NEWS

As a consumer of many things, I have long been a price shopper. Growing up I remember the excitement of cutting coupons with my mother on a Sunday afternoon, and enjoyed watching the savings when we'd finally use them at the grocery store. I still get a thrill from sneaking dollar store candy into the movies, and for many years I'd rather buy five $20 shirts as opposed to one $100 shirt in order to have variety and to be able to say I saved a buck.

However, as I've grown older I've began to realize that quality comes at a price. The cheaper items that I bought in my early years ended up being disposable and something that I had to quickly replace. If I wanted something of quality, I needed to be willing to invest a little more of my money, and soon began to realize I was better off in the long run.

In general, most businesses have to compete on two levels: price and quality.

Competing on price is tough. It's a never ending battle where margins are tight, the focus is on volume and, in return, you sacrifice quality.

Competing on quality on the other hand is a different ballgame. At Atlantic, we charge a fair price for a premium product because we have a persistent focus on quality. When you taxi into one of our 68 facilities, you will see our attention to detail. From reinvesting in our facilities, maintaining our equipment, providing comfort and amenities inside of our lobbies, and focusing on our employees to make sure they are greeting you with a smile and a "Be of Service" attitude. We focus on recurrent training, promoting from within and creating a family like atmosphere with outstanding benefits so our employees are happy and, in turn, you are happy. We focus on providing a safe atmosphere and safety culture so our employees take personal pride in handling your multimillion dollar aircraft. We empower our local managers to make decisions in order to keep you satisfied and coming back. And we focus on making you look good because we know we are an extension of your business.

As you can imagine, all of this comes at a price.

When you always price shop for the cheapest bargain, you usually end up getting what you pay for. Sure the fuel may be cheap, but are you getting the type of service and facility you need in order to best serve your passengers? At Atlantic, we want to ensure that your trip is seamless and that we exceed your expectations every time.

A few years ago I took a trip out of the country and given my price shopping nature decided to save money on lodging by staying in a no-name hotel I found online. When I checked in, it seemed decent until I realized that there was no hot water available. After my cold shower I turned off the lights, jumped in my cot-like bed, and tried to calm myself down enough to sleep. Moments later I heard scratching sounds on the floor. I jumped up, turned on the lights, and realized that cockroaches like to congregate in the dark. As quickly as I could I grabbed my belongings and left. Although it was the middle of the night, I found a full-service hotel a few blocks away. Not only was I out the cost of the first hotel, but at this point I was happy to pay double the amount to stay in a clean place with hot running water in order to get a good night's sleep.

Experience brings wisdom and I’ve learned throughout the years that cheapest isn’t always the smartest choice. I know that there are going to be cheaper options out there, but I'd rather not risk quality for price.

Guest post by Aubrey Wall, Regional Sales Manager.