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Archive for March, 2010

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Carrentals offers skiers £8 per day rental price

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

High levels of snowfall in North American and European ski resorts is prompting travellers to take late ski breaks . To help holidaymakers enjoy this season’s snowfall, online budget car hire firm Carrentals is offering Girona Airport passengers rental deals for as low as £8 a day.

The market leading car hire comparator is also offering rental deals from just £17 a day at Bergamo Airport, £15 a day at Zaragoza Airport, £21 a day at Salzburg Airport and £17 a day at Turin Airport.

The managing director of Carrentals Gareth Robinson said that this year’s snowfall is good, particularly in ski resorts across Europe and North America. And with that in mind, Robinson is telling ski enthusiasts to book their cars ahead of time to get the best priced hire deals. He added that because Carrentals compare car deals from several suppliers in one website, clients can easily get the best promotional price on offer.

Carrentals’ website compares car hire prices from over 50 different companies – which include the top rental firms Budget, easyCar, Holiday Autos, Sixt and Alamo – in as many as 9,000 locations worldwide.
In 2007, Carrentals relaunched its website to create the first online price comparator for car hire services in the travel industry.

Using the latest technology, Carrentals’ online utility quickly compares prices and allows users to refine their search by vehicle type. Its website also features more than 5,000 pages of travel information. In 2008, Travolution named Carrentals as the ‘Best Car Hire Website’.

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Advito revises car hire, hotel and airfare forecasts

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

BCD Travel’s consulting unit, Advito, recently released globally the first quarter report for its 2010 Industry Forecast that adjusts car hire rates upward and hotel prices downward, but holds steady North American air ticket costs.

Advito has made further downward revision on its average daily rates (ADR) in major business hotels across the UK, France, Germany, India, Spain, Brazil, China and the US. The company said that the revision on market forecasts was the result of steady economic recovery in major markets.

In comparison to last year’s report, this year’s ADR is expected to decline by 2.2 per cent in the UK, 1.6 per cent in France, 4.5 per cent in China and India, and two per cent in the US.

Meanwhile, Advito has originally anticipated that the US car rental rates will be more stable compared to last year’s, but the firm now is sending warning to consumers to expect additional fines related to no-shows. Car hire rates in North America might also be affected with about 104,000 vehicles now being pulled out due to January’s recall of over eight million Toyota cars worldwide.

The report also stated that airfare projections for North American carriers remain unchanged as in last year’s forecast. The company in October 2009 had predicted a rise of four percent on long-haul airfares.

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Car hire users advised to pick standalone insurance

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Easter holiday is the busiest period for car rental companies, with many Britons travelling with their family and some going abroad for the long weekend. Looking for reasonably priced car hire is hard during the season, but finding a suitable insurance to go along with it is even harder and costlier, with some companies charging as much as £500.

Ernesto Suarez, chief executive for online insurance firm icarhireinsurance, said that this is how car hire companies do business. Clients are offered a cheap rental rate for a car at first, but then are sold additional services like insurance by the time they get to the counter. To get away from excessive car rental rates, he said, clients should avoid buying insurance policies for the rental firm and just choose the standalone cover.

As an example, an online insurance firm Dailyexcess, charges £4.74 each day for a global cover, while icarhireinsurance’s excess policies for Europe cost start from £2.99. Against the £9.99 per day charge by normal car hire companies, drivers will have large potential savings by picking standalone insurance. Aside from being pricier, not all car rental companies cover damage to tyres or windows, which most standalone insurance providers usually do.

However, some standalone providers also have several restrictions. Dailyexcess, for instance, only provides cover for those drivers aged between 21 and 74. In addition, most standalone providers offer cover within Europe, except in the UK. But, icarhireinsurance presents policyholders the option to pay an additional £19.99 per year for excess cover.

icarhireinsurance has a standard age range of 21 – 85 and it does not charge extra for younger or older age groups with our Excess Europe and Excess Worldwide products.  It also allows ‘in-Country/local rentals’ with zero distance restrictions from the insured’s main residence.  Lastly, their annual policy includes up to 60 days continuous cover for any one rental agreement.

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British chancellor allocates £100 million to fill potholes

Friday, March 26th, 2010

In his Budget speech, Chancellor Alistair Darling announced that an additional £100 million will be given away just to fill the potholes in Wales, England and Scotland.

The emergency grant has been allocated by the chancellor for road repairs, following the harsh cold snap that hit the country. Secretary of Transport, Lord Adonis, said that the cash would be distributed to councils as early as possible.

According to a study from Asphalt Industry Alliance, 80 per cent of the country’s councils suffered severe damage last winter, thus resulting in a £400 million gap on its maintenance budgets. Councils estimate also that it will require them over 11.5 years to complete the repairs in England, and 15 years in Wales.

The British chancellor’s recent declaration was whole-heartedly welcomed by Duncan McClure Fisher of the movement group ‘Potholes’. The activist said that while the fund is nowhere near the required £10 billion fund to repair the road networks properly, the money should help fill a million potholes.

The UK Government has been heavily criticised by motoring groups over the quality of roads. Stephen Glaister, Director of RAC Foundation, complained that more and more holes in the country need to be filled, yet no money is being allotted to repair the roads.

