Via Upgrade: Travel Better, Avis is readying the IT infrastructure to implement rental car no show fees at some point in the future.

Avis has asked that computer reservation systems be ready by December. They want all systems able to take credit card information on rental car reservations so that they can charge no show fees. If only their own website was imposing a no show penalty, they’d lose bookings to other channels which increases costs. If the refused to allow other booking channels to reserve their cars because those channels didn’t impose fees, they’d lose bookings and thus revenue. So they need all channels ready prior to launch of this initiative.

In all likelihood the policy they’ll try to roll out is a 24-hour cancellation policy, with specified charge for failing to cancel by that time.