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Tags: Travel Websites / Expedia / Orbitz / Travelocity / Fees / Car Rentals / Airlines / Airline News / Travel News / → All Tags

Expedia Shocks Travel Industry And Customers, Actually Lowers Fees

Expedia just announced they're waiving their $20 fee for the 7% of Americans who book their itineraries over the phone, establishing themselves in a niche and sticking a finger in the eyes of competitors. Airline centers mostly charge $5-$35 for telephone bookings—Southwest is the only exception—while Orbitz and Travelocity charge $25 per ticket. Priceline doesn't even offer that option.

This won't be much use to us, since our calls to booking agents are limited to rants about the impossibility of reserving rewards travel these days. But Expedia had already eliminated flight booking fees online, and it's nice to see anyone cutting any fee for any reason, no matter how marginal or symbolic the gesture:

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Tags: Car Rentals / Rental Cars / Zipcar / → All Tags

RIP East Coast-West Coast Car Rental Feud

Zipcar, the by-the-hour rental outfit from the East Coast will merge with Left Coast darling Flexcar, creating a nationwide car-sharing cabal. The old Flexcar brand is out, and members will now have the luxury of renting from both fleets in the few cities where both companies operate.

Zipcar's rates aren't as low as some daily car rental services, though you can't just rock up to a location and drive away as with other car rental agencies. (Zipcar also includes gas and insurance, making the rental process painless.) You'll first need to sign up for a Zipcard; the cheapest option includes a $25 application fee, a $50 annual fee with hourly rates that start at $10. After you get approved, all you need to start driving is your Zipcard, which will unlock the doors when you walk up to whatever vehicle you've reserved.

With the merger, the fleet is available in a bunch of cities, including New York, Boston, DC, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, LA, San Diego, Atlanta and London. The UK cars even come with the London congestion charge ($16.50) pre-paid.

Related Stories:
· Zipcar [Official Site]
· Rental Cars coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: katmere]

Tags: Travel Tips / Rental Cars / Car Rentals / Cars / Automobiles / → All Tags

Travel Tips: Is Car Rental Insurance Worth It?

The frustrating answer: Sometimes.

We all know the drill. We find a clown car-sized vehicle online that can get us from Point A to Point B for $34.99. When we get up to the counter, taxes, gas, insurance and (for some of us) the under-25 fee pushes the cost well above the $150 mark. Suddenly an afternoon on the open road costs more than a round-trip flight on a budget carrier. What went wrong?

For starters, many of us insure something that's already insured. Rental insurance is a waste for car owners because most auto policies extend to rentals. Just make sure the rental car is worth about the same as the one you own. A policy on a $500 '89 Oldsmobile will only cover up to $500 in damages to that $60,000 Lincoln Navigator you rented to drive up and down the Jersey Shore. Next time, you won't let those girls in bikinis sit on the hood.

However, car-less renters need to suck it up and pay the extra $40 for basic collision and liability coverage. In the worst-case scenario, an uncovered driver could be accountable for the total cost of the rental vehicle and any other cars involved in an accident. Now that'll ruin a trip.

Related Stories:
· Travel Tips [Jaunted]

[Photo: Palm Covers Car]

Tags: Avis / Car Rentals / WiFi / → All Tags

WiFi Wednesday: Rubber to the Road Edition

Maybe Avis does try harder--even if their blog is weak. The car rental giant has just announced that its on-board WiFi service has started rolling out of San Francisco International Airport, with locations around the country set to follow suit. (We actually got pretty fired up about this back in January, if you'll recall.

The WiFi enabled cars sound pretty awesome, at least to bloggers like us:

Avis Connect enables travelers to enjoy broadband wireless Internet connectivity at all times and places during their travel, from airports to meetings to hotels, and everything in between.

Obviously, Avis doesn't want you online while you're driving. (Or maybe they do, and this is a big insurance scam?!) Either way, it's clearly aimed at biz travelers, spending on their corporate card: you'll pay $11 a day to log on. Just think, if you're staying at the wrong hotel and renting from Avis, you could end up paying $25 a day for 'net access!

[Photo: palmasco]

Related Stories:
· Avis Blog Doesn't Try Hard Enough [Jaunted]
· Avis Bringing High Speed to the Highway [Jaunted]
· Jaunted's car rentals coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: Avis / Car Rentals / Blogs / → All Tags

Avis Blog Doesn't Try Hard Enough

If everyone else is doing it, why shouldn't we? That's the attitude from the British branch of Avis car rentals who claim they've started up the first ever car rental company blog with We Try Harder. Since the start of the year, Avis employees have been blogging about how wonderful Avis is, how responsive they are to customers and, well, how wonderful Avis is.

Having said that, it does actually give a few good tips like how and where you can hire snowchains in the Alps, or info on renting sat nav equipment with your rental car. But since the blog authors introduce themselves with tales of football, mountain biking or playing golf, we think there could be a bit more of a personal touch, and a few more interesting posts. Avis, you have to Try Even Harder.

[Photo: X-travalueMeal#2]

Related Stories:
· Avis Bringing High-Speed to the Highway [Jaunted]
· We Try Harder Blog [Official Site]

Tags: Car Rentals / Hertz / → All Tags

Hertz Offers Hourly Displeasure in Manhattan

Hertz has launched an hourly rental program at three of its Manhattan locations, becoming only the second major rental company to offer such an arrangement. Enterprise runs a similar pilot program in Chicago; Hertz's hourly competitor in NYC is Zipcar. Hourly rentals are available at three West Side locations (34th Street, 55th Street and 95th Street) at starting rates of $12 an hour.

