In a highly welcomed move, the most reputed Hertz Car Rental company has launched an express self-service check-in program across 50 U.S. airports. This shall help the customers reach their rental cars within ten minutes or less right from their counter. The company is highly positive that this move shall certainly enhance the profile of the company and also help the company meet its claim that it shall give a $50 credit on the cost of the rental to any customer who happens to wait any longer than this.

For getting the eligibility to make use of this brand new offer, the customers have to first check in at www.hertz.com and take a print out of the confirmation of the reservation. Following this, once they arrive at the airport, they have to go to anyone of the express counters or new kiosks for competing the reservation process. Most notable among the airports that participate in this program are Atlanta, O'Hare in Chicago, Dulles and Reagan in Washington D.C., LAX, Maui's airport and LaGuardia and Newark in the New York area, in addition to San Antonio, Texas.

Hertz also observes that in introducing this service, the company is paying sincere attention to customer requests. Recently, the company has made certain changes to the prices charged for refueling. Now the company charges market prices in addition to a fee, for those who refuel through Hertz on returning their rental car.

In a recent statement, Avis Budget, one of the leading rental firms across the globe has confirmed that the profits of the company for the second quarter are most likely to turn out to be lower than those reported last year during the same period. According to this giant in the car hire industry, there is certainly a decline in commercial travel. Over and above, the record high costs of fuel are hanging down heavily upon the whole of the car rental industry. Amazingly, the impact is such that the shares of Avis Budget shares are now lower than any time during the past sixteen years. In addition, the spokespeople of the company have told that the full year profit of the company is most likely to be lesser than what was reported last year.

According to major financial analysts like Reuters Experts, Avis Budget's earnings are likely to stand at around $0.18 per share towards the end of this year. In addition, Ronald Neilson, the CEO of the firm has mentioned that the widespread capacity cutbacks by several airlines are most likely to render the fourth quarter a highly challenging period for all the car rental companies across the globe as most of them base much of their rental businesses at airport locations. Despite the crunch of the present times, Avis Budget still assures that its income will stand at not less than $140 million by the end of the year.

Visit www.avisbudgetgroup.com

In a highly strategic move, the Kuoni Group is all set to acquire a 60% interest in Direkt Reisen, the direct travel group. The sum involved in the deal is still not publicly disclosed.

Most notably, Direkt Reisen AG is among the leading direct sellers of all-inclusive tours in Switzerland, having a special focus on holiday destinations especially located in the African, Asian, Caribbean and Mediterranean regions. Following the deal, the remaining shares of the company shall continue to rest with the founders of the company and an additional shareholder.

In a recent statement concerning this deal that comes into effect on the 1st of July, Kuoni has hinted that there will not be any loss of jobs and that the company shall retain the Direkt Reisen brand in addition to its entire partner brands. Over and above, following the deal, The Direkt Reisen Company will be integrated into Kuoni Switzerland's unit of Smart. Notably, this is a strategic business division of the group.

By way of complementing the online facilities available for travelers, easyCar, the renowned car hire brand has introduced a range of additional services. For instance, the customers of the company can now pre-book airport parking, airport transfers, accommodation at airport hotels and airport lounges.

The facility to book parking in advance is presently made available through the website of easyCar for all the main airports of the UK. Some of the notable customer services include meet and greet chauffeurs in addition to basic parking arrangements. Over and above, with the range of recently added services, the customers of easyCar have the option of purchasing pre-booked airport-transfers via the online portal of the company thereby making the process of getting into the airport highly easy.

The transfer service is available from and to all locations in the UK in addition to 30 other countries. The facility proves to be ideal for passengers who want to ensure that specific options are available in addition to those who want to enjoy a peaceful travel having made advance booking. Looking at the instant quotes displayed, customers just have to and book for the services in two simple steps.

Tens of hundreds of UK motorists met with accidents while in a foreign country and driving a car on unfamiliar roads. This can result in a huge financial loss as they have to pay thousands of pounds in repatriation costs, and in some cases, these accidents cost the motorist's life.

Avis Rent a Car has put out this simple warning as many begin the summer getaway.

Daniel McCarthy said, "Travel insurance and assistance is essential and not where you should be scrimping on costs this summer.

Alamo's is offering customers a summer draw and the chance to win three prizes. To enter, customers need to sign up to Alamo's Special Offers email programme to take a shot at winning the big one - a weekend's drive in a Mini Cooper convertible, courtesy of Alamo's sister company, Guy Salmon Prestige Rental.

