Tulsa World: Rental cars popular for 'short-burst' trips

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Rental cars popular for 'short-burst' trips
Families are making road trips and using rentals for shopping holidays.

By D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer
Published: 11/25/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 11/25/2009 4:49 AM

Air travel is expected to decline over the Thanksgiving weekend due to the economy, but rental car activity is brisk both for quick holiday getaways and Black Friday shopping, industry officials say.

"Families are making traditional road trips to be with relatives and friends on Thanksgiving," said Steve Short, vice president of leisure business development at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. "And with the economy beginning to recover, they also are heading to local and regional shopping malls to take advantage of the early-bird bargains on the Friday after Thanksgiving."

Rental car executives said people this year are renting cars to combine Thanksgiving "short-burst" vacations with day-after shopping, getting the trunk space they need for shopping without putting miles on the family vehicle.

"Compared with last year, reservations at our neighborhood (rental car) locations are up a little over 12 percent through Sunday for cars picked up Tuesday through Friday," said Enterprise spokesman Nick Maniscalco. "Many of our Tulsa customers are going to Dallas, Branson, Oklahoma City and Fayetteville, Ark., which is a pattern we have been seeing for the past year or so — short-burst vacations with a newer rental car."

Enterprise, which will have many of its neighborhood stores open Friday, and some other rental car companies will be offering discounts for weekend rentals.

St. Louis-based Enterprise, the largest U.S. rental car company, is offering a 50 percent discount on daily rates for cars picked up Friday and returned Monday, company executives said.

Weekend rates for an economy car are $14.99 a day; a full-sized car will rent for $18.99 a day, Maniscalco said.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, people traveling by vehicle are expected to number 33.2 million, a 2.1 percent increase compared with last year, while those flying will be an estimated 2.33 million, a 6.8 percent decline.

Terry Trippler, a travel consultant with Trippler & Associates in Minneapolis, says airline passengers have options to fly on other than their booked flights.

"When you booked your trip, that 5 p.m. departure seemed perfect," Trippler said. "If, however, you had known that you were going to get off work early you would have booked an earlier departure. Many airlines permit you to standby for an earlier or later same-day flight."

Trippler said he would never advise a passenger to allow their confirmed flight to depart and then standby for a later flight. If a passenger couldn't find space on the later flight, there could be real problems, he said.

"But standing by for an earlier flight while you still have reservations for a later flight is a win-win situation," Trippler said.

Trippler said several airlines have same-day standby and rebooking options. But he advises passengers to verify airline policies beforehand — and that policies are subject to change.

Airlines that permit same-day standby and rebooking options, Trippler said, include American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines/Northwest Airlines and United Airlines, all of which serve Tulsa International Airport. Additional re-booking or change fees may apply, officials said.

Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins said the discount carrier permits passengers to change flights or fares if they pay the Anytime or walk-up fare for the preferred flight.

"We allow them to use the money from the previous fare for the difference between the fares," Hawkins said. "We don't charge change fees."

D.R. Stewart 581-8451
don.stewart@tulsaworld.com By D.R. STEWART World Staff Writer

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Rental-car demand rises for holiday travel," which was published on 11/24/2009.

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Daniel Day Simpson, Edmond (11/25/2009 7:30:51 AM)

Its not a bad idea to save your vehicle from the stresses of vacation driving. I mean we do it for vacations to Galveston, Florida, and California. The last time we rented a van it literally had 2 miles on the odometer. The dealer had just delivered it to Hertz. That is both a blessing and a curse. Sure you have the nicety of a new vehicle. But when turning it in you cannot blame any stains on the previous renter. I once rented a compact from Hertz for a California trip. I had it one month. I made side trips to Sedona and Vegas. A massive fog wreck shut down the El Cajone Pass on I-15 so I had to drive through the mountains that terminate near the "HOLLYWOOD" sign. I didn't know California had so many ski resorts in those mountains. The lifts went right over the highway.
With the traffic of L.A. and San Diego I really tore a new on in that compact. You have to go 90 to 95mph on I-15 between Vegas and L.A. or be crushed. Then in San Diego I learned all the great foods we don't have here. But now Tulsa has Pucks so I'm eager to visit it.
I turned in that poor beat up rental with the "Check Engine" light blazing. It could only handle so much 90mph driving you know. I did have one tiny winy scratch I successfully fixed with a touch-up pen. Ha!

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