Negotiating a discount off floating market rates is the prevailing model in airline corporate deals and a component of corporate hotel agreements. Is car rental the next sector to take this plunge with its medium-sized and larger accounts? There’s talk, but most observers don’t see that happening in the near term. “Hertz has always maintained…
Business travel is back but management infrastructure is not, creating a stressed-out industry. For now, corporate travel professionals are doing whatever they can that’s within their control. That includes managing expectations among the traveling population and with senior execs, retraining employees on policies and procedures, updating profiles and preaching patience. A little finger-pointing is going…
As fuel costs increase, travel buyers may want to revisit and refresh their car rental policies, negotiations and traveler communications. Corporate travel policies typically recommend or require travelers to fill up before dropping off rentals. When car rental companies do the refueling, the rate may be as much as a few dollars more per gallon,…
Some companies’ biggest travel management headaches these days are coming from one of the smaller-spend categories — ground transportation, particularly car rental. Renters face tight availability, poor vehicle condition and rising rates. Avis Budget Group and Hertz reported record earnings for the quarter ended Sept. 30. They cited strengthening demand, cost reductions realized during the…
Travelers taking advantage of rates negotiated by companies they don’t work for is one of the oldest tricks in the book. With car rental rates rising amid recovering demand and limited inventory, Avis Budget is telling customers they must prove they are entitled to discounted rates by producing verification of their employer. Small businesses must…
A settlement between Avis Budget Group and the U.S. government regarding allegations that the car rental company overcharged the world’s largest business travel spender holds some lessons for corporate buyers and program managers. The biggest is to remain vigilant, but that’s often easier said than done. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice said Avis…
Known as a corporate hotel program aide, Tripbam is spreading its wings into the air category. It plans to mimic its lodging capabilities and capture data on airline bookings, look for better airfares and automatically rebook them. It will develop benchmarks and analytics, and ultimately delve into air sourcing. The roadmap contemplates similar functionality for…
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