Rental Car Companies Make Do during Flight Cancellations in Australia

With the announcement of grounded Qantas flights Oct. 30, major car rental companies in Sydney, Australia have been inundated with telephone and Internet inquiries from stranded Qantas travelers, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

One Avis employee said the company’s rental car yard is empty for the first time and added the company is experiencing higher call volume than normal. The Herald article reported busy signals at Hertz’s phone line and no answer at the phone of another company, Rent-a-Bomb.

A group of four disgruntled Qantas ticket holders needing to travel to Melbourne said they had been fortunate enough to get "Budget’s last car."

The rental car companies were doing their best to keep up with demand as each returned car was snatched up. One rental car company noted it was “turning people away.”

Greyhound buses are also experiencing higher call volumes than normal, particularly for its Sydney to Melbourne and Melbourne to Adelaide routes.