ill try. I know ill confuse some people. feel free to ask questions.

Book A full size or better, request luxury.

Thats your best bet. Plain and simple. Odds of success vary from location to location.

Another thing you can do is to book a SUV, inter-SUV, Convt, or other vehicle and request luxury. Depending upon your company's AWD, some car classes may be cheaper than others. I know for a fact that some DotCom/tech companies have huge discounts on Luxury Car class, but absolute zilch on SUV, Van, Convt, etc. So many of them book luxury cars and request the other car classes with significant success (greater than 80%). the same works in reverse for some AWD's.

Bottom line, Each manager/location has a $ amount that a rental has to hit in order to not be questioned about an upgrade. This doesn't mean they cant ever do an upgrade, it just means they wont get a second look about it when it happens. Certain times of year, rentals can be so expensive that booking a Compact as a presidents club might get you a G class car if they are short on sedans due to the seasonal influx. Lets face it, there are times when you are paying 60 dollars a day for a compact car. If thats the case, go ahead to the counter and ask to see if a full size, SUV, InterSUV, or even a luxury or premium is available. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But when the prices are that high, I could care less what car you were booked for, if I have spare, i just might give it to you. Happy customer is a repeat customer.

Absent of that $$ cap, they are limted to the upgrade tree and program guidelines to okay upgrades. So some people who have compact reservations end up in SUV's. or "vans" or "mom wagons". When some cars sit on the lot too long, you could end up in that car.

Saavy managers really teach their agents how to massage the system by keeping inactive cars down, making status customers happy, and keeping the ready line full so the rest of the agents do not have difficulty in provding their customers needs.


Plain english, this is how it works. A preferred agent (hourly employee) will get a list of available cars from management at the beginning of their shift. Not available cars like "15 luxury, 3 vans, 24 full size" mut more like "were really tight on sedans, so specialties are your upgrade cars" or "we have tons of Cadi's on lot that have been sitting too long, get them turned around asap."

The preferred agent will use those general guidelines, reserved class, length of rental, and customer knowledge to emulate a game plan for the next two hours (always starts two hours ahead).

Here is how I teach my agents to do it.

here is a mimmicked list that an agent will pull

xxx,xxx G+ PCI/pref DTS 1

Name Class Notes length of rental


We pull up two hours in advance, and look at the class. The "+" means that the customer by status has an upgrade. The notes determine the upgrade limit and any customer request information the last is the length of rental.

Essentially, if you are going to have a car for only 1 day, the sky can be the limit. You could get a hummer or a volvo for this particular sample reservation. The rate is high (g), the customer has status, and the rental is short. Depending on pre-existing rules set forth by the District manager, you could get a hummer, or you could only get a G, or any car inbetween, sideways, or upside down, primariliy because its a short rental.

now look at this example.
xxx,xxx E+ PCI/pref DTS 1

an upgrade may not be possible depending on how the system is at the time of your arrival, or it could totally be possible. This is one of the reasons why you may see alot of CADI's available, but you are not upgraded into one of them. The management may be holding them in case they run out of G, or E cars. there may be 45 Cadi's on the lot, but if the balance of G and E cars is -15 or worse, there will be some upgrades done. those are the perfect time to be "early" to the party. If a preferred agent comes into work at 6am and sees -15 on E, then every PCI that comes across her/his desk will get a Luxury in an attempt to balance the system out. The first 15 PCI's in that day will be satisfied with their upgrades. After that, its a balancing act between the next hour's cars and the supply of E cars and Demand at that magical two hours prior mark. You may be the unlucky soul who comes in at just the moment when a ton of Full size cars check in, and because tons of CAdi's already went out, they may need to re-balance the fleet and slow down upgrades to make sure that the 7pm hour still has enough luxury cars to meet their reservations.

A Saavy Preferred agent will upgrade people and downgrade people at will to balance the fleet and keep available cars flowing. A "shuttle" of cars arrives from the QTA (cleaning area, stands for quick turnaround area) that has 14 Compacts 15 Mid size and 40 Full size. The reservations on the next hour (and looking two hours ahead for preferred) shows the need for 16 Full Size, 35 Mid size and 60 compact Cars. Already on the ready line, the agent has 14 SUV's 10 Vans, 24 Cadi's and 15 Premimum Cars.

14 Compacts will likely be saved for regular reservations or given to subcompact reservations for Select status individuals. Full size reservations with or without status will get premium cars, luxury cars, and full size cars depending upon length of rental and rate, leaving more full size cars left over to cover the mid size reservations. Then status mid size individuals may get upgrades to full size (even PC, single class) in order to balance the fleet for the hour.

Not everyone can see the logic in this. Its like a chess game. Put the people in the cars and avoid checkmate (too many people, not enough cars). A untrained agent might just drop all the PCI's into their two class upgrade, then for the next 3 hours the location is chasing their tail trying to balance.


Downgrading (oh the horror!)


Many businessmen book specific car classes, but really they just need to "get there" for that meeting. Avis will, in the absense of your reserved car class, assume that you need a car right away and will try to put you into anything that is available, should you really need to get going in a hurry. It will usually be an upgrade, but it can be a downgrade. If your booked for a full size, but the only thing available is mid size, The agent, by empowerment guidelines, should back your rate down to a subcompact rate, give you the mid size car (giving you the two class upgrade your entitled to) and send you on your way, or you could decline the car and wait for something better. you would be right by saying "should you upgrade rather than downgrade". The answer is yes. But reality gives way to desire at times. Reality bites. No cars, you take what you can get. Plus PC customers can walk up to any location and get a car even if the location is 100% sold out. The agent will get you any car, charge you for that car class, and send you on your way even if customers are camped out like woodstock in the lobby.

There are benefits to PCI.


That is now its "supposed" to work. Not always works that way.