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Old Nov 23, 2018, 7:27 pm
  #4  
BugsyPal
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 777
In most areas, and in particular large urban locations car rental places have had closed inventory for major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and many of the summer holidays such as Fourth of July, etc....) for months in advance. This is nothing new and has been going on for ages.

There is only so much inventory at locations and or system wide. As it is many National locations in urban areas like NYC must have vehicles brought in from airports and or even far out of state.

Obviously as demand increases so do rates; that is just the common sense model all car rental places use now.

It has always been possible to *bust* a National "no inventory" message by booking a vehicle on a weekly rate. However IIRC National can and just may change the rate if renter returns earlier (< less than one week).

Enterprise/National/Alamo aren't stupid; they can see who rents on a weekly rate, and when the vehicle is returned. If there is too much gaming of the system so to speak, it will prompt changes to curb such behavior.

Finally keep in mind previous statement; just because you force the system to book a reservation by going with a weekly reservation it does *NOT* create any more inventory. You'll be lumped in with the dozens or scores of other renters on eve a holiday with confirmed reservations all waiting for vehicles.
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