Alamo is also giving customers the chance to kick-start the summer with a GPS receiver as second prize, so there is no need to worry about getting lost. Third prize is £75 worth of high street vouchers, for those last minute holiday essentials.

Tom Middleditch, Alamo Rent A Car's Marketing Manager says: "With thoughts turning to summer holidays, Alamo is helping customers get into the swing of it with our great competition. The chance of driving into the sunset with the roof down in a Mini Cooper convertible is sure to be a big hit with Alamo customers, making this one of our best giveaways ever."

Avis (www.avis.co.uk) is guaranteeing clients across the United Kingdom and Europe the price of fuel lower than the pump price when they pick up the car rental firm's 'Fuel up Front' service.

'Fuel up Front' permits Avis clients to pay in advance for a full tank of fuel at the time when they pick up their vehicle and then return it empty, without being bothered about making payment over the extras for taking advantage of the service as the car rental company will charge less than the per litre price at a local pump.

And, if the customers return the vehicle with the tank full, even with the 'Fuel Up Front' service, the car rental firm will give them back the tank charge.

Avis Rent a Car in Mayfair is offering its customers a rent a Smart Fortwo online at from just £120 a week.

With its 'park anywhere' size, the Smart Fortwo makes nipping round town easy.  Whether it's fitting into that small parking space outside your favourite restaurant or being able to load your shopping bags from store to boot in minutes.

The Smart Fortwo is eco-friendly, emitting just 112g/km of CO2 and with a fuel consumption of around 60mpg.*

New hybrids are to turn up at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, as the Avis Budget Group announced last week that it is adding twenty-five Toyota Prius hybrid cars to its fleet by the month of July this year.

The company's new vehicles are powered by an electric battery when at slower speeds and by a gasoline engine when these cars touch higher speeds. The popularity of hybrids is increasing as the price of gas continues to rise.

As the Avis and Budget brands are sharing a single fleet of vehicles, clients are able to hire a hybrid from either firm: the group has a hybrid fleet of a total of 2,500 vehicles.

A majority of travel experts think that travellers preparing for road trips this summer can enjoy considerable savings if they leave their own vehicles at home and hire a car instead, especially from the biggest car rental companies, such as Hertz, Avis and Enterprise.

A large number of Americans still have gas guzzling big sedans or SUVs, in the face of the fact that petrol prices have moved up steadily over the years and have now surpassed $4 per gallon in the US.

As such, people with big family cars would be well advised to leave their vehicles at home and hire a more fuel-efficient car from a car hire firm.

KD Avia, the fast growing Russian carrier, is celebrating the first anniversary of its first service into the United Kingdom by launching a new route to the city of Yekaterinburg-a main stop on the world famous Trans-Siberian Railway.

Additionally, the carrier, which presently flies an all Boeing fleet of 737-400 planes, has placed an order with the aircraft manufacturer Airbus for 25 Airbuses 319 planes.

The Russian carrier's inaugural flight to the UK landed at Gatwick Airport on the 16th of June 2007. It now operates a daily scheduled flight to its hub at Kaliningrad with easy onward links to 12 Russian cities.

In recent times, news of car rental firms and airline companies come fast and fuming. The most recent linking up comes from the Spain, where the Spanish low fares airline Clickair has inked an agreement with CarTrawler, the car rental search engine that collects and compares prices and deals offered by leading car hire companies.

Many car hire companies like to have some deals with the airline companies so that they can provide car hire services to the passengers that travel with those airlines-this increases their chances of getting customers and orders of bookings.

Jaime Lloret, vice president of marketing at Clickair, said, "Ancillary revenue is a core part of our growth strategy, and car rental forms a significant portion of that. Offering our passengers the best possible instrument to facilitate choice was our central goal in selecting CarTrawler as our partner".

One of the leading car rental companies in the market, Alamo, has turned out to be the latest firm to come into view on www.carrentals.co.uk-the car hire comparison site which currently compares up to fifty companies.

Alamo operates its services at about 1,248 different locations in 43 countries around the world and now its prices will be available alongside other leading names including Thrifty, Budget, Sixt and Holiday Autos on the car hire comparison site.

The association strengthens the position of Carrentals.co.uk in the market as the main car hire comparison site, offering the widest choice of car rental firms compared within a single site.

For first time car renters, it can be somewhat confusing: there is the daily vehicle rental price, taxes, surcharges and optional added extras to deal with; pick up charges to consider; and gasoline payments to ponder.

