Airflights.co.uk, the discount flight specialists, has warned British holidaymakers against making last minute car rental reservations this summer season.
Many travellers have a tendency to book flights first, then hotel accommodation. Car rental and ground transportation details are often vaguely researched but often never booked until days before required. This results in frequent shortages of not just vehicles but extras such as GPS systems and baby seats.
However, last summer’s unexpected rush on hire cars, which left thousands of travellers stranded in popular destinations line Spain. The late influx also led to substantial price increases as rental companies imposed stricter fleet management [...]

The ability to utilise new technology to remotely disable vehicles in an effort to eliminate theft could soon be adopted by hire car operators and possibly even the military. Fleet M8, the vehicle-tracking organisation based on Tyneside, has announced the details of its new tracking system which will be promoted firmly at organisations with large vehicle fleets along with departments related to national security. This means the government and rental operators will soon be able to benefit from the anti-theft developments.
The scheme will predominantly feature the capacity to disable a vehicle’s ignition function via email request from the owner. This [...]

While the consumer car industry rushes to adopt the eco-friendly green vehicles and hybrid cars it appears that the rental market is severely lagging behind. Several operators have claimed that the prohibitive costs associated with a switch to green technology have left them unable to offer hybrid models.
The hybrid cars are not only expensive to purchase but ongoing maintenance and limited parts suppliers means that hire car companies are still unconvinced about their true worth. With their reliability sill under question the option of hiring them out on a regular basis is unattractive and certainly less profitable than larger fleet [...]

A corner is slowly being turned by hire car companies, even without the massive boost expected from the World Cup this year.
Reassuringly for rental operators who suffered a miserable 2009 the initial reports of the December holiday period should at least bring some sunshine to a bleak UK winter, as a return to something approaching normally was seen as holidaymakers created a noticeable spike in demand for hire vehicles.
CEO Keith Rankin of the Avis Rent A Car owners Barloworld Automotive said that coastal cities in particular experienced a demand spike last month, with the Avis fleet even running out of [...]

Many car hirers have been left stranded over Christmas in some of the worst weather the Northern Hemisphere has ever seen.  Motorists in the UK were subject to sleeping in their cars in icy conditions due to thick snow blanketing the road, the Eurostar Cross Channel Service facing cancellations due to the bad weather that caused a backlog of up to 70,000 travellers left stranded.
Across most of North America, it was the same scenario as airports struggled with the additional number of passengers as well as the added trouble of clearing snow from the runways, as well as making it [...]

Leading car hire company Sixt Rent A Car has announced that it will be offering Londoners the opportunity to get their hands on a rental vehicle for just £29.00 per day throughout the month of January. Sixt is offering low prices on a number of popular vehicles including Ford transit vans and cars from the ever popular Volkswagen Golf series.  The January deals are perfect for customers who want to get away after Christmas.
Sixt has made it extremely easy to book a car hire and customers can reserve their chosen vehicle on the internet through the Sixt website as well [...]

A new survey by Europcar has discovered that a change in driver habits has been brought about by the recession.
With the chilly winter months looming large, the cost of extended driving holidays and lengthy travel times have forced a rethink by British drivers in how best to avoid wear and tear on their own vehicles while making the most of their motoring time.
With reliability and peace of mind at a premium during the holiday season, a phenomenal 85% of respondents to the Europcar survey have agreed that they have altered their driving habits as a direct result of the economic [...]

The hotels chains’ frequent guest club members are now eligible for substantial discount on their car rentals from National Car Rental and Alamo Rent a Car. Best Value Inn is part of the Lexington Collection. They have been moving to add more perks to their frequent guest program thanks to these and other partnerships.
Members of the frequent guest club can receive up to 20 percent discount when renting a car from National or Alamo. They can also get a 77 percent discount on a subscription to budget travel. Enrollment will offer even more discounts on hotels and other amenities.
The frequent [...]

Fitch Ratings service recently brought the debt rating of Hertz Corp to a “BB-“. It had been at an already bothersome “BB” rating. The downgrade further into “junk” status was cited as being because of the weakening in the rental car market and the risk of some near-term refinancing.
When asked for comment, the Fitch Agency stated that, “Although Fitch recognizes modestly improving trends in leisure pricing and in the form of advance bookings for the peak rental car season, it is Fitch’s expectation that longer-term profitability and cash flow will not return to previous peak levels,” This has been troublesome [...]

The Coalition Against Discriminatory Car Rental Excise Taxes is made up of most of the top Car rental companies including Hertz, Avis, Thrifty and many more. They recently announced that they would formally oppose a $2.50 car rental excise tax that will soon be voted on in the Michigan Legislature. This is the latest in a series of oppositions to similar taxes in States throughout the Union.
Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott was recently quoted characterizing another similar excise in Wisconsin tax as “…a fly-by-night approach to raising taxes on drivers, many of whom can’t vote and may not benefit from the [...]