| Car Rental Costs Going Up March 1st
Mobile's latest annexation means car rental rates will go up starting March 1st. Last month, the City Council voted unanimously to annex all of the Mobile Regional Airport's land, extending the city limits west to Snow Road. The higher city sales tax takes effect March 1. The sales tax rate for businesses on airport property will increase from 7.5 percent to 9 percent, while the sales tax rate for businesses in the newest portions of the police jurisdiction -- which stretches three miles beyond the airport -- will rise from 5.5 percent to 7.5 percent. City officials estimate the city will receive an extra $1 million a year from the sales tax bump at the airport. If businesses have any questions, please contact the City of Mobile at 251.208.7462. .
Thrifty Car Rental Rolls Prepaid Tolls Into Rental Rates in Florida ...
TULSA, Okla., Jan. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Thrifty Car Rental, a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: DTG) is minimizing the stress that takes a toll on globetrotting travelers. That's why it's including Pass24(R) Prepaid Toll Service with select car rental rates at participating Florida locations when customers use any American Express(R) card for payment and make their reservation using Promo Code AXTL. This offer is valid at participating Florida locations through March 31, 2008. "In our quest to constantly improve the customer experience, Thrifty Car Rental is committed to making travel more convenient for customers," said Brian Carpenter, vice president of sales, marketing and advertising. "With this promotion in Florida, not only will travelers get a great rate with Thrifty, they'll also get the convenience of pre-paid tolls with Pass24." Ordinarily, Pass24 pre-paid toll service is available to Thrifty Car Rental customers for $5.95 per day or $27.95 per week in Florida, which includes all toll charges.
Allegiant to Hold Live Webcast of Fourth Quarter, Full Year 2007 ...
LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Allegiant Travel Company (Nasdaq: ALGT) will hold its conference call for fourth quarter and full-year 2007 financial results on Jan. 30, 2008. A live broadcast of the conference call will be available through the company's Investor Relations website homepage at http://ir.allegiantair.com. The webcast will be also be archived on the "Events & Presentations" section of the site. About the Company Las Vegas based Allegiant Travel Company (Nasdaq: ALGT), is focused on linking travelers in small cities to world-class leisure destinations such as Las Vegas, Nev., Phoenix, Ariz., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Orlando, Fla. and Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla. Through its subsidiary, Allegiant Air, the Company operates a low-cost, high-efficiency, all-jet passenger airline offering air travel both on a stand-alone basis and bundled with hotel rooms, rental cars and other travel related services.
10 Tips: Rent a car without breaking the bank
You stand to get the upgrade anyway for the economy price. 5. Check for restrictions on where you can take the car. Planning to drive across state lines? Make sure that's going to be OK before you lock in your rental deal. Some rental car companies' “unlimited mileage" rates don't include certain states, and you could get walloped with an unexpectedly high bill unless you're aware of the restrictions ahead of time. 6. You rarely need that extra insurance. Rental agencies often urge renters to spend additional money per day on collision damage waivers and other insurance coverage. Review your auto insurance policy and credit-card agreements; you're almost certainly covered already. The one exception you might want to consider is “loss of use" coverage, which covers the time the rental agency may need to spend having the car repaired if you get into an accident.
DubaiCityGuide.com Partners With Travelocity
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 10, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- DubaiCityGuide.com has partnered with Travelocity to offer online exclusive holiday travel and hotel reservations deals. Visitors to www.DubaiCityGuide.com can shop 24x7 for the best possible travel deals on hotel and hotel apartment bookings. In addition, visitors to the web site can take advantage of car rentals, airline tickets and tickets to major attractions. Sharad Agarwal, CEO of Cyber Gear, the company that owns DubaiCityGuide.com, stated, "We are delighted to partner with Travelocity, the market leaders in global hospitality business to bring online the best deals that Dubai has to offer. Our partnership with Travelocity offers the best guaranteed rates." Travelers can select from over 185 hotels and hotel apartments in Dubai, 28 car rental companies, all major cruise lines and hundreds of airlines to book travel services instantly and securely.
Dollar Thrifty Hits a Big Pothole
The problems of the car rental business are deepening. On Feb. 4, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group (DTG) shares plunged 35% after the firm nearly cutting in half its expectations for 2007 profits. Dollar Thrifty's news jolted the industry, raising worries that U.S. consumers are cutting back on their travel spending. Dollar Thrifty's larger rivals, Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ) and Avis Budget Group (CAR), at one point on Feb. 4 had fallen as much as 7% and almost 14% respectively. Fears of a recession add to the difficulties for car rental firms, already battling it out in a brutal business. The car rental industry's problems are similar to those of the airline industry, which has been notoriously tough on investors. Both are highly competitive industries with high fixed costs, so they find it tough to squeeze out profits on a regular basis.
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