Car hire firms link up with airline to deliver deals for customers

February 25, 2011 By Carl Wheeler
hirecars

Alamo Rent a Car and National Car Rental have made a deal with Korean Air which will deliver great benefits to customers of both the airline and the car hire firms.

The partnership between the three companies will offer members of Korean Air’s frequent flyer program, Korean Air Skypass, the chance to earn extra air miles by hiring a car with Alamo or National Car Rental.

The two car rental companies are owned and operated by Enterprise Holdings, which is the largest car hire provide in the world, boasting a workforce of 68,000, and annual revenue of $12.6 billion, and a fleet of cars and trucks totalling over 1 million.

Korean Air frequent flyers will be able to collect 500 air miles per car rental when they hire a car with either operator. Up until the end of March, frequent flyers with the airline will earn an extra 500 air miles when they hire a car with either Alamo or National Car Rental as part of a special introductory offer to celebrate the start of the new partnership.

The air miles can be collected by frequent flyers hiring a car from any participating Alamo or National Car Rental centre in the world, so regardless of where you’re travelling to or from, you’ll be able to take advantage of this exclusive deal between Korean Air and the car hire giant.

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Hertz buys out budget NZ car hire firm

February 17, 2011 By Dez Rowley
ace-rent-a-car

Hertz have acquired one of New Zealand’s leading car hire companies, Ace Rental Cars, which will allow the car hire giant to enter into the tourist market in both New Zealand and Australia.

According to Hertz, Ace Rental Cars is the second largest discount car hire company in New Zealand. The buyout will allow Hertz to continue with their expansion plans. The company has been expanding gradually throughout the US, Europe, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean through their subsidiary company, Advantage Car Rental.

The acquisition of Ace Rental Cars will provide Hertz with the perfect opportunity to get into the tourist market in both Australia and New Zealand as Ace is already well established in the budget sector of car hire in the two countries, being popular with both tourists and independent travellers.

Despite being bought out by car hire giant Hertz, Ace Rental Cars will continue to operate under its original name using its own branding as it will work independently from the Hertz name.

Ace Rental Cars started out 25 years ago and operates mainly in New Zealand, but also boasts car hire outlets in Australia’s Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane. The car rental provider specialises in budget car hire with their rates generally being approximately 40% to 50% than the car hire rates set by Hertz.

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Enterprise launch electric car hire in the US

January 20, 2011 By Trudi Johnson
hirecars

Enterprise Rent-a-Car has joined the electric car revolution and will be offering electrically powered vehicles from their California car hire centres from this year.

The car hire giant plan to introduce two eco-friendly vehicles to their fleet including the popular Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt Extended range vehicle.

While many car hire companies have started offering electric powered vehicles, some providers have encountered some minor teething issues associated with them. The biggest issue is the range of the electric cars, as many are only able to travel 100 miles on a single charge. Although electric vehicles are becoming more prevalent, charging points are still very few and far between, which can cause extra issues for those wanting to hire one of these vehicles.

However the Chevy Volt offers an extended range which will help alleviate the most common stumbling block associated with electric hire cars. As well as being powered by electric, the Chevy Volt also has an onboard fuel powered generator which helps extend its driving range.

Enterprise say purchase demand for electric powered vehicles has been growing, and they expect this demand to continue into the car hire industry, which is why they’ve taken the decision to invest in eco-friendly vehicles.

The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf will be available in California Enterprise centres initially, although the car hire provider plans to roll out the green vehicles to other locations in the US within the coming year.

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Car hire firm Avis sells off debt to help take over bid for Dollar Thrifty

October 8, 2010 By Trudi Johnson
Dollar

The third largest car rental company in the US, Avis, has reportedly sold off $400 million of debt in an attempt to help bolsters its position to take over the smaller budget car hire company, Dollar Thrifty.

Avis and Hertz have been locked in a bidding war for months as the two car hire firms battle it out to buy out the smaller company. Hertz had looked the favourites to win, but after Dollar Thrifty rejected the firm’s latest offer, the tide seems to be turning in favour of Avis.

