Car hire Spain

Travelers are paying an average of 30% more for their car hire in August of this year compared to the same time last year.

A report by carrentals.co.uk found that car rental prices were on the increase worldwide. The report attributed this to the fact that car rental companies have cut their fleet sizes during the recession as banks have not been able to provide the necessary funding for the replacement of older vehicles and the expansion of fleets. The shortages have led to a price increase.

The 40% increase in Spanish car hire prices is one of the sharpest rises, eclipsed only by Turkey with 76%, the US with 48% and Croatia with 46%.

Travelers have again been advised to book their car hire early to avoid the high rates and ensure they get the car they are after.

Spanish air traffic controllers have called off their planned strike action after a barrage of criticism from Spain’s tourism industry and the media.

Spain’s tourism industry has been hit particularly hard by the recession with visitor numbers down significantly for the third year in a row. The strike action would have affected 300,000 Britons who had booked holidays in Spain.

The row centres over pay and working conditions for the air traffic controllers. The Spanish media reacted sharply when the talks between the airport authority (AENA) and the air traffic controller’s union (UNSCA) broke down. The air traffic controller’s high salaries and short working hours had previously been criticised and the threat of strike action has led to a perception of selfishness among the Spanish public.

A spokesman for UNSCA stated that the union ‘understands the concerns of the tourism sector and passengers’, and as a result has postponed strike action.

Last minute bookings were already down as a result of the threat, but their were fears visitor numbers would plummet if the strike went ahead, as many tourists had already looked at cancelling their visits.

This would have been a further blow to Murcia Airport which has recently lost flights from budget airline Ryanair and Germany’s Air Berlin.

If your thinking of heading to Murcia this year, here are a few sites that could save you money:

As part of our ongoing comparison of websites offering car hire in Spain, we got a number of quotes for a 7 day car hire in Valencia.

The prices found below are for the period of the 3rd to the 10th of September with pickup and drop off times at 12:00p.m. Prices are accurate as of 12/08/10 and represent the cheapest car returned on the respective websites.

In this price comparison test, economycarhire were cheapest, with ecbonline a close second.

*Both Ecbonline and Europcar give their prices in euro. For the purpose of this test, the currency converter at financialtimes.com was used.

Spanish air traffic controllers have voted to go on strike for the first time in the country’s history.

The strike action comes as a protest at moves by the Spanish Prime Minister Jose Zapatero to alter their working conditions. The strike looks set to begin on Wednesday August 18th and is likely to disrupt the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of British holidaymakers who flock to Spain each summer.

The strike will take place over Spain’s peak travel week. Sympathy in Spain lies largely with the government who are endeavoring to bring down the air traffic controllers wages who earned an average of €350,000 last year. The government is expected to order the air traffic controllers to maintain a minimum service which is generally between 50 and 75% of normal service.

Long delays and cancelled flights now seem to be a definite prospect. Alternative routes to nearby airports and ferry crossings are available.

The first question we should address is what exactly is excess insurance?

When you hire a car, your rental agreement will usually include collision damage waiver of some description (there are variations in the degree of cover) and theft protection. However, when you get to your pickup location an amount of money will be blocked on your credit card as a security deposit. This is the maximum amount you will be liable for if there is an accident and is known as excess.

This basically means that if the rental car is damaged or stolen, you are liable for a portion of the costs.

When you take out excess insurance you insure yourself for the amount you would be liable for, should there be damage to the car. This is known as ‘Excess Insurance’.

It is worth noting that if you had an accident while in the rental car and you had taken out excess insurance, the excess would still be taken from your credit card. You then claim it back from the company you got the excess insurance with.

Generally you will be offered excess insurance at the desk at your pickup location. The rates at the desk are much higher than general rates.

We recommend insurance4carhire.com who offer daily excess insurance for trips of 7 days or less for only £4.75 a day.

Alicante is one of the Spain’s busiest car hire locations so we have decided to compare a number of the popular car hire websites to see who really offers the best deal.

The prices mentioned here are for the period of 14th of August 2010 at 12:00 until August 28th 2010 at 12:00. These prices are accurate as of 27th of July 2010 and are representative of the cheapest car available.

In our comparison test, ecbonline came out as the cheapest for a 2 week rental in Alicante.

*Both ecbonline and europcar give their prices in euro, for the purpose of this test the currency convertor found at financialtimes.com was used to convert the rates into sterling.

Families planning to travel to Spain this summer have been warned to book their car hire as early as possible.

A number of car hire providers have warned customers that the shortages experienced across many popular European destinations last summer is likely to be repeated. Late last month the car hire firm Argus warned customers that it was already low on vehicles and that those who wished to book a car should do so in the very near future.

The same statement revealed that Spain in particular was already struggling to meet demand from holidaymakers. According to the statement specific destinations such as Alicante, Menorca and Ibiza were quickly running out of cars.

A study conducted by moneysupermarket.com found that the cost of hiring a large, family size vehicle in Palma, Mallorca has gone up by two-thirds since February, equating to an extra £150. The study stated that holidaymakers would continue to see prices rise  as we move towards the peak travel season.

The simple, money saving advice: Book Early.