TULSA, Okla. -- Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group said its corporate operations subsidiary has agreed to acquire nearly all of the assets of the Thrifty Car Rental franchise operation serving the Chicago O'Hare International and Midway airports.

"We are extremely pleased with the progress of our acquisition program," said Gary L. Paxton, DTG's president and CEO. "Our plan is to operate larger U.S. and Canadian locations corporately and we've made significant headway."

The Chicago acquisition is particularly noteworthy because of O'Hare International's ranking as the world's second busiest airport and because of Southwest Airlines' strong presence at Midway, Paxton added.

Since December 2002, DTG has acquired 30 key markets in the U.S. and Canada, and opened eight new Dollar or Thrifty locations. These moves have added approximately 21,000 vehicles, on an annualized basis, to the company's rental fleet, Paxton said.