Originally Posted by
IAHtraveler
Twice at EWR, I asked for an Infiniti and was told that the manager would have to approve it. They called and, both times, the manager had an Infiniti ready for me within 2 minutes. As for the Camaro; I had a reservation for a mid-size last week at a smaller eastern airport & called the CHM desk the day before to request the Camaro. He gave me no hassles about the note and when I got to the airport, they had two there and let me pick which one I wanted. I've called the CHM desk before and asked for SUVs and been told that it's only "to the best car on the lot" but would note my reservation anyway. Stations have had no problem giving me SUVs.
That's the thing I love about the CHM program is its flexibility, personally. Not that I "need" to drive an Infiniti when I travel, per se (I get those kicks out of my personal vehicles at home - plus, an M35 isn't a head-turning vehicle anyway, thus not worth the loss of sleep), rather I've found the service to be stellar. If I need an SUV for camping - they'll me a new Ford Expedition, no problem. If I need to haul clients - I get good looking STS or DTS. If I need a good highway cruiser that is good on gas and is roomy, then I'd go with a low-mileage V6 Buick Lucerne with XM. All at paying for a Group C, treating the agents nicely, and a quick call to the local station beforehand (or the CHM desk) should do it.
If people are looking to Avis to drive flashy vehicles, it's neither the company nor at times, the proper place to do it (on a Monday morning at ORD, there are hundreds of us that have to get into cars, and possibily millions of dollars worth of business waiting between everyone). While it's great to get a nice, low-mileage car, Avis is serving me well because of their service, attention to detail, and most of all, flexibility. The difference between a $45k STS-V8 and a $40k M35 is usually immaterial. Especially if you're not paying for it to begin with.
Now if they did 'Vettes, that would be a different story!!! But I wouldn't expect to pay $30 for a midsize and get upgraded into a 'Vette ... not only for business reasons, but you don't have to be a city manager to know it doesn't make any sense.