Thrifty Car Rental Opens New Franchised Locations in Syracuse, NY and San Luis Obispo, CA

TULSA, Okla., Feb. 9, 2004 -- Thrifty Car Rental, a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. today announced the opening of two new franchised openings in Syracuse, New York, and San Luis Obispo, Calif.

In Syracuse, Thrifty opens a new facility at 5400 S. Bay Road in North Syracuse, located two miles from Hancock International Airport. Operated by Kris Tucci and Patrick Tucci of R.A.C. Holdings, Inc., the new location opened Feb. 1. The Tucci family has operated as an independent car rental operation in the Syracuse area for 35 years, previously under the name Americar. While the Tucci's business has traditionally been strong in the local market, it is expected that the conversion to the Thrifty Car Rental brand will result in a business mix that is approximately 50% airport-arriving and 50% local. In addition to a fleet of DaimlerChrysler vehicles, Thrifty Syracuse also offers high-top conversion vans, SUVs like the Mercury Mountaineer and other vehicles.

In San Luis Obispo, Thrifty opens a new franchise at 426 Higuera Street, effective February 6. Located downtown, the new facility is owned and operated by franchisees Sarkis and Patricia Kasarjian, and will specialize in local rentals and some insurance replacement business. The Kasarjian's are Thrifty "alumni," having previously owned the Thrifty franchise in San Luis Obispo from 1988 through 1991, but sold the franchise in 1992 to pursue other business opportunities. The couple since opened an automotive repair shop with their son, Nicholas, and decided to sign back on with Thrifty Car Rental when the franchise became available again.

"We're glad to have the Kasarjian's back on board with Thrifty, and look forward to many more years with them in San Luis Obispo," said Jeff Cerefice, V.P. of U.S. Franchise Operations. "We are also very lucky to welcome a strong independent operators like the Tucci family into the Thrifty fold, with more than 30 years under their belts in the Syracuse community."

While Thrifty's parent company, Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc., in the last year has aggressively pursued a growth strategy of acquiring franchises and converting them to corporate operations in key U.S. and Canadian markets, the company continues to add franchisees to its Thrifty Car Rental brand. In the last 12 months, Thrifty has sold franchises in more than 20 new markets in 14 U.S. states.

To book a reservation with Thrifty, visit www.THRIFTY.com , call 1-800-THRIFTY in the U.S. and Canada, or consult your travel agent.

Thrifty Car Rental is a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc., a Fortune 1000 Company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Together with its corporately-owned locations and those of its franchise owners, the Thrifty Car Rental brand serves value-conscious travelers from more than 1,100 locations in 64 countries.