Hertz to the rescue

Last week, when American airlines were grounded, it was hectic for car-rental company Hertz as US customers were booking cars to drive the long-distances flown by airlines.

"Whenever the airlines get affected, downstream industries like us get affected too. We waived the usual surcharges for one-way rental to make it more convenient for customers who were driving those distances," said Wong Soon Hwa, managing director of Hertz, Asia & Japan.

"It has been a knee-jerk reaction so far. We had about 20-30 percent cancellations immediately. Now we have to take a wait-and-see approach, "he said.