Flight Centre Reviews

The company culture is toxic and often feels like working within a pyramid scheme structure. Decisions are made at the top and funnel down through layers of management until they reach store level staff. At each level, management is expected to present these decisions positively and motivate staff to accept them, largely because their own salaries and incentives depend on team performance. This creates an environment where transparency is limited and information is often framed in a way that benefits the company rather than the employee. It leaves significant room for manipulation, pressure, and unrealistic expectations being passed down the chain. The base salary is minimum wage, which forces employees to rely heavily on incentives in order to earn a sustainable income. This creates a culture where staff feel pressured to constantly chase sales targets and incentives, often resulting in extremely long working hours. While the company promotes “uncapped earning potential,” what this really means is that the harder and longer you work, the more incentive targets you may reach. It encourages overworking and creates an unhealthy work-life balance, as employees feel they cannot afford to slow down or they will not earn enough to live comfortably. This structure also leads to practices that can feel unethical or uncomfortable, particularly when dealing with clients. Staff are encouraged to add as many components as possible into every booking because this is how component bonuses are achieved. This can sometimes feel disingenuous, as the focus shifts from what is best for the client to what will increase commission and incentive earnings. Over time, this can create a sales culture that prioritizes numbers over genuine customer service and long-term client relationships. Instead of increasing base salaries to fairly compensate employees for the level of responsibility required in the role, the company often uses incentives and rewards such as global conferences or events like Flichella as motivation. While these rewards may seem exciting, they do not replace fair and stable income. The role itself requires a high level of responsibility, including logistics management, time management, financial handling, problem solving, and customer service, often all at once. Despite this, the base pay does not reflect the skill level, responsibility, or stress associated with the job. Another concerning aspect of the culture is the way performance is tracked and shared. Team Leaders are required to record and present individual KPIs daily in front of the entire team. This creates a highly competitive environment where employees feel constantly judged and compared to their peers. Instead of encouraging teamwork and collaboration, it fosters anxiety, pressure, and unhealthy competition. Emotional safety within teams is often compromised because people feel embarrassed or stressed if their numbers are not as high as others. At an area level, top performers are also posted daily across the state. While this is presented as recognition and celebration of high performers, it often feels more like a pressure tactic to push everyone to work harder. The constant visibility of rankings reinforces the culture of “push, push, push” rather than creating a supportive and sustainable work environment. Employees are constantly reminded that they are being measured against others, which can be exhausting and demoralizing over time. Staff retention across stores is very low, and it is not uncommon for entire teams to fall apart and be replaced within short periods of time. The company spends millions of dollars each year recruiting and training new staff, yet there seems to be little focus on retaining experienced employees. Many people leave not because they cannot do the job, but because the pressure, pay structure, and culture are not sustainable long term. This creates a constant cycle of hiring, training, burnout, and resignation.