About the Company

Flight Expert provides seamless travel booking solutions for air tickets and hotel accommodations, catering to both individual customers and travel agents. Established as the first online travel agency in Bangladesh, it connects users with over 700 airlines and one million hotels globally. The company prioritizes customer-centric services, emphasizing brand reliability over personal interactions with agents.

To enhance its offerings, Flight Expert also launched a B2B platform, enabling travel agents to access its robust inventory and technology. With a focus on self-financing, the company has maintained full ownership while seeking opportunities to expand through external investments. Despite the setbacks of the COVID-19 pandemic, Flight Expert has rebounded strongly, exceeding pre-pandemic revenue levels.

Idea Behind Company

The idea originated from Salman's observation of declining revenues and inefficiencies in his father's traditional travel agency. During a visit home from studying in Canada, Salman identified an opportunity to modernize the travel industry in Bangladesh by creating an online platform similar to global OTAs like MakeMyTrip. Inspired by his mother's preference for branded shopping experiences, he envisioned Flight Expert as a trusted brand, eliminating dependency on individual agents.

Flight Expert aimed to address common pain points, such as limited online payment options, lack of transparency, and inconsistent service quality. By leveraging his father's industry connections and licenses, Salman developed a model focused on streamlining travel bookings and providing reliable customer support.

Creating the Company

Starting with a $20,000 investment from his father, Salman faced significant challenges, including a lack of technical expertise and local developers for OTA platforms. He outsourced the initial website to an Indian firm with OTA experience, prioritizing operational readiness over cost savings.

Extensive research, including fieldwork with traditional travel agencies, revealed gaps in customer service and accounting practices, shaping Flight Expert’s service-focused approach. The company hired fresh graduates to build a team aligned with its vision, ensuring that employees adhered to the brand's ethos of reliability and efficiency.

Launching the Business

Flight Expert launched its website on March 1, 2017, after ten months of research and preparation. The company adopted a low-budget marketing strategy, leveraging social media and partnerships with local banks to promote its services. It took 17 days to secure its first booking, marking the beginning of its journey toward becoming a household name in Bangladesh's travel sector.

Salman’s hands-on approach included analyzing competitors and identifying service weaknesses to establish a distinct value proposition. The focus on brand identity and dependable customer support attracted loyal customers, enabling steady growth and market recognition.

Earnings

Flight Expert reached its breakeven point within 12 months of operations and achieved consistent revenue growth. The company currently generates $1.5 million in monthly revenue, translating to $18 million annually. Salman's strategic focus on sustainable growth and reinvestment has been instrumental in scaling the business.

Despite initial funding challenges, Flight Expert secured over $2 million from family resources to establish operations and mitigate COVID-related losses. The company now seeks external investors to enhance its technology and expand its market presence, cementing its status as a pioneer in Bangladesh’s travel industry.