Avis to Sponsor Achilles Track Club Athletes at Los Angeles Marathon

Avis Extends Support of Athletes with Disabilities to the West Coast

PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 16 -- Avis Rent A Car System, LLC announced that it is the official sponsor of the Achilles Track team competing in the 2006 Los Angeles Marathon. With the support of Avis, Achilles will send 35 athletes with disabilities from the New York, Miami, Chicago and Walter Reed Army Medical Center chapters of the Achilles Track Club to join their fellow athletes from the Los Angeles chapter and compete together in the 26.2-mile race on Sunday, March 19th. This is the first time a combined national team of Achilles athletes will compete together in the Los Angeles Marathon.

Included in this year's race are members of the "Avis Achilles Freedom Team," a group of recently disabled Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans as well as several legally blind athletes. "The Achilles athletes themselves truly exemplify the character we strive for at Avis, with their 'we try harder' spirit," said Scott Deaver, executive vice president of marketing for Cendant Car Rental Group, parent of Avis. "Many are learning to re-invent themselves after recent traumas. Some are amputees back from Iraq; others are visually impaired. But now all of them are setting their sights on what they can achieve."

  Here are some of their stories:

 * Rich Radford from the Los Angeles area has competed in the wheelchair
   division of the Los Angeles Marathon since its inception.  This year, he
   will compete in his 21st race, making him a true "Legacy Runner."  He is
   disabled as a result of a spinal cord injury.

 * Melody Williamson from Palmdale, Calif. is a competitive wheelchair racer
   who has been with Achilles for the last six years. At the young age of
   25, she has already competed in races around the world including the Oita
   Invitational in Japan.

 * Ramon Guitard travels from Walter Reed Medical Center near Washington,
   D.C.  At 22 years old, married and the father of two children, Ramon
   prepares to compete in his fourth marathon in Los Angeles.  While he was
   riding in a bus in Iraq, a bomb exploded and split both his legs wide
   open from the thighs down.  One leg was completely lost, while the other
   was fused together, leaving him without a knee. An ambitious Avis
   Achilles Freedom Team member, he hopes to beat his personal record of
   2:20 on his customized hand-cranked wheelchair.

 * Melynda Schnee of Chicago lost her left leg 14 months ago following
   complications from an auto accident.  Melinda is called Achilles'
   "Biggest Loser" because she lost more than 80 pounds since joining
   Achilles to train for the New York City Marathon.  In January she won the
   Avis "We Try Harder" award as the first female wheelchair finisher at the
   ING Miami Marathon (on a handcycle).

 * Ivonne Mosquera, a native of New York City, was diagnosed with
   retinoblastoma, cancer of the retina, at the age of two.  After her
   diagnosis, both eyes had to be removed. She was the 2005 winner of the
   Avis "We Try Harder" award at the ING New York City Marathon. She is
   running the Los Angeles Marathon to serve as an inspiration to all, and
   to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

 * Ali Bergstrom, from St. Paul, Minn., isn't letting arthritis keep her
   from participating in her first marathon with Achilles. To cope with her
   very painful disease, Ali has used a wheelchair for a number of years.
   While building her strength and ability through the Achilles program, Ali
   reports that her pain is reduced and she feels stronger in every aspect
   of her life.  An orchestra conductor, she is at Julliard on track to
   complete her Ph. D. in 2006.

 * Dustin Tuller of Pensacola, Fla. is a double amputee who was shot
   multiple times during combat in Iraq. He was given a five percent chance
   of living, yet he'll be competing in his fourth Los Angeles Marathon.
   His courage and knowledge enable him to be a mentor to many of the new
   Avis Achilles Freedom Team members.

 * Tyler McNeil is a 15 year-old autistic child from New York City. He will
   compete in the 5K with his mother Nadine. He looks forward to the day
   when he's old enough to be a marathoner. Tyler belongs to the Achilles
   "Future Marathoners Club."

Through ongoing activities, Avis and Achilles have been able to send athletes with disabilities from around the world to compete in marathons nationwide, including events in Boston, and Washington, D.C. Avis has a long-standing history of supporting athletes with disabilities and is the presenting sponsor of the Wheelchair Division and sponsor of athletes with disabilities at the ING New York City and ING Miami Marathons.

In 2003, Avis introduced Avis Access, a suite of products and services that make vehicles more accessible to renters with disabilities, helping to make travel easier and less stressful for everyone. For additional information about Avis Access, visit http://www.avis.com/access.

About Achilles Track Club

The mission of the Achilles Track Club is to enable people with varying abilities to participate in mainstream athletics (mainly running), to promote personal achievement, enhance self-esteem, and lower the barriers that exist between individuals.

Since its inception in 1983, Achilles has expanded into several chapters in the United States and over one hundred chapters in 60 countries-including Canada, Bulgaria, Colombia, Japan, Russia, and South Africa. Under the guidance of the Achilles Track Club founder, Dick Traum, Ph.D., the first amputee to run a marathon, Achilles has provided the expertise, training/coaching, encouragement and adaptive equipment to all disadvantaged disabled members so that they can participate in mainstream athletics.

Through its easily replicable model of integration and access for all, Achilles has established award-winning programs for those 5 to 65 years of age. The Achilles Kids program, in association with the office for Adaptive Physical Education of the New York City Board of Education, can boast teaching the salutary aspects of physical recreation and fitness to more than 3,000 disabled children. The Achilles Tandem Club offers the visually impaired a chance at cycling. And, through its newest program, the Avis Achilles "Freedom Team," Achilles has introduced sporting as a means to rehabilitate wounded soldiers returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

About Avis

Avis Rent A Car System, LLC and its subsidiaries operate one of the world's leading car rental brands, providing business and leisure customers with a wide range of services at more than 2,000 locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Latin American / Caribbean region. Avis is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty, ranking as the number one car rental company in the 2005 Brand Keys(R) Customer Loyalty Index. The company is part of Cendant Car Rental Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cendant Corporation , a diversified global provider of business and consumer services primarily within the real estate and travel sectors. For more information visit http://www.avis.com/ or http://www.cendant.com/media.

NOTE TO EDITORS: INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE: These athletes have compelling human-interest stories to tell. The athletes will be in the LA area beginning on Friday 3/17. To schedule an interview, please contact Stanley Zucker at 818-207-5559