive Black Market range of discounted and flexible fares for students and under-30s.
• FIT (fully independent traveller)
• Touring, particularly Topdeck and Contiki
• Adventure – including small groups and expedition
• Festivals
• Ancillary, which includes tailored insurance and interest-free offers

Other enhancements include the acquisitions of touring business Topdeck and the Boston-based StudentUniverse online travel agency.

StudentUniverse, which currently operates in the United States and the UK, will soon launch in Australia and will operate alongside UT as a dedicated online business targeting students and the broader youth sector.