World's leading car rental company and Qatar's national carrier cater to growing market of Arabic speaking internet users

Doha, Qatar, 16 April, 2013: Hertz and Qatar Airways have announced the introduction of an Arabic language option to their online booking platform, providing Arabic speaking passengers worldwide the ability to book Hertz rental vehicles in their preferred language for the first time.

The Arabic option to the fully functioning website, www.hertzqatarairways.com, launched in April 2012, is aimed at catering to the growing number of Arabic customers flying with Qatar Airways around the world, who also need onward ground transport once arriving at any one of the 125 destinations that the award-winning carrier flies to.

Michel Taride, Group President, RAC International, Hertz Corporation, commented: "As the exclusive car rental partner of Qatar Airways, Hertz is always looking at ways to improve the customer experience."

"With internet penetration rates continuing to rise among Arabic speaking populations, the introduction of a dedicated Arabic language platform was a natural addition to the website, and we are delighted to be one of the first to offer such a service to our valued customers."

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker added: "We are pleased to be offering our Arabic speaking passengers an additional service option, providing ease, flexibility and convenience to book rental cars with Hertz, in their preferred language."

"The innovative Arabic language addition builds on the successful partnership we have with Hertz, allowing Qatar Airways Privilege Club members to continue to earn up to 1,000 Miles on Hertz rentals around the world."

The user friendly Arabic language platform comes as latest statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau show there are currently 86 million Arabic speaking internet users.  In Qatar, 1.2 million of the total 1.7 million Arabic speaking population regularly use the internet, representing a 70 per cent internet penetration rate.

The large volume of Arabic speaking internet users also coincides with the rapid rise of online travel bookings in the Middle East, adding extra significance to the Hertz Qatar Airways Arabic language online booking platform.

According to online travel experts Travelport, online bookings are expected to account for 22 per cent of all travel bookings in the Middle East within the next two years, reaching a total value of US$15.8 billion by 2014.

The new Arabic language option on the Hertz Qatar Airways website will provide added convenience for Qatar Airways customers, offering full global rental options, as well as the ability to book Hertz rentals in either local or destination currency.

The Arabic language function to www.hertzqatarairways.com is the latest innovation as part of a three-year partnership between Hertz and Qatar Airways. Streamlining the travel process, passengers can select and book car rentals from any of Hertz's 8,800 locations in 150 countries, making their choice from a wide range of makes and types in a global fleet of more than 500,000 vehicles.

About The Hertz Corporation
Hertz operates its car rental business through the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty brands from approximately 10,400 corporate, licensee and franchisee locations in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia, Australia, Africa, the Middle East and New Zealand. Hertz is the largest worldwide airport general use car rental brand, operating from approximately 8,800 corporate and licensee locations in approximately 150 countries. Hertz is the number one airport car rental brand in the U.S. and at 111 major airports in Europe. Dollar and Thrifty have approximately 1,580 corporate and franchisee locations in approximately 80 countries. Hertz is an inaugural member of Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards Hall of Fame and was recently named, for the thirteenth time, by the magazine's readers as the Best Car Rental Agency. Hertz was also voted the Best Overall Car Rental Company in Zagat's 2012/13 U.S. Car Rental Survey, earning top honors in 14 additional categories, and the Company swept the global awards for Best Rewards Program and Best Overall Benefits from FlyerTalk.com. Product and service initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, NeverLost®, and unique cars and SUVs offered through the Company's Adrenaline, Prestige and Green Traveler Collections, also set Hertz apart from the competition. Additionally, Hertz owns the vehicle leasing and fleet management leader Donlen Corporation and operates the Hertz On Demand car sharing business. The Company also owns a leading North American equipment rental business, Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation, which includes Hertz Entertainment Services.

About Hertz EMEA
Hertz has a strong presence in the Middle East and Africa region, with 11 Hertz franchisees in the Middle East and 23 in Africa, and a total of 66 locations in the Middle East and 161 outlets in Africa, offering a wide range of car rental and leasing services.  Hertz locations across the region offer customers the most modern fleet of vehicles in the market, with a focus on quality, safety and reliability.

About Qatar Airways 
Qatar Airways is one of the world's fastest growing airlines, currently operating a modern fleet of 121 aircraft to 125 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America from its Doha hub.

Over the next few weeks and months, the airline will launch scheduled flights to a diverse portfolio of new routes, including Chicago, USA (April 10); Salalah, Oman (May 22); Chengdu, China, at a date to be confirmed, and many more start-ups to be announced.

Qatar Airways currently has orders worth over US$50 billion for more than 250 aircraft, including Boeing 787s, 777s, Airbus A350s, A380s and A320 Family of aircraft. In addition to winning Skytrax's prestigious Airline of the Year 2011 and 2012, Qatar Airways was named Best Airline in the Middle East for the seventh year in a row, and its Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport was named Best Premium Service Airport for the second consecutive year in 2012.  

Skytrax is the only global independent passenger survey monitoring airline standards and is considered the ultimate benchmark for excellence in the airline industry. In October 2012, Qatar Airways became the first of the major Gulf carriers to officially announce plans to join a global alliance having been invited into the oneworld group. For more information, visit www.qatarairways.com

For further press information please contact:
Gareth Wright / Ahmad Huzayen
Total Communications
Tel: + 971 4 428 1502
Email: gareth@totalcompr.ae / ahmad@totalcompr.ae

© Press Release 2013