Summer Travel Alert: Pricing for Enterprise Holdings' Brands Bucks Car Rental Industry Trends

ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwired - May 8, 2013) - With American families now planning their summer 2013 road trips, many consumers are paying extra close attention to car-rental prices. In fact, during the last few months, some media outlets have reported concerns about price increases across the U.S. car rental industry. However, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand actually has decreased basic rates (time and mileage) by an average of 6.5 percent -- from $35.29 to $32.84 -- for airport travelers from 2009 to 2013.

"As the world's largest rental car company, we are able to use our extensive network to help keep rental cars affordable," said Pam Nicholson, president and chief operating officer for Enterprise Holdings, which owns and operates the flagship Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand as well as the company's National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. The company's network includes more than 6,000 neighborhood and airport offices located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population -- almost twice as many locations as Enterprise Holdings' nearest U.S. competitor.

Car rental prices at the airport can be cyclical and typically rise during peak travel seasons, especially if demand spikes because of special events. However, despite these ongoing seasonal and geographic fluctuations, the Enterprise Holdings portfolio of brands decreased the cost of consumer rentals at the airport overall by more than 4 percent from 2009 to 2013. In contrast, the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) increased approximately 9 percent during the same time period. 

"We've remained committed to offering our customers economical car rental rates," Nicholson said, "while still maintaining the value and customer service our customers deserve and have come to expect."

For example, the Enterprise Rent-A-Car brand has ranked highest in an annual customer-satisfaction survey among North American airport rentals eight times during the past nine years. Each year, the study surveys leisure and business travelers about six major categories, including costs and fees. Last year, the Enterprise brand ranked highest in the industry, followed in order by the National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands.

Consumer-Friendly Refueling Fees
The Enterprise, National and Alamo brands also continue to charge significantly less than other car rental brands for refueling. Current refueling costs generally range from $4.99 to $5.90 per gallon 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). Furthermore, the maximum mark-up for this convenience is capped at $2 per gallon. A side-by-side comparison, based on April fuel prices, appears below. 

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. "Our fair, market-based fee for refueling is straightforward and transparent, with a cap on the mark-up over retail pump prices," explained Nicholson. She noted that all three brands review local retail fuel prices three times per week. If those prices change by 3 cents or more in either direction, they adjust their airport fuel prices accordingly.

Enterprise Holdings has a well-established track record on this important consumer issue and continues to offer several competitively priced refueling options at the airport. Several years ago, 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 the Enterprise, National and Alamo brands. At the time, the Baltimore Sun referred to their practices as "a model in setting refueling rates."

About Enterprise Holdings
Enterprise Holdings and its affiliate Enterprise Fleet Management together offer a total transportation solution. Combined, these businesses -- which include extensive car rental and car-sharing services, commercial truck rental, corporate fleet management and retail car sales -- accounted for $15.4 billion in revenue and operated 1.3 million vehicles throughout the world in fiscal 2012. Enterprise Holdings, through its regional subsidiaries, operates the largest fleet of vehicles in the world through a global network of more than 8,200 airport and neighborhood locations under the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. Its affiliate, Enterprise Fleet Management, provides full-service fleet management to companies and organizations with small- to medium-sized fleets. Other transportation services marketed under the Enterprise brand name include Enterprise CarShare, Enterprise Rideshare, Enterprise Car Sales and Enterprise Commercial Trucks. Enterprise Holdings is the largest car rental company in the world as measured by revenue, fleet and employees. Enterprise Holdings' annual revenues also place it near the top of the travel industry, exceeding all other rental car companies, and most airlines, cruise lines, hotels, tour operators and online travel agencies.