Captain’s Choice ‘heavily’ focused on growing UK business

Australian luxury operator Captain’s Choice has stepped up efforts to woo UK agents as it focuses “heavily” on growing its business in the market.   

 

The all-inclusive private jet and luxury travel specialist offers “unique and exclusive journeys to hidden corners of the globe” via high-end modes of transport, including privately chartered jets, trains and ships.

 

The brand hired Cait Gargett (pictured, right) as UK and Europe manager last September with the view to “diversify” its client base, and is now promoting a series of itineraries designed with the UK market in mind.

 

A recently launched 18-day private jet journey to Latin America flies round-trip from London in August 2026, taking 50 guests to the Atlantic archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, Havana in Cuba and Chile’s Atacama Desert on a Boeing 757-200 with lie-flat seats. The itinerary also includes a privately chartered Amazon river expedition.

 

Captain’s Choice has also launched The Pioneering Spirit of The Kangaroo Route for February 2026, which replicates the original route Qantas took from Sydney to London in 1947, stopping in seven cities along the way.

 

For UK travellers, the double occupancy price of £26,650 per person includes £4,000 flight credit to help towards a one-way business-class airfare to Australia.

 

“This is a one-off journey to celebrate the Qantas and Captain’s Choice relationship, as Captain’s Choice was basically founded because of a charter of a 767 back in 1994,” said chief executive Bas Bosschieter (pictured, left).

 

“It’s got super experiences all the way through at each destination; we have a gala dinner at the Prime Minister’s residence in Colombo, a private dinner in the Vatican after hours.

 

“We wanted to promote it to our UK base on the basis of: ‘Come to Australia for a bit of sunshine in January’. [And then] how fantastic to be able to travel home in blocks of four-and-a-half hours [and enjoy] wonderful experiences in each destination.”

 

Gargett said bookings in the UK currently remain primarily direct, with the operator seeking “independent agents who’ve got the right demographic of clients”.

 

She said: “[We’re] looking for agents who have got those retired clients who have done everything, the people who have been everywhere. I’ve had some nice conversations [with agents], but it’s quite tricky to get in the door.”

 

Gargett cited brand awareness, a crowded supplier marketplace and perceptions around group sizes – which range from 11 to 60, depending on the size of the aircraft, vessel or train – as potential barriers.

 

“[Agents] just don’t know who Captain’s Choice are and I think they’re inundated with suppliers. So getting in the door, getting them to open the emails, is the first hurdle,” she said.

 

In Australia, trade sales currently make up 25% of the operator’s business.

 

“We are Virtuoso in Australia, which is really the only group that we work with; otherwise it is selected agents that have been working with us over the last 30 years,” Bosschieter said.

 

He added: “Our focus is heavily now on really trying to grow the UK business. But when we say grow, please understand it’s nothing like the growth that bigger companies [would be trying to achieve]. We’re taking the first step.”

 

Bosschieter described trading in 2025 as “very consistent”, with popular itineraries including an 18-day Angola to Mozambique rail journey using Rovos Rail - new for the operator this year – and The Spirit & Colours of India by Private Jet.

 

Nearly 70% of the operator’s guests are repeat customers – a figure driven largely by the “diversity” of the brand’s portfolio, according to Bosschieter, with 40% new itineraries every year.

 

“We do the Camino [de Santiago], a walking programme, whereby we have hand-selected 220km of the best parts of the Camino,” he said.

 

“And then on the other hand, we’re running supercars through southern Switzerland and Italy. So it’s all about having diversity and giving people an opportunity to do something different.”