Get Me Out of This Line!
Newsweek, November, 2005 by Daniel McGinn
When I need a rental car for a business trip, I give NEWSWEEK's travel agent a simple directive: "Whatever's cheapest." I'm not enough of a road warrior to be loyal to a particular rental brand, and I don't care whether they stick me in a Malibu or a Taurus. Which is why, a few months ago, I wound up in a line at a car-rental counter at the Phoenix airport, waiting... and then waiting some more. As the line barely crawled forward and any hope of making my lunch appointment dimmed, the clerks at the counter made periodic announcements that made my slow march even more irritating: "Anyone who's a member of our preferred club , please come right to the head of the line." It was an infuriating reminder that when it comes to car rentals, membership has its privileges.
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