Tamworth, Armidale Flight Centres safe after store cutbacks

There are no planned store closures in the Tamworth region, a spokesperson for the company told the Leader.

At the end of September, the nation's largest travel retailer announced it would slash 91 Flight Centre stores. The COVID-19 crisis had already forced the company to close 280 of its 700 stores.

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"Our goal is to maintain a vibrant store network of around 330 shops, which is supplemented by investment in connected services, including digital and eCommerce and a 24/7 call centre," the spokesperson said.

"No matter where a customer wants to book, or how, we will be able to support them as we have done for 40 years."

The company has made some 4000 staff redundant since the start of the pandemic, which has decimated the travel industry. Flight Centre has forced some staff to reapply for jobs and abolished the position of assistant team leader.

There are Flight Centre stores in both Armidale and Tamworth.

The company is working with a number of businesses, including Centrelink, to help redundant staff find new work, the spokesperson said.

When announcing the cuts last month, Flight Centre said the closures were prompted by domestic and international border closures, which had forced the cancellation of "billions of dollars" in future bookings.

The company said the cuts would "reduce overlap between shops in higher density areas".

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