Alamo Rent a car

Unlike some car hire firms, Alamo has a relatively short history. Established in the 1970s with four locations in Florida, the company pioneered Unlimited Free Mileage - carving itself out a niche within the leisure car rental industry.

Alamo was quickly established as one of the US's largest leisure rental firms, opening huge rental plazas to help deal with its increase in customers. Its first such plaza opened in 1982, in Tampa Florida, with other plaza's opening later in the decade.

To help innovate leisure rental, the firm also innovated the way that agreements were established between customers and rental companies - providing an agreement no bigger than a standard airline ticket.

Later, Alamo changed collision damage waivers by establishing the first price and coverage insurance option for its customers in 1990.

It was also one of the first firms to have a substantial presence on the internet, allowing customers to book cars online as early as 1995. Alamo's website allowed patrons to select their vehicle, view rates and find locations earlier than any other car company.

If you need to book a flight and check car rental rates before you get there, don't forget to check first with Major Travel's price comparison services.

Alamo has also established good links with US travel firms. In 1998 it launched E-Process 2000, a set of initiatives for tour operators allowing them to incorporate electronic billing, voucher-less rental processing and electronic reservation links on the firm's website.

During its existence, Alamo has expanded across the world, and can now boast 1,200 locations across the world - including branches in Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada and the United States.

Don't forget to consider Major Travel when looking to book flights and car rental.