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Thrifty Car Rental offers Emirates NBD customers cheap deals

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Thrifty Car Rental in the United Arab Emirates has announced that it will be teaming up with Emirates NBD to offer special rates to the bank’s credit card holders. The subsidised rates will be offered to Emirates NBD customers in locations throughout the UAE from now until April 2011. The offer could be the first of many, as Thrifty continues to look for other creditable partners in the region.

Talking about the new offer, General Manager, Thrifty Car Rental, United Arab Emirates, Rahul Sing, said the company had noticed that customers renting vehicles in that last few months had been seeking out deals which offered special rates. He added that by teaming up with Emirates NBD, Thrifty had found a partner with a large client base, which already offered its card holders a number of attractive offers.

Deputy Head Group Marketing, Emirates NBD, Saif Al Mansoori, said that the opportunity to ease the financial pressures of its customers by offering cheap deals on car hire through Thrifty was a welcome one. He added that it was another way in which the bank could reward the loyalty of its customers.

Al Mansoori went on to say that the new offer could reduce a customer’s hire vehicle by half over the next year, and that he was sure Emirates NBD customers would welcome the perk.

Thrifty Car Rental is owned by the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, and is the UAE’s largest car hire firm. The operation is that largest Dollar Thrifty franchise outside the US, and runs a fleet of more than 14,000 vehicles.

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University says hefty car hire and taxi bill is not unusual

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

Spending figures released by the University of Cumbria, show that over an 18-month period, the institution managed to accrue bills of almost £800,000 through car hire and taxi services. In the year-and-a-half period ending last December, the University spent £470,000 on taxis and another £300,000 on hire cars. Cumbria currently has debts of around £30 million.

The University said that it did not believe that the spending was unusual and a spokesman pointed out that it was in its contracts with students and teachers that transport would be provided to get them to work placements. He said that because the University was in a rural location, it was not feasible to use public transport. He also said that the contractual agreement was normal for most other universities.

University of Cumbria branch secretary for Unison, Wanda Armstrong, said that the public service trade union always knew that car hire and taxi fares were going to be substantial. She said they knew that money was being wasted, but also said that there have been huge efforts by staff to reduce the bills.

At the end of last year, the University of Cumbria said that in an attempt to reduce its debt it would be cutting 200 jobs. The University has also announced that it will be mothballing its campus in Ambleside and that it has scrapped plans for a new headquarters in Carlisle, which would have cost around £70 million.

The University opened its doors in 2007, and has blamed the economic downturn, as well as limits on student numbers, for its poor economic performance.

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Car hire firm guilty of offensive slogan

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Workers at a branch of McDonalds in Wellington, New Zealand, have had a complaint upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority, over a phrase printed on the back of a van. The van is owned by vehicle rental company, Wicked Campers. The slogan reads ‘if you love me you would swallow it’.

The complaint to the decency watchdog was made by J Graham, who claimed to represent the interests of 60 members of staff at the fast food chain. The complaint stated that the Wicked Campers vehicle, and its offending slogan, was in clear line of sight of 150 people trying to get on with their jobs. It said that 60 of those people had made a complaint that they found the phrase offensive, and that two of the workers had become nauseous after reading it.

A spokesman for Wicked Campers said that the company was outraged that it should receive a complaint about the slogan. The firm claimed that its interpretation of the phrase was that it was describing the need for people to swallow emotions such as anger and annoyance when in a loving relationship.

Wicked Campers also said that the phrase was no more controversial that those seen printed on t-shirts. The Advertising Standards Authority have upheld the complaint and agree that the phrase is offensive and in breach of decency laws.

However, the authority refused to uphold a complaint by J Graham that children visiting McDonald’s could also be damaged by the phrase. The authority decided that children would not interpret its meaning in the same way as an adult would.

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Sixt causes a stir with new ad campaign featuring French President

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Car hire company, Sixt, has caused a sensation in France by producing an advertising campaign which deliberately mocks the height of the country’s President, Nicholas Sarkozy. The posters are designed to persuade the rental firm’s customers to rent a Citroen C3 hatchback, which is a small car, by saying that people should follow the example of Mr Sarkozy’s wife, Madame Bruni, and get their hands on a small French model.