Those charged with the repairs however said that the £100 million funding was just a temporary solution. The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) said that the short-term fix will not withstand the same icy weather that battered the country over the past few months. Geoff French, Vice President of ICE, said that the quick road repairs could even lead to more maintenance cost and backlogs.

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Rapid train soon to connect Orlando and Tampa

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

In spite of its short distance, driving from Orlando to Tampa takes 90 minutes or longer. Therefore, the Obama administration has awarded Florida a $1.25 billion stimulus package to connect the two cities using a fast rail system.

The planned Florida train service is expected to be a high speed one, running at a top speed of 168mph. However, the train will cover an 84-mile route consisting of five stops, thus cutting only half an hour from a normal car trip.

Time conscious travellers may find the new service frustrating at the end of their journey. But they are left with no other choice, as there are only two public transport options that can connect travellers from Orlando to Tampa, the slow bus or the planned train service.

Sceptics of the new rail project worry that the high-speed line, which is scheduled to commence by 2015, might give a negative impression rather than helping passengers travel faster and and more cheaply.

Even Republican Representative John Mica, whose district is located on the north-eastern part of Florida, questioned the rail project because the planned high-speed train will stop about 20 miles before reaching his place. He is wondering whether the extremely congested Northeast corridor running from Boston to New York and Washington could have been a better choice for the high-speed line.

The new train service is planning to have stations in Orlando International Airport and Walt Disney World. Experts predict that at least one-third of the train passengers would originate from the airport or the Walt Disney, which has decided to donate a piece of land for building the station.

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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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ASIC examines unprofitable operations of Thrifty

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

The National Roads and Motorists’ Association’s (NRMA) unfortunate pitch into the unprofitable car rental operations of Thrifty is now being scrutinized by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, (ASIC) after it received complaints on a conspiracy within the motorist organisation.

Richard Talbot, former NRMA director, had written a complaint addressed to Tony D’Alisio, the current ASIC chairman, saying that the information regarding the sudden exit in 2008 of John Walker, the former Thrifty chief, was kept secret from several board members. He also blamed NRMA for hiding the results concerning the losses which Thrifty recorded ever since NRMA bought it.

Recently, ASIC answered back to Talbot verifying that the commission is now reviewing the concerns he had raised. But, NRMA told that it has no contact with ASIC and the association is unaware of the allegation.

Talbot stated that the two million members of NRMA should be grateful that he is looking into the matter. He stressed that its members do not deserve to give out their funds just because of Thrifty’s misfortune.

The ex-director also claimed that NRMA  lost over $100 million since Thrifty was bought  in 2006, a claim NRMA said was hideously exaggerated. In contrary to Talbot’s claims, a leaked internal report from last year revealed that Thrifty had lost only around $27.5 million in 2008-2009.

NRMA verified that it hired a team of forensic accountants last year to examine Thrifty’s financial records, but the results of the investigation have only now been revealed.

Meanwhile, Peter Khoury, an NRMA spokesman, said that Thrifty is now under a new management and the company is hoping to earn revenue this year.

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Free buses for elderly still available in Wales

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

In a recent government announcement, Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones confirmed that disabled and elderly passengers can still ride buses for free in Wales. The first minister’s comment followed after Department of Transport’s (DOT) latest assessment to raise the current bracket age of pass holders in England beginning 1 April.

Jones stressed that DOT’s decision will have no effect in Wales. He also restated his earlier plan to extend the programme to include war veterans and servicemen starting April next year. Jones further added that all residents of Wales are eligible to apply for the privilege as soon as they reach 60.

Margaret Everso, a Welsh senior officer of Bus Users, welcomed the announcement. She said that the scheme has been beneficial to the lives of so many disabled and elderly people. Everso further added that free bus trips are important in ensuring that people can take a ride without worrying about ticket costs.

Meanwhile, Charlie Nelson of the Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers in Wales said that the scheme has helped boost bus patronage, in addition to the monetary benefits now being enjoyed by pass holders. The scheme is also considered as good news for everyone involved in encouraging greater utilisation of public transport.

An advisory group last year urged the Welsh government to scrap the service because of its cost. The panel estimated that about £25 million per year could be saved by discontinuing the free service to pensioners. Free bus service for 600,000 disabled and elderly people in Wales was first implemented in 2002 under a programme that was initially priced at £17.7 million.

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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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China plans international rail network

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

China has announced that it plans to develop high-speed rail links which will not only give access to the rest of Asia but reach as far as India, Europe and the UK. Three networks are currently in the planning stage. One would link China to the South East Asian countries of Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. A second network would run through Russia to mainland Europe and a third planned network could provide a direct link between China and the UK.

China has said that it would like to see the new network up and running within the next decade. Wang Mengshu, a spokesman for Chinese domestic railways, said that the idea behind setting up the international rail links was to make train travel similar to air travel in terms of the length of time it takes to reach a destination.

It is planned that the trip from London to Beijing on board trains capable of reaching speeds of 320kph would take just two days. Passengers would board at London’s Kings Cross station and connect with Europe via the Chanel Tunnel. Those travelling to Beijing could also continue their journey to Singapore on the network.

China’s railway industry is apparently already in talks with 17 of the countries which would feature on the proposed network. The idea of high-speed links with China is likely to appeal to countries such as India who are keen to tap into the country’s emerging wealth and trading opportunities.

If the plans go ahead then the rail network will be one of the largest infrastructure projects the world has ever seen.

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