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Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
New Zealand’s Commerce Commission has announced that it will be keeping an especially close eye on the country’s tourism sector ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup. The warning comes after two car hire company bosses were fined for scamming foreign visitors. The Directors of Euro Car Rental New Zealand in Christchurch and Affinity Car Rental New Zealand, also in Christchurch, have pleaded guilty to several counts of breaching the Fair Trading Act.
Among their crimes were: adding charges to customers’ bills which had never been discussed; telling customers’ that repairs had been done to cars when they had not; telling customers they had caused damage to vehicles when it was not the case; advertising the companies as being supported by ‘Qalmark’ while having no such endorsement and promising the newest car models, but providing vehicles which had been in the fleet for years.
The Commerce Commission’s general manager of enforcement, Kate Morrison, said this was exactly the sort of behaviour which can put tourists off from coming to New Zealand. She added the country needed to keep its reputation in tact, especially with the Rugby World Cup fast approaching.
Morrison explained that the car rental industry is an extremely important part of New Zealand’s travel infrastructure, especially for tourists. She said it was vital that businesses competed fairly and provided the most up to date information possible.
Morrison added that many overseas visitors have to book their car hire well in advance of their travels and so companies really ought to keep their websites accurate.
Tags: Affinity Car Rental, car hire, car rental, Commerce Commission, Euro Car Rental, fair trading, Rugby World Cup, tourism
Posted in Car Rental News | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
Dubai based Emirates has confirmed that it intends to grow its fleet by two passenger planes every month over the next 12 years as its struggles to keep up with the demand for seats. Sir Maurice Flanagan, the carrier’s executive vice-chairman said the coming years would see the airline grow substantially.
At recent major air shows, Emirates has made the announcement that it has placed orders with Airbus for 32 of its A380 super jumbos and with Boeing for 30 of its 777-300ERs. The orders have a combined list price of more than $20 billion. Emirates also has orders worth a combined $48 billion for 18 more Boeing 777s, 70 A350s and 48 A380s as well as 7 Boeing air freighters.
For the fiscal year ending 30 March, Emirates announced a profit increase of 416 per cent on a year earlier of $964 million. In October the airline will turn 25 and this year is the 22nd in which it has been able to announce a profit.
Flanagan told reporters at the airline’s headquarters in Dubai that even with the increased capacity two new aircraft per month will introduce; the carrier would struggle to meet passenger demand. He explained that territories such as the US and Australia still offered tremendous opportunities for growth. Flanagan added that cities such as St Petersburg, Chicago and Kiev would be better served by the airline, if only it had more aircraft.
Flanagan went on to say the only thing theoretically in the way of continual growth was the capacity of the airline’s hub, Dubai International.
Tags: airbus, aircraft, airline, boeing, Dubai International, Emirates, passenger, super jumbo
Posted in Travel News | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010
New research by car hire firm, Holiday Autos, suggests a quarter of all couples will end up having an argument about the best way of packing their belongings into the holiday rental vehicle, before the holiday even begins. According to the study, men tend to pack more than their partners when travelling to the beach. Nearly one third admitted they have had to leave some of their luggage behind at the airport because it would not fit into the rental car. Only 17 per cent of women admitted to having been in the same situation.
When booking a car for the holiday, 82 per cent of men felt it was their job. However, according to Holiday Autos, many males prefer to concentrate on the make of vehicle and the size of its engine, rather than how much luggage space it provided.
Managing director of Holiday Autos, Stuart Nassos, said many people seem to ignore the fact that when booking a vehicle for their holiday it is likely to be smaller than the car they use when they are at home and therefore tend to bring more luggage than will safely fit.
Nassos advised all customers to check the Holiday Autos Car Features Guide before deciding on which model to book. He added that the car should either be big enough to accommodate a holidaymaker’s luggage or the amount of luggage should be reduced to fit in the car.
According to the research 18 per cent of men admit that they have returned to the car hire desk in order to upgrade to a larger vehicle to accommodate their luggage.
Tags: airport, Car Features Guide, car hire, hire desk, Holiday Autos, luggage, rental car, rental vehicle
Posted in Car Rental News | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
The Competition Commission is to investigate the acquisition of Streetcar by US rivals Zipcar after the Office of Fair Trading said it was concerned that the deal may breach competition rules. The deal was sealed earlier this year and saw Zipcar grow its fleet of short-term rental vehicles by 1,400. Initially the US based car club had 370 cars in the UK.