If Sixt finds itself in hot water over using the couple’s image in its new campaign, it will not be the first company to have done so. In 2009, budget airline Ryanair was sued for using an image of the diminutive Sarkozy and his 5ft 10in wife, with a caption suggesting that if Carla Bruni used the airline, she would be able to have her whole family join her for her wedding. Ryanair was ordered to pay £50,000.

Pardon, the French clothing firm, was also sued for using a nude image of France’s first lady on a bag, with a slogan suggesting that Mr Sarkozy really should have bought some Pardon clothes for her.

The height difference between the former Italian supermodel and her husband is a constant source of amusement for the press. She is often featured wearing shoes with flat soles when appearing next to her husband, whereas he tends to favour shoes with a bit of lift in them.

President of Sixt, France, Jean-Philippe Doyen, shrugged off the controversial aspect of the new ads by saying that they were simply meant as a bit of fun. He said that the car rental business needed a bit of humour injected into it after its recent difficulties.

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New cycle lane confuses motorists

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

The markings of a new cycle lane on a steep section of road in Poole, Dorset, has succeeded in baffling some motorists. The cycle way on Constitution Hill is 6.5 feet wide which means that it takes up more than half the available road space. There is a remaining 4.5 feet for cars.

Safety officials are worried that because not enough people understand the rules, the markings could cause motorists to try and drive up Constitution hill on the wrong side of the road. The markings are perfectly legal and follow official guidelines, and the planners responsible for painting them onto the road say that they will encourage drivers to pay more attention to cyclists.

According to the planners, the markings are on the steep part of the hill as this is where some cyclists start to wobble because of the increase in effort which is required. There is also now adequate space for faster cyclists to overtake.

The new markings have not been received well by some motorists who say the new lane is wide enough to hold a stage of the Tour de France. Poole Council has pointed out that the markings are only advisory and that cars are of course allowed to cross into the cycle lanes as they drive up the hill.

AA spokesperson, Paul Watters, said that he was concerned that some drivers would read the markings in the wrong way and attempt to stay in the path of traffic coming down the hill. He said that some motorists might be afraid of crossing into the cycle lane because they were unsure of the law.

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China Eastern Airlines prepares to join SkyTeam alliance

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

China Eastern Airlines, China’s second largest airline, is likely to announce that it will be joining the SkyTeam airline group by the end of the week. Two unidentified executives at the airline have already strongly hinted that this decision has been made. When it is confirmed it will mean disappointment for Star Alliance and Oneworld who have also been trying to get the Asian carrier on board.

The tie-up will mean that China Eastern will gain greater access to other territories through cooperation and code sharing. Other members of SkyTeam include one of Europe’s biggest airlines, Air France-KLM, and one of America’s largest carriers, Delta Airlines, as well as China Southern Airlines and Korean Airlines.

China Eastern will also make a valuable addition to the SkyTeam alliance by giving other members the opportunity to branch out into the Asian market. This will be welcome as a Delta led attempt to lure Japan Airlines away from the Oneworld alliance recently failed. Japan Airlines was persuaded to stay with Oneworld after American Airlines and British Airways promised to increase their cooperation with the carrier.

A representative of China Eastern, Liu Jiangbo, refused to be drawn on which alliance the airline would be joining but confirmed that an announcement was to be made on April 16. Kelvin Lau at Hong Kong’s Daiwa Institute of Research said that airline alliances should be encouraged. More code sharing and cooperation would mean an increase in the number of tickets sold on Chinese airlines, he said.

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Enterprise Holdings offers promotion in Arizona and Florida

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Car hire giant Enterprise Holdings has announced that it is offering a special promotion until the end of May for clients renting a car in Arizona or Florida.

Enterprise Holdings’ annual ‘Florida Drive Out’ campaign – which includes limitless mileage, special daily low rates and a 21-day utmost rental period – are perfectly suited for Florida consumers who want to return their rented vehicle to any participating franchisee within the US.

Matt Darrah, Executive Vice President for North America Operations of Enterprise Holdings, told that the Florida Drive Out program is mainly designed to help its users get back home conveniently, economically and safely for the summer season.

