Following the soft rollout of Atlantic Aviation’s new customer rebate program earlier this year, the FBO mega-chain is marking Atlantic Ascend’s NBAA-BACE debut this week. With free enrollment, the program provides exclusive fuel savings and service fee rebates across its entire network. Atlantic said Ascend will complement and not replace Awards, its existing customer rewards program.
“Atlantic Awards and Atlantic Ascend serve two different audiences, but they share the same philosophy,” said John Redcay, Atlantic’s chief commercial and sustainability officer. “Atlantic Awards rewards individual pilots, while Ascend was built for the organizations behind the flying. Flight departments, charter operators, management companies, and aircraft owners now have a way to earn meaningful savings across their entire operation.”
Ascend provides two main benefits. First, each subscriber will receive a weekly exclusive list of best-available, non-negotiated fuel pricing at all of Atlantic’s more than 100 locations in North America, including Alaska and Hawaii, offering improved predictability on fuel costs.
The second part of Ascend’s value proposition enables customers to unlock quarterly rebates of up to 15% on service fees such as aircraft parking; ground services (GPU, lavatory, water); hangarage; and security and facility fees. These automatic savings are calculated based on the times a customer chooses an Atlantic facility at airports where there is competition.
If they choose Atlantic 50% or more in a quarter at those locations, the rebate levels will escalate as the percentage increases and then be multiplied by the number of consecutive quarters (up to three) they maintain that level. Those rebates apply to operator spend across the entire Atlantic network, not just at destinations where there is competition.
Following a beta test earlier this year at select locations, the company has expanded the program nationwide. To date, it reported that more than 500 customers, representing 2,300 aircraft, have already enrolled. Members ranged from single-aircraft operators to those with fleets exceeding 90 aircraft.
For example, it cited one charter operator that has increased its Atlantic market share from 55% to 82% since joining the program, visiting 75 unique locations in the process. It more than doubled its trip activity, and under the escalating Ascend rewards framework, increased its service fee savings earning rate to the 12% rebate level.
“What has been most encouraging is seeing customers move beyond enrollment and begin earning value from the program,” Redcay told AIN. “Atlantic Ascend was designed to reward consistency by increasing the rebate amounts over time. We’re seeing strong engagement from customers who are choosing Atlantic more often and realizing meaningful savings as a result.”
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