ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwire - May 12, 2009) - As the busy Memorial Day weekend approaches,
thousands of travelers may get a shock at the airport rental car counter:
return a vehicle with no time to fill up the tank, only to get hit with a
staggering $7-$8 per gallon refueling charge from many of the major car
rental brands.
With the cost of self-serve gasoline averaging about $2 per gallon, the
parent company of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent
A Car agrees that just doesn't add up.
Enterprise, National and Alamo charge customers only about $3 per gallon
when they bring a car back to the airport without a full tank of gas
(depending on market pricing). From Boston to Phoenix, that's roughly 65
percent less than what some of the other major car rental brands charge
their customers.
Enterprise, National and Alamo already led the car rental industry with the
most competitive and fair refueling policies in the country. In fact, last
year the Maryland Attorney General's Office announced agreements with other
rental car operators to bring their refueling prices more in line with the
much lower rates charged by Enterprise, National and Alamo. At the time,
the Baltimore Sun referred to Enterprise, National and Alamo's practices as
"a model in setting refueling rates."
Airport customers continue to have several refueling options with
Enterprise, National and Alamo -- returning their rental vehicles full of
gas, prepaying for a full tank at a discount, or asking for the tank to be
refilled after returning the rental car.
"We remain committed to charging a reasonable fee to cover refueling
costs," said Matthew Darrah, senior vice president of North American
operations for Enterprise, National and Alamo. "Furthermore, because
refueling rates sometimes can be a source of confusion, we've revised our
policy to provide not only value, but also greater transparency and
clarity."
Effective immediately, Enterprise, National and Alamo airport customers
will pay the local-market price of self-serve gasoline, plus a mark-up not
to exceed 50 percent of the fuel cost (at all corporate-owned locations and
participating franchises). "Our policy is now based on familiar and highly
visible self-serve gas prices," explained Darrah. "In the end, it is about
listening to customers. It is the same approach that is behind our promise
never to charge our customers a so-called Energy Recovery Fee."
In 2008, several major car rental companies began charging customers Energy
Recovery Fees on top of their extremely high refueling charges. Although
gasoline prices eventually dropped, many of their Energy Recovery Fees
remained. However, Enterprise, National and Alamo never implemented Energy
Recovery Fees because -- as Darrah noted during his keynote address at the
annual Car Rental Show last month -- these fees are unfair, misleading and
almost impossible to calculate.
"We believe that our refueling policy and our position on arbitrary Energy
Recovery Fees underscore the fact that car rental companies need to deal
with consumers in a fair, honest and transparent way across all areas of
service," Darrah noted. "As the industry leader, we try to set an example
on behalf of the customer -- and we urge the rest of the industry to do the
same."
Average Car Rental Refueling Fees at Major U.S. Airports (April 2009)
Enterprise
Rent-A-Car
National Car
Rental
Avis Dollar Alamo Rent A
U.S. AIRPORTS Budget Hertz Thrifty Car
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Atlanta $ 6.99/Gallon $ 7.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 2.85/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Boston $ 7.89/Gallon $ 7.99/Gallon $ 7.89/Gallon $ 2.89/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Chicago $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 3.31/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Dallas-Ft. Worth $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 2.82/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Denver $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 2.93/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Houston $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.89/Gallon $ 2.89/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Las Vegas $ 7.99/Gallon $ 7.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 3.07/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Los Angeles $ 7.99/Gallon $ 7.99/Gallon $ 7.99/Gallon $ 3.32/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Miami $ 7.44/Gallon $ 8.59/Gallon $ 6.50/Gallon $ 3.18/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Minn.-St. Paul $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.89/Gallon $ 2.84/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Orlando $ 6.99/Gallon $ 7.19/Gallon $ 5.59/Gallon $ 3.02/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Palm Beach $ 7.99/Gallon $ 7.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 3.07/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Phoenix $ 7.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 2.74/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Pittsburgh $ 6.99/Gallon $ 7.49/Gallon $ 7.99/Gallon $ 2.94/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
St. Louis $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 6.99/Gallon $ 2.74/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Seattle $ 7.99/Gallon $ 7.99/Gallon $ 5.99/Gallon $ 3.30/Gallon
------------- ------------- ------------- -------------
Note: data collected by Enterprise, National and Alamo during April 2009
About the Enterprise Family of Companies
With industry-leading rental car brands including Enterprise Rent-A-Car,
National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car, the Enterprise family of
companies owns and operates the largest fleet of passenger vehicles in the
world today -- more than 1 million cars and trucks. Other Enterprise
business lines include Enterprise Fleet Management, Enterprise Commercial
Truck Rental and Enterprise Car Sales.
Collectively, the Enterprise family of companies -- headquartered in St.
Louis -- operates a network of more than 8,000 car rental locations in
neighborhoods and at airports worldwide and is the most comprehensive
service provider in the industry, unparalleled in size, strength and
stability. The North American Enterprise family of companies is part of a
global strategic alliance with Europcar, creating the world's largest car
rental network.
Contact Information: For more information, contact:
Laura Bryant
314-512-4178