Amelia Fletcher, senior director of mergers at the OFT, said that it had been established that the two companies, as well as being the largest in London, were also the most competitive with each other. The acquisition of Streetcar by Zipcar means that competition will now be gone.
Fletcher added that because the car club phenomenon was so new to the car rental scene, it is important that it is protected in its infancy, especially as the potential for growth is so huge. Because of the deal Zipcar is now far larger than its nearest London competitor, City Car Club.
Chairman and chief executive of Zipcar, Scott Griffith, said he was sorry the Commission felt it had to launch an investigation into the acquisition of Streetcar, but added that he was sure the result would be positive for the company. He went on to say that it was a shame that a delay would now be imposed on a transaction that would benefit consumers as well as the environment.
Zipcar purchased Streetcar for £32 million in April. The Competition Commission is due to announce its findings in the New Year.
Tags: car club, car rental, City Car Club, Competition Commission, environment, OFT, rental vehicles, Streetcar, zipcar
Posted in Car Rental News | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010
Motorists who ignore speed limits are most likely to have their number-plates photographed in the Greater London area, according to recent research. GPS speed camera data supplier, RoadPilot, claims that drivers breaking speed limits in the capital are more than 100 times more likely to be caught on camera than anywhere else in the UK.
With 16 per cent of the country’s speed cameras, London has more roadside traps than the whole of Scotland, Ireland and Wales combined. Second to London is Birmingham, which has 7.4 per cent of the UK’s cameras. West Yorkshire has 6.7 per cent, Lancashire has 5.7 per cent and Staffordshire has five per cent.
RoadPilot’s CEO, James Flynn OBE, said that it was not a surprise to learn that London had the highest percentage of cameras in the country. He added that it was surprising to realise just how unevenly distributed the devices were. He went on to point out that the UK is probably the most heavily policed country in the world when it comes to speed limits.
The UK currently has around 5,500 speed cameras in operation on its roads. According to Flynn, the vast majority of these are set up to monitor 30mph restrictions. With only 3.6 per cent of all the cameras set up to catch speeding motorists on 70mph roads, it means that drivers don’t have to be operating at excessive speeds in order to be issued with a penalty.
Flynn concluded that with all the distractions on today’s roads, drivers needed to be constantly reminded of local limits.
Tags: drivers, GPS, motorists, RoadPilot, speed cameras, speed limits
Posted in Travel News | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 28th, 2010
Hertz has announced that it has established a dedicated Gulf Coast Customer Care Centre in the Gulf of Mexico in order to assist people visiting the area to help with the clean-up find the right vehicle and the right equipment for the job. A team of customer care representatives will be on-hand to assist with finding the most appropriate vehicles and equipment as well as give out helpful advice.
Hertz chairman and chief executive, Mark P Frissora, said that as soon as the Gulf Coast tragedy happened, the company had people on the ground ready to assist in any way they could with helping to organise vehicle solutions for those coming into the area. He added that demand has been creeping up as the crisis has continued, and that the new Customer Care Centre would help cater to that demand.
He went on to say that Hertz has always been ready to cope with a catastrophe and confirmed that the firm had deployed people to the area from across the country. Hertz employees from places such as Las Vegas, Washington and Fort Myers are now assisting local management in getting vehicles and equipment to those who need it most.
Hertz has deployed several hundred additional vehicles to the region, including vans and SUVs. A number of these vehicles will be used by officials from the government, FEMA and the Coast Guard. Hertz says that its equipment arm has put in an order for $7 million worth of additional supplies.
Hertz Equipment Rental also intends to set up base-camps in Alabama and Florida to make getting vehicles and equipment to customers speedier and more efficient.
Tags: coast guard, customer care centre, FEMA, government, Hertz, Hertz Equipment Rental, Mark P. Frissora, SUV
Posted in Car Rental News | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Avis car hire has admitted that although it had to relocate to King Shaka International Airport at a time when the industry was suffering from the effects of the global economic downturn, now that it has done so, it hoped to see the benefits. The new airport was opened ahead of this year’s World Cup tournament, even though a number of airlines announced that it was not necessarily needed.
Wayne Duvenage, chief executive of Avis South Africa, said that the company had also decided to bring forward the delivery of a new fleet of vehicles to coincide with the World Cup instead of the summer holidays, as would normally be that case.
The new high-tech premises at King Shaka International cost R31 million and has the facilities to maintain, store and refuel up to 2,000 vehicles. The facility also incorporates carbon-saving and water-saving initiatives. There is even a cleaning station capable of making a vehicle look brand new in just 12 seconds.