The last bid put forward by Hertz stood at $1.44 billion, but this was not accepted by the Dollar Thrifty shareholders. Hertz have since withdrawn the offer. Avis is still very much in the running with their current bid standing at $1.53 billion.

It’s believed New Jersey based Avis will use the sale to help pay off existing debts which will help put the company in a better position to buy out the budget car rental firm. The practice of selling off junk rated corporate debt to pay for new acquisitions has increased by 15% this year, statistics have revealed.

The acquisition of Dollar Thrifty would be a great deal for Avis as the smaller company comes with very little debt and a healthy income.

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Car hire giant launches home delivery service

May 12, 2010 By Trudi Johnson

New car drop-off and collection service is launched

One of the UK’s largest car rental companies, Avis UK, has launched a brand new service which allows customers to have their hire car delivered right to their front door.

Avis UK is aiming to make its car hire service more accessible and convenient for all of its customers. As well as dropping of your rental vehicle at your chosen location, the company will also send a driver to pick up your car at the end of your hire period.

The move spells good news for holidaymakers in the UK who previously, would have had to have taken valuable time out of their holiday to travel to the hire depot to pick up and drop off a hire car. The service also makes car hire more accessible for those without alternative means of transport to travel to the hire centre; before the service customers would have had to travel to the depot on public transport or by taxi which can be both time consuming and often costly.

The service is available all over the UK, except in London, between Mondays and Saturdays and costs just £10 each way, so the cost of having your car dropped off and collected works out very reasonably.

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New car hire website launched where vehicle owners rent out their ride

April 29, 2010 By Trudi Johnson

New rental scheme is launched which allows vehicle owners to hire their cars out

A brand new website has been launched earlier this month where car owners have the opportunity to rent their car out to others in their area.

Whipcar is the brainchild of Vinay Gupta who says the idea behind the service is to “enable owners to put their cars to work.” A recent report revealed that a high percentage of cars on UK roads are used by their owners for less than an hour each day. The new site will allow car owners to earn money on their otherwise idle motors.

Registration for the site is free however Whipcar do require the vehicle to have a valid MOT, be less than 8 years of age, and will inspect the car to ensure it is clean and tidy and is not a stolen vehicle.

Those wishing to register to rent cars in their local area will also be subjected to checks to ensure they have a valid license, and do not hold more than 6 point or their license or any drink-drive convictions in the last 5 years. Whipcar aims to protect both the car owners and prospective hirers through their routine checks.

The scheme has initially been rolled out in London only, however the bosses at Whipcar aim to have the service up and running throughout the country with the coming weeks.

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Car manufacturers have fingers crossed for bumper sales from car hire industry in 2010

January 8, 2010 By Carl Wheeler
Car makers off to flying start in 2010 with orders from vehicle rental companies

Car makers off to flying start in 2010 with orders from vehicle rental companies

Car manufacturers are hoping that 2010 will be a turnaround year. Having suffered plummeting sales figures in previous 12 months, things finally seem to be looking up for the industry, and the car hire market is playing a big role in it.

Car rental firms were very reluctant to put their hands in their pockets last year to fork out for new vehicles, and this had a serious affect on the manufacturers. One of their biggest markets, simply wasn’t buying. Some smaller car ire firms failed to get the financial backing from the bank which prevented them from investing in a new fleet, whereas those companies which were struggling to stay afloat, started selling off vehicles to help raise funds.

The car hire companies which had to shed cars during the difficulties, and have now come through the other side, will be looking to boost their fleet back up to its previous size, which is music to the ears of the manufacturers.

The decline in the number of car hire vehicles available last year did cause major problems especially during the peak holiday season. Several cases reported tourists in European destination being left without any transport whatsoever, and those that did find a car available, were charged a premium rate and a massive hike in hire prices was noted.

