The AAA is revamping its Web sites to compete with online travel agencies like Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz.
Among the improvements is Fare Calendar Shopping, introduced in May and available on the Web sites of the AAA’s roughly 80 chapters, which lists the cheapest travel dates within a 90-day range.
Another new feature allows those searching for international flights to review fares from consolidators, companies that buy tickets in bulk from airlines and resell them at low rates. According to Lee Granger, managing director of AAA Travel Technology, the consolidator option is available at only a handful of AAA chapter sites, but will reach more members in the near future.
Other features will follow soon, said Granger, including improvements to the organization’s hotel booking engine. Visitors need not be AAA members to use these services.
Avis helps disabled
Avis is working to make driving easier for its disabled customers. The company has established a toll-free number for customers to request equipment for drivers and passengers with hearing and mobility handicaps.
The equipment available includes hand controls for brakes and accelerators, panoramic rear-view mirrors for hearing-impaired drivers, spinner knobs that allow full turning of the steering wheel with one hand and swivel seats that permit the driver or passengers to turn in a car seat with limited effort. Customers who use wheelchairs can request a transfer board to help them into a car.
There are also wheelchair-accessible shuttle buses. Avis does not charge extra for any of the equipment. In addition, designated-driver fees for the visually impaired will now be waived at all Avis locations.
The Avis Access program is in place at 20 airports, including both Chicago airports, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, all three New York airports and San Francisco. The company expects to offer the service in 100 cities by next spring.
To reserve an Avis vehicle with this equipment, call 888-879-4273. The TTY/TDD number for hearing impaired customers is 800-331-2323.
Radio on the road
Anyone planning a driving trip who wants to listen to a favorite kind of music–or talk radio–might want to check out “America’s Radio Travel Atlas,” which can be found at www.amfm2go.com. It lists the locations of all radio stations in all 50 states. Stations that specialize in blues, jazz, new age, sports, news/talk and dozens of other choices are on the site.
First choose your driving route, then click on a state you’ll pass through. All the stations, including National Public Radio and various campus stations, will be provided along with a map pinpointing their locations. Then go on to the next state, and so on.
If you travel with a laptop, you can keep current if your route changes.