Duvenage explained that as of September 2009, Avis has been carbon neutral. He added that carbon offsetting was being practised by the firm, and that it was investing in the production of clean energy in India, China and Tanzania.
By storing rainfall which is collected from roofs, Avis has also managed to slash its municipal water consumption by around 80 per cent. In Cape Town, a water tank capable of holding 185,000 litres of water means that the depot never needs to access the municipal supply during times of heavy rain.
Tags: airlines, Avis, Avis South Africa, car hire, clean energy, King Shaka International, summer holidays, World Cup
Posted in Car Rental News | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Global leaders in car hire, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, have joined a number of other major brand names in setting up an app on independent media network, Youth Media. The new app will feature on the YouthWire Desktop Platforms on computers located in libraries and study areas in universities and colleges around the country. The app is aimed at giving students an insight into the history of Enterprise, what it is like to work for the company and up-to-date information on opportunities with the firm.
Director of Youth Media, Justin Smith, said: “With reports that there are 70 graduates applying for every vacancy in the UK, companies know they need to sift through the market and identify the best candidates, and Enterprise was able to get an excellent start to this process through this app on our platform.”
The Enterprise app is now available on the YouthWire network in 34 universities across the UK. This gives the car hire giant access to around 650,000 students, each of whom can now apply for jobs with Enterprise online.
Youth Media is currently the only media network available on computers in the country’s universities and colleges. All of the media solutions featured on its desktop platforms have been wholly endorsed by the academic institutions in which they operate.
Partnerships with more than 200 educational establishments across the UK means that Youth Media reaches approximately 2.5 million students aged between 14 and 25. Other clients with apps on the Youth Media platform include the Army, the Royal Bank of Scotland, the NHS and Microsoft.
Tags: app, Army, car hire, Enterprise, enterprise rent a car, graduates, Microsoft, the NHS, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Youth Media, YouthWire
Posted in Car Rental News | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Peugeot has announced that it is launching pilots of its car club scheme ‘Mu by Peugeot’ in the UK. The operations will role out in Bristol and London offering those who sign up for membership the chance to rent a vehicle from a participating Peugeot dealership for just a few hours or over a week.
Car clubs throughout the world are offering drivers a viable alternative to owning a vehicle. According to the Department for Transport membership of such schemes in the UK has practically doubled in the last year alone. Car clubs in the UK now have a membership of over 112,000.
As well as offering a economical alternative to owning a car, car clubs are helping to cut back on congestion on the roads as well as the damage done by vehicles to the environment. Managing director of Peugeot UK, Jon Goodman, said that as well as supplying much needed solutions in the current economic and environmental climate, Mu by Peugeot was offering flexibility, convenience and a wide product range to its members.
The Peugeot car club scheme is already available through dealerships in Paris and other major French cities. It has also been rolled out in the Spanish, Italian and German capitals and by the end of next year, Peugeot hopes to have a presence in nine countries across Europe.
Mu by Peugeot offers a range of vehicles from scooters costing just £18 per half-a-day to large vans which can be taken away by members for £300 per week.
Tags: car clubs, Department for Transport, Mu by Peugeot, peugeot, Peugeot car club, Peugeot dealership
Posted in Car Rental News | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
Andy Murray has admitted that he is pleased his supporters have been able to move on from the disappointment of the World Cup and get behind him at Wimbledon. He added that it makes a huge difference to the pressure of the tournament when one knows that the home support is there for you.
Murray faces Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Centre Court this afternoon. The only hope of British sporting glory this summer, Murray is bound to be feeling some pressure. However, he is still to drop a set in this tournament, and seems genuinely relaxed.
Murray has been staying at his Surrey home throughout the championships. He said that it made him feel more comfortable to be in his own home surrounded by family and friends. He explained that on the court it made little difference, but to be off the court with those you know well around you is nice. He explained that it was difficult to get that during the rest of the year.
The forecast for Wimbledon today is for some light drizzle early on followed by another fabulously warm day with temperatures expected to hit around 27C.
In the audience, cheering him on with the rest of the supporters today will be Murray’s mother Judy and Kim Sears, his girlfriend. David Beckham also appears to be trying to put the country’s dismal performance in South Africa behind him. The former England football captain has apparently sent a good luck message to the Scot ahead of today’s clash via text message.
Tags: Andy Murray, Centre Court, david beckham, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, tennis, Wimbledon, World Cup
Posted in Celebrity News | No Comments »
