Agents Still Key For Car Amid Web Growth

Travel agents booked 37 percent of reservations for Hertz in 2004, compared with 18 percent of bookings coming through its own website, the company revealed this week in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing detailing a possible initial public offering. Six percent of Hertz bookings were processed by third-party online retailers, which one analyst said is the most expensive distribution channel for car-rental firms.