And, when it is the question of insurance, the majority of customers are too busy or uninterested to handle the fine print and just sign in the dotted area.

In some countries, renters need to have an insurance cover with a car rental firm for each rental, but in others, they may already be insured and do not require their cover.

According to Louise McBride's column in the Irish Independent newspaper, reading the fine print of a car rental agreement is one of the most essential things a traveller can do before taking a hired car away to the journey.

McBride discovered that in many cases, car rental agreements include information and clauses which may considerably increase the actual price a customer is supposed to pay for a rental vehicle, making it all the more important that renters come to know about their responsibilities and duties, as per this written contract.

Alamo, for example, has a policy that considers customers responsible for all the damages to a rental vehicle, even if the damages are caused due to an accident or collision.

Previously this week, Avis, the car hire firm, unveiled its 12th annual 'Travel Agent Scholarship of Excellence'. And, within the first few hours of the submission being online, it received 2 applications, showing the popularity of its programme in the market.

A prize packaged worth over $30,000 is to be given to the winner of the scholarship. In addition, some new benefits will also be awarded to winners this year. So, this is a great opportunity provided by the car hire company to its customers.

The changes made to this year's programme include an improved educational feature including a complementary module on cruise training, which is sponsored by the 'International Cruise Council Australia'-so you should surely try your hand on this.

Selecting a car hire company can be a tough job for customers, as there are a large number of car hire firms in the market and it is not easy to identify the factors to be considered before making a choice.

Findings of the consumer surveys carried out in the past reveal that price is one of the key considerations for those who want to rent vehicles and the increasingly large number of price comparison websites is a proof of this trend.

However, service is also a key factor that consumers consider for selecting for a car hire company, with the speed and the quality of service playing an important part in customers' decision. E-booking facility and a quick email response are also important service elements.

Avis Europe, one of the Continent's major car rental groups, warned its clients saying that its fleet costs were going up.

The car rental firm operates its services at a number of locations all over the world, including in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

In all the major markets, except for Spain where sales remained constant, takings multiplied. According to the car rental company, due to euro's strong performance, the firm's trading gets affected. If the car rental company increases its prices, the travellers would be affected very badly from their budget's point of view.

Hertz Rent A Car has come to a decision to provide customers with the option to take a rental vehicle only for a part of the day, rather than to pay for a full 24 hour rental period.

The decision is made keeping in mind clients who want to be present at some special events, or are looking for a more economical and convenient option for their transport needs.

The new option allows Hertz customers in Europe to rent a vehicle for a part of a day, anywhere between 3 to 6 hours: they can now rent a vehicle for less than the amount they would be normally paying for a full day car hire. This is great news for people who like to go for short breaks in certain cities around Europe-Hertz's offer would come good to them.

The car rental firms running from the Malta International Airport may have to bear burden of huge amounts of fees if they choose to carry on making use of the parking lot their vehicle parking needs.

The airport's operator, a private company, is asking the firms for a sum of €267,878 as annual fee for using the parking lot from where passengers used to collect their rental vehicles after their arrival in Malta.

Owners of the companies running their car rental business from the airport were told about the increase in the parking lot rent at the annual meeting of the Rent a Car Association (RACA).

The Hertz Corporation recently took a new President of Off-Airport Operations into service who will operate from the corporate offices of company in Park Ridge, New Jersey.
 
Now, Scott P. Sider will be the in-charge of an area of the company's business which generates annual revenues of about $1 bn and operates in 1,700 places throughout America.

Mark P. Frissora, chairman and chief executive officer of Hertz, said, "Scott's appointment reflects the rapid, profitable growth of our U.S. off-airport business which has achieved a critical mass.

The off-airport business now requires separate, senior-level management to help us drive plans to accelerate profitable growth over the next few years. Scott's success developing a large, profitable off-airport network in Hertz's Western U.S. region, and his proven management capability over a 25-year career at Hertz, make him the right choice to lead our national off-airport business."

Hilton HHonors recently partnered with Budget Rent-A-Car: members of HHonors can now gain points and enjoy up to 20 percent discount on their bookings with Budget.

HHonors members will get up to 2,000 bonus points each time they book a vehicle with Budget at various locations in Canada and America until the 30th of June.

When HHonors members rent a vehicle from Budget for 1-3 days they will earn 1,000 bonus points and for 4 or more days rentals they will be able to earn 2,000 bonus points.

