Flight Centre agent takes top rail gong
Flight Centre travel agent Brett Dee may have been a consultant for less than a year but his knowledge of rail travel is second to none.
Brett, from Flight Centre Warringah Mall in Sydney, edged out 38 other finalists to take top spot in the 2013 Rail Plus Global Rail Expert program and earn himself a trip to Canada.
Rail Plus national sales and marketing manager Greg McCallum described the quality of this year’s candidates as “unprecedented”.
Scores in the program, which provides agents with the chance to enhance their knowledge of rail travel by completing 10 training modules over 10 weeks, ranged from 87% to 98%, he said.
“That reflects the calibre of those taking part but also the importance agents across the travel industry now place on developing their understanding of international and Australian rail products,” McCallum said.
Even before joining the industry last year and taking part in the Rail Plus program, Brett said he was a fan of rail travel having taken to the tracks in Europe, Africa and Japan.
“In terms of environmental impact and an enjoyable journey there’s no better way to travel,” he said. “Having completed such a comprehensive and entertaining course I can now advise my clients on rail itineraries with confidence.”
For the first time, this year’s modules featured Canada, where Brett will visit and experience the Rocky Mountaineer.
The runner-up, Maxine Barron from FBI Travel in Victoria wins two Gold Service tickets on The Ghan or Indian Pacific.
Akane Gonzales from QBT was third, fourth place went to Kathy Kuhne from GET while Robin Woods from Travel Managers NSW was fifth.
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