TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 12, 2012) - With the arrival of summer and a busy travel season kicking into gear, many travellers may be shocked at the cost of refuelling at some airport car-rental return counters if they return their vehicle with less than a full tank of gasoline. However, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands - owned and operated by Enterprise Holdings - are charging significantly less than other car rental brands for refuelling.
Current refuelling costs at Enterprise, National and Alamo range from $1.72 to $2.26 per litre when customers return a car without a full tank of gas (depending on the average prevailing retail fuel price in the area that surrounds each airport). This price is based on 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). The maximum mark-up for this convenience is capped at $0.75 per litre.
Enterprise, National and Alamo customers at the airport may return their rental vehicles full of gas, pre-pay for a full tank at a discount or ask for the tank to be refilled after returning the rental car.
"We offer a fair, market-based fee for refuelling, with a cap on the mark-up over retail pump prices," said Matt Darrah, senior vice president of North American operations for Enterprise, National and Alamo. "Our policy is straightforward and transparent, giving consumers one more reason to choose one of our brands when their travel plans call for a rental car."
Darrah noted that the three brands review local retail fuel prices four times per week. If those prices change by 3 cents or more in either direction, they adjust their airport fuel prices accordingly.
The Enterprise Holdings portfolio of car rental brands has a well-established track record on this important consumer issue and continues to offer several competitively priced refuelling options at the airport.
A side-by-side comparison, based on fuel prices in early May, appears below.
Average Car Rental Refueling Fees at Major Canadian Airports (May 2012)
| CANADIAN AIRPORTS | Avis Budget |
Hertz | Dollar Thrifty |
Enterprise | National |
Alamo | |||||||||||
| Vancouver | $ 3.65/L <100 km = $20 |
$ | 3.69/L | $ | 3.19/L | $ | 2.20/L | $ | 2.23/L | $ | 2.26/L | ||||||
| Calgary | $ 3.80/L <125 km = $22 |
$ | 3.99/L | $ | 3.29/L | $ | 1.75/L | $ | 1.77/L | $ | 1.78/L | ||||||
| Edmonton | Avis: $3.80/L <125 km = $22 Budget:$1.08/L |
$ | 3.99/L | $ | 2.50/L | $ | 1.72/L | $ | 1.74/L | $ | 1.74/L | ||||||
| Winnipeg | $ 3.65/L <100 km = $22 |
$ | 3.69/L | $ | 2.33/L | $ | 1.83/L | $ | 1.85/L | $ | 1.85/L | ||||||
| Toronto | $ 3.80/L <125 km = $22 |
$ | 3.69/L | $ | 1.99/L | $ | 1.98/L | $ | 2.00/L | $ | 2.00/L | ||||||
| Ottawa | $ 3.50/L <125 km = $25 |
$ | 2.95/L | Dollar: $2.45/L Thrifty: N/A |
$ | 1.90/L | $ | 1.93/L | $ | 1.93/L | |||||||
| Montreal | $ 3.69/L | $ | 3.69/L | $ | 2.29/L | $ | 2.05/L | $ | 2.07/L | $ | 2.07/L | ||||||
| Halifax | $ 3.25/L <125 km = $25 |
$ | 3.69/L | $ | 3.29/L | $ | 2.03/L | $ | 2.05/L | $ | 2.05/L | ||||||
Note: data collected by Enterprise, National and Alamo during May 2012
About Enterprise Holdings
Founded in 1957, Enterprise Holdings is the most comprehensive service provider in the car rental industry, operating - through its regional subsidiaries - the Alamo Rent A Car and National Car Rental brands as well as its flagship Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand in North America. Alamo, Enterprise and National - which swept Executive Travel magazine's 2011 "Leading Edge Awards" for the top three car rental brands in the travel industry - collectively lead with more than one-third of all airport business in the United States and Canada. The company also operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand in the UK, Germany and Ireland, and a franchise network that operates the National and Alamo brands throughout the Americas. Enterprise Holdings recently acquired Citer SA in France and Atesa in Spain, and made a strategic investment in China-based eHi Auto Services. Enterprise Holdings' worldwide network includes more than 7,700 neighborhood and airport locations. With annual revenues of $14.1 billion and more than 70,000 employees, Enterprise Holdings owns and operates more than 1.2 million cars and trucks, making it the largest car rental company in the world measured by revenue, employees and fleet. In addition, the company's annual revenues place it near the top of the travel industry, exceeding many airlines and most cruise lines, hotels, tour operators and online travel agencies. Ranked No. 15 on the Forbes list of America's Largest Private Companies, Enterprise Holdings is owned by the Taylor family and is the only investment-grade company in the U.S. car rental industry. Enterprise Holdings and its affiliates offer business and retail customers a total transportation solution, which includes hourly rental, car leasing, WeCar car sharing and Enterprise Rideshare vanpooling programs, as well as the Enterprise Car Sales, Enterprise Commercial Trucks and Enterprise Fleet Management business lines.
For more information about St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings, visit www.enterpriseholdings.com. For more information about Enterprise Holdings' Corporate Sustainability Report or the company's environmental stewardship and long-term commitment to the sustainability of its business, visit www.DrivingFutures.ca and follow @LeeBroughton on Twitter. This news release and other announcements are available at the Enterprise Holdings press room.
Contact Information:
Laura Bryant
314-512-4178
laura.t.bryant@ehi.com
www.enterpriseholdings.com
Argyle Communications
Leily Shafaee
416-968-7311 x236
lshafaee@argylecommunications.com