Tori Patrick, Vice President European Airports, Enterprise Holdings: “Our three brands allow customers to choose the rental experience that best suits them. Enterprise Rent-A-Car customers want a high-touch experience where branch employees provide detailed advice and guidance. National Car Rental serves the needs of frequent airport travellers who want choice, minimal paperwork and quick access to their car. Alamo Rent A Car provides vehicles to leisure travellers at competitive rates.”
Enterprise Holdings will be present at this year’s ACI EUROPE Airport Commercial & Retail Conference & Exhibition. Ahead of the event, Tori Patrick, Vice President European Airports, Enterprise Holdings, shared her perspective on the airport car rental market with Ross Falconer, including innovation through automation and mobile apps.
The car rental market at airports is growing. The principal drivers, explains Tori Patrick, Vice President European Airports, Enterprise Holdings, are a healthy tourism industry, the ongoing globalisation of large companies, and increased wealth. “For example, our US airport rental revenue is up more than 10%, while the US rental industry is up more than 4%.”
It is also a market that’s evolving. There’s a new generation of consumer that’s far more used to accessing goods and services through the so-called “sharing economy”. Car rental companies that can tailor and adapt their services to meet the needs of this new breed of consumer will give themselves a competitive advantage.
Enterprise is doing that in myriad ways, which Patrick shared with Airport Business. But first, a quick overview of some figures: The company currently has branches at more than 200 airports in EMEA and over 800 airports worldwide. Globally, Enterprise has more than 9,000 fully staffed branches and 1.7 million vehicles for its three brands – Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car.
Significantly, at the end of 2014 Enterprise terminated the agreement under which Europcar operated the National and Alamo brands in Europe. “Since then we have incorporated them into our existing infrastructure to serve distinct types of travellers,” comments Patrick. “Now all of our airport locations in Europe offer our three brands. We’d operated National and Alamo in North America since 2007, but the ability to offer them throughout Europe means that we can provide a more tailored service based on customers’ needs.”
“Investing in growing global network”
The car rental business is certainly adapting to innovative technologies. This is perhaps most vividly experienced through automation, which is being embraced in a number of ways. One example is Enterprise’s launch of Priority Service at 29 European airports for members of Emerald Club – National Car Rental’s frequent traveller loyalty programme. The aim is to streamline the experience for those who desire it. Members can bypass the rental counter and go directly to a booth in the car park. There they receive a choice of vehicles in their reserved car class, simply show their credit card and driving licence, sign the contract and drive away.
“We use automation to improve the experience for customers who prefer to self-serve, but we are acutely aware that some customers value face-to-face interaction,” acknowledges Patrick. “Automation and speed of service tend to be valued most by frequent business travellers, so National is the brand for much of our investment in automation. Enterprise customers prefer face-to-face service at the counter, so we make sure our employees walk them through the whole process.”
Mobile apps are, of course, a cornerstone of all aspects of the journey for today’s connected travellers, and last year they were launched for both Enterprise and National. “We’re keen to keep enhancing them, and we’re also piloting tablets in the US in order to provide an expedited customer experience,” adds Patrick. Looking ahead, Enterprise is continually expanding its airport presence, particularly in EMEA. In the past year alone it has added many new locations to its network, including Belfast City, Nuremburg, Tuzla, Tallinn, Kaunas, Vilnius, Pristina, Luxembourg, Chisinau, and Riyadh. “We’ve invested heavily in growing our global network,” says Patrick. “Five years ago we were in only three countries in Europe. Today we have a presence in 40 countries in EMEA and more than 75 globally. There’s certainly the potential for us to expand further in APAC and we’re always looking for right-minded partners in new markets.”
