Technology Offers Convenience for Flights and Rental Cars
10/16/2007 2:16:06 PM
By 2008, multiple airlines, such as American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, will be deploying broadband internet access for transcontinental flights. Also, at the present time, most rental car companies provide the car rental customer with the option of renting a GPS unit at the time of rental.
In both cases, both of these options are at a premium, with car rental companies charging around $10 per rental day for the GPS Unit and airlines planning on charging $10 for the broadband internet service. American Airlines, based out of the Dallas / Ft. Worth (DFW) International Airport, plans to roll out the service in early 2008 on its 767-200 aircraft, while Southwest Airlines, which is headquartered at the Dallas Love Field Airport, has been aggressive in moving forward with offering this service. The airline industry believes that a solution will attract more business travelers.
Meanwhile, Global Positioning Systems and Navigation systems are now a common offering in the rental car industry. E-Z Rent-A-Car offers GPS rentals at all of its car rental locations across the United States and Canada. The GPS units are available for all car classes, including Fullsize Cars and Convertibles. While this offering originally targeted the business traveler, leisure travelers are also just as interested in the product.