The organisation, which owns the brands Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental, also offers the new car rental promotion for Arizona residents. Called ‘Arizona Drive Out’, the scheme allows customers to rent a vehicle either in Mesa, Phoenix, Glendale or Scottsdale, and to return the unit in any of these states: Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon and California.

Darrah said that the company is pleased to offer these services with great deals in Florida and Arizona airports as well. Alamo’s Florida Drive Out program runs from April 5 to the end of May at all participating airports. In Florida, Alamo vehicles can be leased for as low as $10 a day.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise’s Florida Drive Out promotion will be offered starting March 28, with car rentals starting at $10 a day for economy cars and $15 per day for minivans.

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Traveljigsaw may be close to a takeover

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Speculation is rife within the travel industry that Manchester-based travel organisation Traveljigsaw may be preparing itself for a takeover. The agency was originally set up by David Crossland who agreed to financially back a group of former Airtours employees who wanted to start out on their own. Traveljigsaw now has an annual turnover of over £100 million and employs 120 staff.

Analysts have valued the company at around £150 million and KPMG is rumoured to be undertaking an assessment of the business. Originally set up under the banner of Car Hire 3000, Traveljigsaw now provides customers with access to car rental firms in 27 countries around the world.

Traveljigsaw has become one of the largest independent vehicle rental agencies in Europe and runs a multi-lingual call centre out of the UK.

ISIS, the private equity firm, managed a £25 million management buyout in order to facilitate the sale of the business. This year the company has managed to secure multi-million pound funding deals to allow it to expand by providing the company with much needed working capital.

ISIS have refused to be drawn into discussions on the future of Traveljigsaw, but sources within the travel industry say that a takeover would be a very attractive proposition to a number of firms. However, a deal is unlikely to be struck until later in the year and possibly not until 2011.

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End of January sale announced by Sixt Rent A Car

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Last year the car hire world was rocked by the consequences of the global economic downturn. In countries like Spain and Portugal the lack of funds being made available to rental firms to replace the vehicles in their fleets meant that the price of car hire sky rocketed. This year will be a year of recovery for many firms and this weekend Sixt Rent A Car is launching its end of January sale for those who want to get away for a bit of summer sun. Sixt say that those booking a car hire through their website this weekend will be able to get as much as twenty percent off the price of a hired vehicle. This means that top quality cars will be available for as little as £20.00 per day. Sixt offers the highest quality vehicles including new models from BMW and Mercedes.

The end of January sale starts at 6.00pm this evening and will run through to midnight on Sunday. Johannes Boeinghoff, managing director of Sixt Spain, says that although it looks like the pressure on car hire firms in Spain will ease off this year there is still the possibility that those who do not book as early as possible may run into problems finding car hire at the best possible price. He therefore urges Sixt customers to work out their travel plans well in advance an book a car hire as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Sixt Rent A Car has offices at all the major tourism spots throughout Spain.

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New research reveals lack of information given by car hire companies

Tuesday, January 26th, 2010

Those deciding to rent a car for their holidays have been advised to read and understand the terms and conditions outlined in the hire contract before committing their signature to the dotted line. Recent research by Which? Holiday has found that many car hire companies are severely lacking in the amount of information they offer up to customers before they hand over the keys. Researchers at Which? Holiday looked at eight car hire companies at Heathrow and Charles de Gaul and came up with some worrying results. When trying to examine the contractual terms and conditions on the websites of both Avis and Enterprise they could find nothing. Limited information was found on the websites of Budget, National and Alamo. A lack of information about the total cost of hiring a car from some of the companies meant that it was not possible to do an accurate price comparison because no information was given about the price of waivers or extra costs.

A spokesperson for Enterprise reportedly told the research team that their website was merely a tool for booking a vehicle and that the transaction as well as terms and conditions being made available would take place at the booking desk. National and Alamo also allegedly said that customers should not compare waivers and insurance cover on price alone because their levels can vary.

Hertz, Europcar and Enterprise all told Which? Holiday that the clause in their contracts making the hirer of a vehicle responsible for paying the full price of that vehicle in the event that they cannot produce the keys after the car has been stolen is a way of preventing fraud and negligence. They said that there were circumstances where exceptions would be made.

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