Budget Rent-a-Car, one of the world's leading international car and van rental firms, recently made an alliance with Gulf Air to present a brand new 'frequent flyer' programme to clients in the Kingdom.

Passengers with a membership of Gulf Air's frequent flyer programme will gain 500 bonus miles each time they book a vehicle with Budget Budget Rent-a-Car.

All that the passengers need to do to benefit from the offer is to provide their frequent flyer membership number when they book a vehicle and show their membership card at the time of pick up.

Those who book a rental vehicle with Avis in the Republic of Ireland and make their bookings several months in advance of the day they want to actually take the vehicle, will have the chance to enjoy a discount of 10 per cent on these rental vehicles.

The discount is available only for the bookings made before the 15th of May, 2008. Customers will be able to pick up their car at almost all the main airports in Ireland, including at Dublin International, Donegal, Cork, Kerry, Galway, Knock and Shannon. In addition to this, customers may also get their rental vehicle in Dublin's city centre.

Although the customers need to book their rental vehicle before the 15th of May, 2008, they may still have the option to pick up the selected vehicle as late as the 31st of August, 2008.

A brand new convenient rental service is being offered by National Car Rental at Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport.

The new car hire service called 'T5 Touchdown' is offered to the members of British Airways Executive Club: they simply need to move out of the building and take their rental vehicle from an agent right there.

With the new service, customers need not to wait long or get a shuttle bus to reach their destination, because they will be able to get their vehicle from a National agent there.

Addition of the Volvo XC90 to the Guy Salmon Prestige Rental fleet has eliminated the risk of forfeiting space and performance for business motivation. The managers are enthusiastic declaring it the most wanted after cars on the road today and presenting the ultimate in relieve and ease, well suited for long business journeys or travelling with equals.

Notably, the XC90 is added with a stylish interior and leather seats, luxurious wood trims and electric folding mirrors. Facility to add flexibility in the rear seats is provided with sufficient room to stretch and fold away in the floor when it is immobile.

Frank Reynlods, Marketing Manager, says: "The XC90 means business travellers can enjoy long journeys in a vehicle that offers space and comfort without compromising on power. We continually review our fleet to ensure we have all the latest and most desirable models for our customers, providing fleet managers with a choice of vehicles for every occasion. The XC90 joins an unrivalled fleet of performance and luxury cars including the Porsche Boxster and the Range Rover Vogue - providing Guy Salmon's corporate customers with more choice than ever".

An in-depth market survey in the rental industry conducted by Avis reveals that the choice to book for a specific make and model of car and price transparency are the most important factors that attract customers while they rent a vehicle. The survey collected the responses of over 2,000 customers across different sectors of the corporate, consumer and business travel arena. The survey results contain valuable insight into the crucial needs of the car rental users of these days.

The main focus of the respondents to the survey was their ability to choose the make and model of the car they rent, the clarity of the condition of the vehicle at the end of the rental contract and the transparency of the rental price. About 65% among the renters were glad about knowing the final price they need to pay before renting out. Around 62% told getting the all-in price was their crucial concern. However, over 50% felt their ability to choose a particular make and model of the car while renting was also an important factor.

Daniel McCarthy, Commercial Director, Avis UK remarked, "The survey provides a valuable insight into what customers see as their biggest priorities through the rental car process. This gives us valuable feedback so we can stay tuned into what our customers expect from the Avis brand."

Recently, Alamo Rent A Car has highly enhanced www.alamo.co.uk, the online booking website of the company to ensure that the customers are well informed of the rental rates with respect to what is and isn't included.

Pioneering the all-inclusive rates, Alamo ensures that the basic needs of the renter are covered. Recently, the company introduced new rates for North America inclusive of GPS. Over and above, by way of offering a greater choice and flexibility for the customers over the rentals, the company is complimenting these all inclusive rates with a wide range of other options in each of the destinations including child seats, GPS abd additional drivers that can be paid locally.

By way of further enhancing the facilities at the www.alamo.co.uk, the company provides attractive advantages like Alamo Gold in addition to the cost of other additional items they have opted for before confirmation. Notably, the cost for additional items paid locally is shown in local currency in addition to the rough GBP conversion equivalents.

