Flight Centre shrugs off Airbnb threat and claims disruptive start-ups are over exposed
Flight Centre marketer Keith Stanley has dismissed the threat of start-ups like Airbnb, insisting they are minnows in the industry who do not deserve the exposure they receive.
Stanley said operations such as taxi firm Uber and home stay accommodation site Airbnb are handed too much publicity and will “always be a small part of the industry”.
The comments came during a question time panel at the Mumbrella Travel Marketing Summit, which saw Accor vice president of marketing and communications Bridie Commerford praise the “disruptors” for keeping traditional players on their toes.
I’m in my 20s reading this and wondering what this guy is smoking. These startups are going to change the world and completely disrupt the traditional models of every industry here just like they have done in the US and elsewhere. The fact that these potential rolemodels in Aus think this way in media, travel and transportation is mindblowing in the worst possible way.
As soon as a travel startup with no bricks and mortar has the global leverage it needs to be competitive in Australia, Flight Centre is finished. If people like Keith Stanley didn’t dismiss the future, they could make the right moves to prevent their destruction.
Smacks of denial.
Like Microsoft dismissing the iPhone or Blockbuster opting not to buy Netflix – these guys are on their way to a total disaster.
The two key points Mr Stanley has made during the Travel Marketing Summit are both dangerously narrow minded and off the mark.
1) Relevance is important, creative is not
2) Start Ups are cute but irrelevant.
There is a fairly significant disconnect between perception and reality here, and I would hazard a guess and say 90% of us can see it.
Having used both Flight Centre and Airbnb recently…I truly would never go back to Flight centre. Was the worst customer experience I’d ever had – too many of my flights were completely botched, blatantly wrong dates by some pretty incompetent staff.
Airbnb on the other hand. Beautiful apartments throughout Europe at 1/4 of the price and better service from the apartment owners than any hotel id been to.
Goodbye Flight Centre. Never nice knowing you.
That’s cute.
When my grandmother was gravely ill not too long ago, I visited a Flight Centre shop to book the earliest flight out of town, rather than looking to OTA. This goes to show that brick and mortar store is still important.
When my father died I jumped online and booked all the flights I needed without any hassles at all and could receive immediate confirmation without an middle person.
I haven’t used Air BNB yet but intend to on my next trip overseas, the idea of staying with locals and learning about the area through them sounds very appealing almost like my own private tour guides.
Never dismiss Bricks and Mortar – They will continue to play an important role in travel. Often It’s a lot easier to deal with a good agency when your travel plans aren’t going to plan. It’s a matter of personal choice. OTAs for accommodation, and travel agencies for flights, that’s how I book.
I suspect Flight Centre know they have another 5 or so good years left.
The Flight Centre target market – in this case I suspect mainly cashed up baby boomers seem unable or unwilling to plan their own holiday and simply visit their local travel agent.
Yes Travel agents are invaluable with more complicated planning where several cities and/or countries are involved but simple A to B is pretty straight forward unless one is not savvy on the digital front and there is an age group that would find this challenging.
Family Traveller- that’s how people who remember more time before the Internet book and nobody else, flight centre has 10 years max before being bought or being bankrupt
ZM and family traveller are right, don’t write off bricks and mortar.
and plus, what is the guy meant to say, “yep our business model is f*cked because everyone lives on startup hype and gets all of their information from buzzfeed articles these days?”
play to your strengths, pick your markets. i reckon the people at flight centre understand this.