MSPeconomist

I'd like it to be c) and in fact many of the threads are very interesting. Unfortunately it's become a) in the absence of general fora as well as in practice being b) since it seems to serve as a dumping ground for threads that no one knows where to place or move.

SkiAdcock

I think A & C, but am ok with it being for B too. Better to have a home for those that don't fit elsewhere than not at all.

Back to the car rental general forum, I think it makes sense to have one.

Cheers.

jackal

The problem with it being B is that I never bother to read it anymore because the signal-to-noise ratio is so low.

If TravelBuzz were for hot travel topics worth knowing about, then it might actually become more interesting again. Kind of like what nsx and I proposed for MilesBuzz with the creation of the Information Desk--and while people have questioned the usefulness/necessity of the Information Desk forum, I have heard a lot of people say positive things about getting some of that stuff out of MilesBuzz and making MilesBuzz worth reading again.

This does actually tie into the question of the "General Car Rental" forum because it's an aspect of MSPeconomist's comment about the utility of more industry-specific "general" forums around FT. If we make a decision that TravelBuzz is a dumping ground for anything and everything travel, then what's the use of a "general" car rental forum? Any general car rental topics can go in there (and get lost amidst the sea of everything else). But if TravelBuzz's mission/mandate is clarified to remove all that dross, then suddenly the necessity of general fora to cover various aspects of the travel industry (the airline industry, the hotel industry, and the rental car industry) becomes much clearer, and it makes sense to approve a "General Car Rental Discussion" forum.

And the converse is true, too. If the TalkBoard votes to approve a "General Car Rental Discussion" forum, then it also makes sense to approve a "General Airline Discussion" forum and a "General Hotel Discussion" forum--and take those topics out of TravelBuzz.

That might also help to clarify the mission of the Information Desk, too; in hind-sight, the mandate to discuss cross-program topics there clutters up the forum too much. I think Information Desk would actually serve the community better if it were focused on its core mission of being a signpost to help others use and navigate FlyerTalk itself.

I know it's not specifically on-topic to this thread, but to me, it seems that all of these topics are tied together in a way, and although I harbor no illusions that the TalkBoard will ever actually do something like this that makes complete and total sense , in an ideal case, this forum should be approved as part of a comprehensive package addressing all of these tied-together aspects.

JMHO & $0.02, of course.

tcook052

I recall suggesting as much once upon a time.

As has been evidence by the "Budget" airline forums and so would prefer TB actively resist rather than embrace forum proliferation. One general car rental forum makes some sense but adding another 6 - 12 general travel forums doesn't to me.

MSPeconomist

There's been some discussion about consolidating or re-arranging some of the "other"/budget airlines fora, so we could end up eliminating three or four airline fora and adding one general airline forum, which would be a net reduction.

aBroadAbroad

Any interest in resuming this discussion? Two more threads have been started in the Info Desk forum, both of which would be better suited to an all-purpose Rental Car Discussion forum:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...-rent-car.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/infor...ar-rental.html

CMK10

I'm still in favor of making changes, once we get the Russia Forum dealt with I'll create a vote so we can move forward on it.

bdschobel

Same here.

Bruce

SkiAdcock

This one might be easier to solve than the Russia one, so potentially do it first? I don't envy you all sorting out re-named Russia/description. I remember when we created the forum we struggled with the name & description. There is no perfect solution. But that's why they pay you the big bucks, so good luck!

While no longer having a vote I'd be supportive of the general rental car forum proposal. I like mia's suggestion of making General the first one listed, and then the various ones like Avis, etc. Look forward to CMK's proposed motion when the time is right.

Cheers.

nsx

Yes. At the top level call it Car Rentals and Programs. That forum would have all the general (as distinct from the pre-1993 company called General Rent A Car!) discussion.

Have subforums of Car Rentals and Programs for the larger companies and their programs. Larger by importance, not by ownership, and specifically excluding Enterprise. Consider having a subforum for Opaque Rentals (Hotwire, Priceline).

CMK10

I hadn't thought about that.

General Rent a Car
Hertz
Avis
National
Third Party Rental Car Bookings

That could work

aBroadAbroad

Not subforums, please. Just the forum category with forums listed beneath, starting with the general-discussion forum:

Is a separate third-party booking/opaque rental forum really necessary? It seems like this is precisely the type of thing that goes in the general-discussion forum and/or the existing Online Travel Booking forum.

MSPeconomist

Excuse me for asking a perhaps naive question, but why not Enterprise? I've never used them but AFAIK they're a major rental car company.

nsx

We could certainly wait to see how much activity appears about Opaque Rentals, especially if there is some prominent way to welcome that subject for discussion.

nsx

Enterprise specializes in long-term rentals, especially insurance company replacement cars. They are not popular with business travelers.

The common discussion area should suffice to cover Enterprise.