As part of its expansion into the Middle East region, the National Car Rental has opened its brand new office in Oman. The company has entered into this venture partnering with Shanfari Group based in Oman. At this new territory, the business will open starting from February 2008. Initially, there will be 1 location in Sohar and 2 locations in Muscat. During the first year of its operation, the Omani fleet will employ 40 vehicles. Eventually, the fleet will grow to 130 vehicles within the first year of its operation making use of a variety of models and makes. The company will also offer short-term self-drive packages in addition to leasing facilities.

Neil Summerville, EMEA Director of Franchising, National Car Rental comments, "We are delighted to be associated with such a well established group in Oman and their experience in both the auto and travel industries will be invaluable as support for the new franchise. This latest addition to the National network substantiates our commitment to the Middle East region and allows us to continue to serve the customer demand for greater choice and quality service."

Presently, the National Car Rental currently functions from 6 other countries in the Middle East, offering a range of choice over all needs and budgets for the business and leisure travelers. The new office of the company at Oman will offer a high quality convenience and rental service perfectly meeting the expectations of the Middle East customers.

Guy Salmon Prestige Rental has introduced Mercedes GL and business travellers can now arrive in style during this season. With Mercedes selling only in hundreds, the GL-Class has already become a favorite choice for quite a many to share their journey with their colleagues without the constraints of space and comfort.

The most attractive feature of Mercedes GL is to combine style and refinement besides offering the space and comfort of a 7-seater, thereby assuring luxury cum performance. With the body shell of 5,088mm in length, there are three rows of full size individual seats. Folding away the back row of seats with the push of a button allows more room for luggage. The wonderful features that set this one apart from the rest are the AirMatic suspension and variable ground clearance selection sets, in addition to electronic driving aids like 4ETS traction control and ESP electronic stability programme.

Sales and Marketing Director for National Car Rental, Nick Harwood observes, "Guy Salmon customers will be the first to experience the exhilaration of driving the Mercedes GL. This new addition to the fleet demonstrates our commitment to constantly improving the driving experience for our corporate customers. This car is big on style and performance, making it a great new addition to the fleet. It's the perfect combination of luxury and precision engineering, giving business travellers even more choice and the chance to experience this exceptional vehicle."

To be implemented in its London Gatwick and Stansted Airport locations for a three-month trail period, Avis Rent A Car UK has implemented a specialist child seat fitting service offered by 'Baby On Board'. This move follows the success of this initiative at London Heathrow. This is a very good offer for tourists.

Joao Figueiredo, UK Manager, Baby On Board remarks, "Properly fitted child seats save lives. 90% of injuries to children and infants in collisions can be avoided if child seats are fixed and used correctly, which is why we provide this specialist service."

During the trial period, customers will be offered a Chicco baby seat along with a demonstration by specially trained staff on fitting it correctly. Between rentals, all baby seats are thoroughly cleaned and inspected.

The famous car hire website, by-car.co.uk and im-mietauto.de, its German counterpart have together launched their new Guide to Switzerland. The website offers advice regarding car hiring, in addition to information pertaining to a number of different holiday destinations.

The guide to Switzerland offers useful details for holidaymakers and customers for planning a trip to this country. It also provides a good deal of information on some of the most popular and leading holiday destinations scattered across Switzerland. Some of the highlights of these destinations include Berne, Zurich and Geneva in addition to several others. Similar to the other guides released by by-car.co.uk, the guide to Switzerland also outlines some of the famous attractions that are within one to three hours drive from the famous cities and destinations. This useful feature is sure to enable holidaymakers make a thorough plan for their trip beforehand once they have hired their vehicle.

With several events to take place in Switzerland, it is certainly an ideal destination for those interested in arts or sports. Some of the notable upcoming events include Salsa Festival in Zurich and the Women's Alpine Skiing World Cup in St Moritz, both in February. The Berne International Jazz Festival and the Xtreme Freerider Contest in Verbier are scheduled for March and the Lausanne Carnival for April and the St Moritz Yodelling Festival and Euro scheduled for June. With several remarkable inclusions, the guide is sure to interest holidaymakers.

Recently, the rail fares have increased across a number of networks, leaving travelers at dismay. When several train users feel they have no choice, Europcar, the leading car rental company of the UK suggests that car rentals can often provide a more convenient and cheaper option.

For instance, a rental car journey shared by 2 people from Bath to London can remarkably make a saving of £151 on the cost of a train fare. Over and above, travelers can hope to enjoy a first class journey of their own by renting out a Mercedes costing less than the price of a rail ticket!

