CHESTERFIELD, ENGLAND, August 18, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Sixt rent a car, one of Europe's leading car hire company's, has moved quickly to respond to the potential strike planned by BAA airport workers which could start as early as next week.
Sixt announced on Friday via their company blog that any of their customers who are unable to rent a car due to the potential strike will be able to cancel completely free of charge.
The news of BAA's proposed strike is another blow in what has so far proven to be a difficult year for UK airports, in particular Heathrow Airport. Severe snow and icy conditions in early January caused cancellations and delays to various modes of transport. In April the erupting volcano in Iceland and subsequent ash cloud caused further disruption costing the industry an estimated GBP1.2 billion. More recently strikes by British Airways cabin crew over pay and working conditions resulted in hundreds of cancelled flights.
Not only have such issues created uncertainty for those making travel arrangements but also additional expense due to the knock-on effect of cancelled extras such as hotels, car hire, transfers and insurance.
The latest bad news was announced last week as the Unite union rejected a 1% pay offer from BAA and following a ballot from its members has advised them to strike. The ballot was won by a majority of 3 to 1 with large numbers of essential staff including firefighters and security officers voting to strike.
The strike could affect renters at Sixt branches located at Heathrow Airport, Stansted Airport, Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Aberdeen Airport. Therefore Sixt have taken the decision to repeat their free cancellation policy which was also introduced during the ash cloud crisis.
Upon announcing the free cancellation policy Per Voegerl, Sixt rent a car's commercial director, said "Events such as this are completely out of our customers hands and can cause great unsettlement to their plans as well as additional costs. Therefore we want to ensure that any car hire arrangements are totally stress free, by allowing customers affected by the strike to cancel for free they can make their reservation as normal safe in the knowledge that cancelling won't incur a financial penalty."
Free cancellations will be available on all Sixt products booked directly through Sixt. Airport car hire can be booked online at http://www.sixt.co.uk and through the UK call centre on 0844 499 33 99.
Sixt AG, with its registered office in Pullach near Munich, is an international provider of high-quality mobility services. Founded in 1912, the company operates in around 100 countries. Sixt is the market leader for car rentals in Germany and Austria and one of the biggest manufacturer-independent full-service leasing providers. The Sixt Group generated a turnover of EUR 1.6 billion in 2009 and employs nearly 3,000 people worldwide.
(2009 figure, excluding franchisees).
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