Talk about sticker shock this Christmas. Daily car rental rates for that road-trip, jaunt or far-flu

Talk about sticker shock this Christmas. Daily car rental rates for that road-trip, jaunt or far-flung expedition 50 miles or more from home at Christmas, or for that luxury car fit for the stars for that excursion to all the hot spots around town on New Year’s Eve, are skyrocketing this year. That’s according to AAA’s Leisure holiday car rental coupons Travel Index. This year it might be cheaper to take that trip in “a one-horse open sleigh.”
Even so, daily car rental rates will average $52 in the Washington metro area, notes the leisure travel organization. A year ago it was a mere $30 per day on average at local car rental sites. That's a staggering 71 percent for a rental car over the same time period a year earlier. Keep in mind, car rental rates are usually the highest at the three major airports in the area, says AAA Mid-Atlantic.
holiday car rental coupons “As the demand for used cars fluctuates or car manufacturers offer fewer opportunities for buying back fleets, it can become harder for car rental companies to shrink their fleet to meet demand,” notes John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Manager of Public and Government Affairs. “Coming out of the recession, it is a matter of the age-old law of supply and demand. It is still in effect with a vengeance this holiday travel period.”
During the upcoming holiday travel season some 84.4 million Americans will drive 50 miles or more home (with an average of 760 miles round-trip). However, if they are planning to do so by rental car, they probably won’t find many deals on daily rental car rates, notes AAA.  Instead, they will find a lump of coal at the rental counter.  From coast to coast, the average daily  car rental rate is up 41 percent  at rental agencies during the holiday season, compared to the same period a year ago.
Just do the math. Daily rates for all major car rental brands during Christmastime holiday car rental coupons will average $56. That’s compared to the yuletide rate of $40 per day last year. So here's a word to the savvy holiday travelers holiday car rental coupons and rental car customer. Plan ahead, and don't wait until the last minute to make that car rental reservation, travel counselors at AAA Mid-Atlantic Travel Services advise.
Industry holiday car rental coupons watchers and  travel writers  and bloggers are blaming the sticker shock at car rental counters on the shrinking rental car inventory in this country. holiday car rental coupons Mid-way through the “Great Recession,” the car rental industry, which was reeling from the economic downturn and “yo-yo spikes and decreases in fuel prices,” trimmed its fleet. It sold more than 400,000 vehicles to the  used car market  in 2009, according to news reports. That spawned a shortage in the available rolling stock of rental car units. Like a  dog chasing its tail , the shortage of inventory and “historical peaks for used car prices,” in turn, caused rental prices to increase. Rental rates have fluctuated since then and travelers have  encountered  “sold-out rental counters at some locations during peak travel holiday car rental coupons periods.”
The car rental picture has been very interesting for the past couple years, explains AAA.  When airfares and hotel rates declined during the recession, car rental pricing held steady and even increased.  Last year was the first year that pricing started to show any consistent holiday car rental coupons decreases, explains the nation’s largest leisure travel organization. Long story short:  It is a different picture this year.  Daily rental car rates fell below 2011 results through the third quarter of 2012. However, in the fourth quarter of this year car rental rates leap-frogged. Even worse, heading into the year-end holidays they have consistently exceeded last year’s daily car rental rates.
As the chart above shows, the average daily car rental rate for Christmas is 41 percent higher holiday car rental coupons than 2011.  Although the $56 rate is substantially higher holiday car rental coupons than the $40 average rate recorded last year, it more closely approximates the $50 rate reported in 2010, the Leisure Travel Index from AAA shows.
It’s small consolation, but  in spite of the strong pricing increases in the latter part of the year, the average rates for the year remain down 3 percent. Travel distances and spending are both up this holiday season- holiday car rental coupons Average distance 760 miles, median spending $759.  However, a little research and advance planning can result in big savings. Here are some car rental tips:
Don’t expect auto rental rates to fall any time soon in the New Year ahead.  The fallout from the Hertz acquisition of Dollar holiday car rental coupons Thrifty will “cause the land rush for vacated airport locations,” which in turn, “will produce a ground war on rates,” according to  Auto Rental News .  By the way, AAA members can take advantage of discounts and exclusive rates through AAA’s travel partners.
AAA Mid-Atlantic advocates on behalf of its nearly four million members in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. It provides a wide range of personal insurance, travel, financial and automotive services through its 50-plus retail branches, regional operations centers, holiday car rental coupons and the Internet. For more information, please visit our web site at  www.AAA.com .