A Brief History of Avis

Founded in 1946 by Warren Avis , Avis was the first company to rent cars from airport locations, the company grew rapidly during the 1950s. In 1963 Avis introduced the award winning “We Try Harder” campaign and this slogan remains the company’s rallying cry. In 1973 Avis launched its innovative Wizard reservation system which became the cornerstone of the company’s cornerstone. In 1987 Avis introduced the Roving Rapid Return, a handheld computer terminal allowing customers to bypass the Avis counter. In 2000, Avis interactive , the first internet-based reporting system in the car rental industry, was introduced. In August 2002, Avis became the first rental car company to offer seamless connectivity with all four major GDS systems.