Thrifty.com Hits the Road With Upgrade, New Features

TULSA, Okla., April 28 -- Thrifty Car Rental, a subsidiary of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. , today took the wraps off its recently retooled Web site, THRIFTY.com. The streamlined THRIFTY.com debuts with new features that will greatly enhance consumers' driving experience on the site, including:

  (Logo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050405/DATU014LOGO)

  --  Improved "Cars" display:  the "Our Cars" section has been greatly
      enhanced, providing Flash images of vehicles and a 360-degree view
      (domestic vehicles only).  Customers can select from exterior or
      interior views, and are presented with a comprehensive list of car
      features along with passenger and luggage capacity and fuel efficiency
      ratings.
  --  Predictive-text location search:  with minimal typing (as little as
      three characters), consumers will be more than happy to let
      THRIFTY.com do the driving as it offers up suggestions for
      city/locations.  Consumers will be well on their way to booking a
      completed reservation in no time.
  --  Improved "Specials" section:  visit the "Deals" page and sort
      promotional offers by specific location.  Special offers are sorted by
      domestic or international, and those that are in conjunction with
      Thrifty's airline, hotel and other partners.
  --  "Location" section upgraded:  once the location is selected, consumers
      have the ability to view all nearby locations, along with interactive
      maps for each specific location.
  --  Refined look-and-feel: resulting in a streamlined reservation process
      that will speed consumers through the process faster than ever before;
      and

  --  Real-time rate calculation:  the site displays price changes as rental
      options like child safety seats and GPS are added to the reservation.

"The new THRIFTY.com is built for speed and offers a customer experience that is second to none," said Charlie Coniglio, Vice President, Marketing and eCommerce. "Our goal is to provide consumers with as much information up front as possible so they can make the best car rental decision. At the same time, we have optimized the experience and cut out the clutter. We think visitors to THRIFTY.com will be very pleased, particularly with the great rates and variety of vehicles."