With the arrival of the New Year, travelers around the country witnessed the rise of train fares for the fourth consecutive year on an average of 4.5% compelling many to reconsider their journey options. In reality, several travelers are not even assured of a seat in train journeys. Under such circumstances, Europcar suggests that car rental is an economical alternative besides offering the ultimate control over the journey for travelers.

Launching a unique Airside initiative, Europcar has started providing an innovative and fast track vehicle rental service for the benefit of customers traveling between Gatwick and Edinburgh through any of the key UK airports. Under this innovative scheme, Europcar will even process reservations for travelers even before they board the plane to their destination. Notably, Europcar is the only car rental provider at both these airports.

Following the reservation, Airside provides a unique pre-qualification, fast track service to the customers of Europcar. On reservation at the departure airport, the renting location will be contacted in order to confirm the requirement of the customers by way of verifying pre-qualification and ensuring a perfect service at the destination airport. Customers who have a pre-filled rental agreement in hand can directly go to the Europcar location to collect their vehicle and continue their journey without any delays.

David Alexander, the operations director of Europcar observes, "We are delighted to be able to offer Europcar customers this unique service, taking the hassle out of car rental. Now customers can check in for their car rental before they board the plane, safe in the knowledge that the rental agreement will be pre-printed and the vehicle will be allocated before they even take off. When they arrive at their destination, they just sign the paperwork and drive away."

With the onset of cold weather, quite a many would be wondering where to look for a warmer place to book their holiday in this New Year. To help all such people, By-car.co.uk, the online car hire website offers a wide range of resources with its German counterpart im-mietauto.de to help people conveniently plan their spring break in 2008.

Visiting by-car.co.uk, the holidaymakers can easily book their car hire in addition to viewing destination guides. The website offers many guides to several countries and resorts that are ideal choices as spring break destinations. This includes travel guides to USA, Italy and Spain. The features of these travel guides enable holiday makers to have a view of the attractions located near their break in addition to deciding where they can take their hired car. It also displays all that is available to see and do near the places of their visit.

In the recent past, online destination selection and booking of hotels and car hire has seen a great boom, and more and more users are using websites to know more about the services offered to them. The information provided to the customers will be a good help by by-car.co.uk and passengers would certainly be benefited by this information.

Just like the new online car hire website, by-car.co.uk, the German im-mietauto.de is also turning to be a beneficial holiday resource. The website provides the information keeping in mind the requirements of holiday makers during the winter sun and ski holiday season. In this current winter season, holidaymakers would be greatly benefitted by these websites.

By-car.co.uk includes an extensive range of European and American destinations and users can analyse several winter sun resorts. For example, they can go through the guide to Spain and can locate about attractions around the Costa Blanca, Costa Del Sol, or the Canaries.

By-car.co.uk also provides basic guidance regarding driving in several conditions. For those holiday makers who are searching for a winter sun holiday there is an advice on driving in cities, and tips for driving in hot and sunny climates. For the people heading off on a skiing or snowboarding holiday during the winter season, the website provides beneficiary detailed suggestions for driving in winter conditions.

This week will see the beginning of new online car hire booking engine by-car.co.uk. The site has been commenced around the UK and in Germany with im-mietauto.de, providing the chance for the customers to hire around 7500 car hire locations in over 150 countries.

This is a very good option for holidaymakers and also for travellers who love to go around Europe and in different countries of the world. Travellers have to look out a lot for getting some decent car hire companies and certainly the service will open good options for travellers to choose the car hire with ease.

By-car.co.uk gives detailed information regarding the protocol engaged in hiring a car in various countries over Europe and the USA. It also gives convenient tips regarding hiring a car and provides guidance for driving in a foreign country.

Opening its brand new Ebbsfleet International location in Kent, Avis Rent a Car honoured its first customer with a free rental by way of celebrating the inauguration. As he travelled from Brussels to Essex, the first customer Mr Martin Andrews was taken by a shocking surprise, when he learnt that the company has provided an absolutely free rental for his transit.

Located only at about two miles from Junction 2 of the M25, Ebbsfleet International is very close to Bluewater Shopping Centre and the Dartford crossing. Interestingly, this is a new Eurostar station on High Speed 1–the UK's first high speed rail line. Quite significantly, Avis enjoys monopoly as the rental provider at Ebbsfleet International. The company provides car rental to leisure as well as business travellers.

Avis is the exclusive partner in Eurostar's Frequent Traveller programme. Members of this scheme earn 50 points on qualifying leisure rentals, while they get 25 points on corpora