Ford and Chrysler car manufacturers in the US have both reported an encouraging start to 2010 having taken a number of big orders. Both saw a significant drop in sales last year, but it seems the tide is finally turning and the industry is looking forward to a successful year.

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Limo Broker announce cheap limo hire rates for 2010

January 4, 2010 By Dez Rowley
Limo Broker introduces ultra low rates on limo hire for the new year

One of the leading limo hire providers in the UK, Limo Broker, have announced all time low prices to kick start 2010. The limo giant have slashed rates across their whole range of vehicles so there’s never been a better time to pick up a bargain limo ride for your special occasion this year.

With a massive selection of chauffeur driven limousines to choose from you’re bound to find something to suit your occasion perfectly. From top of the range Hummer limos with the capacity to carry 18 passengers, to exquisite wedding cars like the open-top Beauford, and exclusive vehicles such as the Ferrari limo, you won’t find a more comprehensive and exciting fleet anywhere else in the country.

As a nationwide operator, Limo Broker can provide you with a limo hire regardless of where you are based in the UK. From London to Edinburgh, Cardiff to Belfast and Swindon to Birmingham, no destination is out of bound when you make a booking with Limo Broker.

These ultra low limo hire rates won’t hang around for long so if you need a wedding car for you big day this summer, or a novelty limo to surprise your best mate on her birthday, or a party bus to celebrate your stag do in style, now is the time to bag a bargain. Call now and receive a rock bottom price for your limo trip courtesy of Limo Broker’s exclusive January sale.

For more details, please visit www.limobroker.co.uk

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Car Hire firm offers mobile internet service

October 10, 2009 By Carl Wheeler
New mobile internet service for car hire customersNew mobile internet service for car hire customers

Car Hire firm Europcar have just unveiled the latest addition to their services. The new mobile internet website is an attempt to keep up with the changing ways in which customers search for car hire services. Recent figures showed that 8 million of us in the U.K access the internet from our mobiles, that’s up a massive 42% on last year. With this in mind, Europcar decided to launch the new website to provide a service for those users.

Now those wishing to book car hire can do so on the move with the help of the easy to navigate website designed specifically for use on mobile devices. It makes for a fast and efficient means by which to make car hire enquiries and a convenient option for those with little time to spare.

As well as being able to make bookings for car rental services, the website allows customers to make changes to their reservation including altering pick up times, locations and adding on extras such as sat nav technology and child seats. It will be especially handy for those customers who are already away from home and need to find their closest car hire outlet. By typing in your required location you’ll be able to find a list of car hire bases in the area.

All booking confirmations and other information will be sent directly to your mobile via text or email. As an added incentive, Europcar are offering a 10% for those who book using the mobile service up until the end of November 2009.

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Europcar offers 20% reduction on car hire rates

October 3, 2009 By Dez Rowley
Europcar survey reveals our car hire habits

Europcar has revealed its latest money saving scheme just in time for those planning a half-term getaway this October. Hire a vehicle this autumn and you’ll receive 20% off. However the offer isn’t restricted to just cars, you can also take advantage of this generous 20% discount if you are planning to hire a van. So if you’re moving home, or just doing a spot of DIY, you’ll make a great saving by booking your car or van hire through Europcar this autumn.

Europcar offers the widest range of hire vehicles in the U.K., plus they have outlets scattered all over the country so you’re bound to find one locally or in the area you’re planning to visit. So whether you need to transport your entire family or a large group of friends in a spacious people carrier or if you have a romantic break in mind and would like to hire a sporty two seater, you’ll find plenty of choice when you book with this car hire specialist.

reduced rates for care hire

reduced rates for car hire

All rental vehicles available from Europcar are recent models and are, on average, just 6 months old. Each and every car or van comes with 24 hour roadside and breakdown assistance which covers you in the event of an emergency or mechanical fault.

In order to benefit from this generous offer all you need to do is book you car hire through the official Europcar website. If you’re on the move you can also make your booking via the company’s brand new mobile service which allows you to locate your nearest outlet and make your booking all on your mobile phone.

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