The Hertz Corporation is taking a number of special measures to help get people home in Europe following the closure of air space due to the volcanic ash situation.

The company is waiving its international one-way drop off charge for customers who drive Hertz cars back to the cars' country of registration, or in the direction of that country. The Hertz Transfer Desk website provides real-time availability of foreign cars by country to help people identify rental vehicles in the right locations to get them home, along with a customer services contact number. 

Hertz is also extending rentals for customers with disrupted departures and honoring reservations for people with delayed arrivals. In addition, customers who have prepaid direct with Hertz will be offered a full refund if they make a cancellation online or by telephone at any point up to the pick-up date, if their travel has been affected by the volcanic ash disruption. Pre-paid direct customers who do not show up to collect their car without prior cancellation will receive a slightly reduced refund upon application. 

"At Hertz, our primary aim is to keep people moving while air travel remains largely paralyzed due to the volcanic ash situation," said Michel Taride, President Hertz International. "We're doing everything in our power to help customers get back home. We have waived our international one-way drop-off surcharges for customers who are repatriating cars to their country of origin. This will help ensure effective redistribution of fleet - essential should the crisis continue. We are also adding fleet, along with extra staffing, to cope with this extraordinary situation." 

Hertz is providing regular updates to its customers via its Twitter and Facebook sites. The Facebook page is planned to feature a section to help customers share trips by car pooling. 

The company is also assisting its airline partners to repatriate their crews so that flight services can resume as soon as European airspace is given the all clear. 

"Our teams are working round-the-clock to help customers reach their final destinations. With our Hertz Europe Service Centre recording unprecedented call volumes of up to 300 percent more than usual, we have drafted in support from our US call centers and scaled up our European teams to meet demand," added Taride.