Hourly renters must be members of Hertz's loyalty program, the Gold Club, which is free to join but requires a minimum member age of 25. So, those between 21 and 24 can only look to Zipcar for their hourly needs in NYC. According to Newsday, Hertz will expand the program if it proves successful in Manhattan.

[Photo: _e.t]

Related Stories:
· Hertz to 'test drive' hourly car rentals [Newsday]
· Hertz [Official Site]
· Zipcar [Official Site]

Tags: Car Rentals / Travel Deals / Crime / Florida Tourism / → All Tags

For Just $24.75, You, Too, Can Get Carjacked

Payless Car Rental really knows how to run those jalopy promotions right. The "discount" car rental company (is that not an oxymoron?) has pulled out all the stops to produce this double whammy.

First, they've done Florida a huge favor with the minivan tie-in. Très sexy. Rent twice, get a free soccer lesson and coupon for a mom coif at participating Supercuts.

Then there's the Newark special, in which they clearly are suggesting that your vehicle take you not to the surrounding area, but straight into Newark proper. You'd think they'd lower the price if they really wanted to get rid of those cars and get you to explore the city. Remember: red for Bloods, blue for Crips!

Tags: Car Rentals / Driving / Hippies / Green Travel / → All Tags

Rent Green, Trail Mix Surcharge Optional

There's no car like the Prius. Short of a wheelbarrow, it's the ultimate granola mobile, loved by hippies and yippies alike. Some drive it to be green, some drive it to be "green," and some don't give a shit and just want the gas savings.

Whatever your motivation, if you don't own a Prius but have always wanted to take one for a spin, EV Rental Cars has got your back on the West Coast. The company is partnered with Fox Rent a Car and has eight locations out left, including one in Las Vegas, where they're rapidly expanding their fleet. EV rents only hybrid vehicles, including Priuses, which provides an amount of assurance rare in the rental industry--you know how "or similar" basically means you run the risk of ending up with a Barbie Power Wheels.

Prius driver jokes aside, hybrids really are a great choice for road trips, when gas prices are of special concern. A sample price check for Oakland Airport turned up rates better than Avis' for a Saturday rental ($39.87 at EV for a Civic Hybrid and $46.77 for a Chevy Cobalt or similar at Avis).

[Photo: 77Bird.com]

Tags: Car Rentals / Driving / WiFi / Avis / Extortion / → All Tags

Avis Bringing High-Speed to the Highway

Jaunted may be banned from Hertz, but we're free to drive with Avis, and could soon be blogging straight from the road, not that we'd recommend it. Avis will soon offer integrated WiFi access in its vehicles. Just what we all need, another added fee on our rentals.

The service, provided by Autonet Mobile, offers up a gadget you plug into the car's power supply--it then turns the car into a WiFi hotspot. Not only does this open up the possibility for all sorts of fun accidents, but it could provide serious business travelers with some peace of mind. If all else fails and those who need it can't find a hotel with WiFi, they can always sit in their car...in a scary parking lot...typing away...waiting to get carjacked.

The hookup will cost $10.95 extra per day. Interested customers will also have to sign over their soul to Avis and agree to not sue them into oblivion for related accidents.

[Photo: Mike Knell]

Related Stories:
· Wi-Fi Is Hitting the Road in Cars From Avis, but Technical and Legal Bumps Lie Ahead [NYT]
· Autonet Mobile To Launch WiFi Hotspot For The Car [SlipperyBrick]

Tags: Car Rentals / Jaunted Field Trips / Alamo Rent A Car / Business Travel / → All Tags

If Jaunted Was On The Office...

Our nickname, at least for today, would be Big Lemon--and we think it would stick.

Car rental company Alamo saddled us with a bright yellow, two door, Chevy Cobalt, with--wait for it--a rear spoiler.  To top it off the interior smells of tobacco row.  Yes we are in North Carolina, but c'mon, feel free to mix in an airfreshener Alamo.

Sales Executives everywhere should take note, unless you want to end up being the talk of the conference/sales call/meeting for all the wrong reasons--you might want to request a non-offensive color, at the very least.

Despite the hand we were dealt we will drive our Little Miss Sunshine with pride all day long.

Tags: Tours / Car Rentals / → All Tags

Hi-tech Tours in Cordoba

Tourists visting Cordoba can now rent out swoopy electric cars to get them around town. Reminiscent of golf carts, the GEMS (Global Electric Motorcars) only go up to 20 mph, explaining why the local taxi drivers call them "caracoles" (snails). Using global postitioning, an on-board computer screen can pull up information about various sights -- as you're passing them. The rental company, Blogject, charges $50 for a two-hour tour; they also rent out Segways if you're feeling old-fashioned.

Related Stories:
·   Green petite cars tempt tourists [BBC News]
·   Blobject [Official site]

Tags: Car Rentals / → All Tags

Smart Cars are Catnip for Safari Park Lions

The BBC is reporting that some of the dozen lions at a Liverpool-area safari park have been following Smart Cars and Mini-Coopers, evidently thinking that they're some kind of prey. Although the park manager says that they "always have staff in a vehicle by the lion enclosure to deal with any problems," it's probably not a good idea to pack any particularly odiferous picnics in the "boot" of your Mini, just in case.

Related Stories:
 
·   Confused lions 'hunt' small cars [BBC, via Althouse]