Car Rental Industry's Recovery Tracked in Abrams Travel Data's Market Scan Service

    LONG BEACH, Calif.--April 17, 2002--The U.S. car rental industry is experiencing slow and steady recovery since the dramatic drop-off in late 2001 following the tragedies of Sept. 11, according to the April edition of Car Rental Market Scan.
    Higher rental rates, supported by a reduced industry fleet size, and gradually increasing customer demand are moving the industry down the road to recovery. Market Scan is a subscriber information service tracking the auto rental industry, which is published by Abrams Travel Data Services (ATD), the leading specialized market research firm serving the global auto rental, allied travel and transportation industries.
    Other subjects covered in this issue of Market Scan include: prospects for car rental during the upcoming summer leisure travel season, implications of the industry's recent travel agency commission cuts, ANC Rental Corp.'s airport consolidation strategy, market developments in consumer and commercial truck rental, and a special section on trends in the U.S. local and insurance replacement market. In addition, in-depth airport market share data has been added as a new feature to the "Industry Statistical Indicators" section of Market Scan.
    Market Scan offers subscribers a first-of-its-kind data-rich digest of analysis, statistics, benchmarks, forecasts, trends, and general information on the North American car and truck rental industry, along with regular coverage of European car rental. Market Scan will be of great value to anyone interested in the dynamics of the car rental business, including rental companies and systems, investors, analysts, vendors, and allied travel suppliers. Produced quarterly by ATD, Market Scan offers a summary of high-level industry developments and trends and statistical indicators in each edition, plus a special focus section.
    The next edition of Market Scan, available in July, will focus on airport car rental issues, including a listing of ancillary charges and taxes at major airports, airport construction and consolidated car rental facilities, and long-term trends that could shape car rental airport operations and marketing. The October issue will feature a special focus on operations and fleet management, and will include a report on car rental industry labor charges throughout the country, and developments in car rental technology and e-commerce.
    ATD is a business unit of Purchase, New York based Abrams Consulting Group, Inc., the leading auto rental consultancy worldwide since 1982. ATD is a full-service market research firm offering both quantitative and qualitative research. In addition to Car Rental Market Scan, ATD offers a customer satisfaction tracking product called Abrams Quality Compass, consumer and business-to-business surveys, focus group moderation, and market intelligence reports, which offer hard-to-find information on industry data and trends. For additional information on Car Rental Market Scan, including pricing and procedure for ordering, contact: Jon LeSage, VP & Director of Research, Abrams Travel Data Services - Phone: 562-437-3700; Email: jlesage@abramsconsulting.com. For information on all of Abrams Consulting Group's services and products, please visit our website at www.abramsconsulting.com.