WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Nov. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- As consumers and the travel industry face increasing financial pressures brought on by a sluggish economy, customer satisfaction with renting cars at airports has declined considerably for a second consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Rental Car Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.

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Now in its 13th year, the study measures overall customer satisfaction with renting cars at airports by examining six factors (listed in order of importance): costs and fees, pick-up process, rental car, return process, reservation process and shuttle bus/van. Overall satisfaction declines significantly from 750 points on a 1,000-point scale in 2007 to 734 in 2008.

"The current economic climate is having negative effects on all aspects of the travel industry -- from airlines to hotels to rental car companies -- as staffing and operational cutbacks have resulted in diminishing levels of customer satisfaction," said Jim Gaz, senior director of global hospitality, travel and entertainment at J.D. Power and Associates. "Some leisure and business travelers are avoiding air travel altogether, which has ramifications for airport-based rental car companies in terms of a shrinking customer base and decreasing revenues. In times like these, it becomes particularly important to deliver superior customer service and retain current customers, since new ones may be scarce."

Enterprise ranks highest in customer satisfaction among rental car companies for a fifth consecutive year and performs particularly well in all six factors. Enterprise is followed in the rankings by Hertz and Alamo, respectively, with Alamo improving considerably from 2007.

The study finds that while only one in 10 rental car customers say they had a significant problem during their rental car experience, having a problem has a strong negative effect on overall satisfaction. When customers say they experienced a problem, overall satisfaction declines by 128 index points, compared with customers who report no problems. Furthermore, if the problem is not resolved, satisfaction decreases even further-by an additional 52 points.

"Ensuring that rental car customers have a problem-free experience is critical to providing high levels of satisfaction," said Gaz. "Other factors that have a particularly strong impact on satisfaction with the car rental process include: adequately preparing vehicles so that they are clean and in good operating condition upon pickup; ensuring that customers receive the vehicle models that they reserve, rather than substituting a different model; and minimizing wait times for vehicle pick up and drop off."

The study also finds that, by a wide margin, customers with the highest levels of satisfaction and high commitment to a particular rental car brand are much more likely to use that company again and to recommend the company to others, compared with the average customer. Among customers who are highly committed, 86 percent say they "definitely will" use the company again, and 88 percent say "definitely will" recommend the company to others. On the other hand, among customers who say they have medium commitment, only 21 percent say they "definitely will" use the brand again, while only 20 percent "definitely will" recommend it to others.

The 2008 Rental Car Satisfaction Study is based on more than 13,400 evaluations from business and leisure travelers who rented a vehicle at an airport location between September 2007 and October 2008. The study was fielded between October 2007 and October 2008.

For more information, to read an article or view rental car company ratings, visit JDPower.com

    Customer Satisfaction Index Ranking    J.D. Power.com Power Circle Ratings
    (Based on a 1,000-point scale)         For Consumers

    Enterprise               773            5

    Hertz                    750            4
    Alamo                    747            4

    National                 742            3
    Industry Average         734            3
    Avis                     733            3
    Budget                   727            3

    Thrifty                  714            2
    Dollar                   709            2
    Payless                  694            2
    Advantage Rent A Car     674            2
    Fox Rent A Car           674            2

    NOTE:  Ace Rent-A-Car is included in the study but not ranked due to
           small sample size.

    Power Circle Ratings Legend:
    5 - Among the best
    4 - Better than most
    3 - About average
    2 - The rest

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

     Media Relations Contacts:
     Lindsay Wagner                           John Tews
     Brandware Public Relations               J.D. Power and Associates
     New York, N.Y.                           Troy, Mich.
     (516) 594-0072                           (248) 312-4119
     lwagner@brandwaregroup.com               john.tews@jdpa.com

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SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates