Hotels have moved to become more like airlines over the past few years, with non-refundable internet prepaid rates and moving back the deadline for cancelling a guaranteed room without penalty (often now it’s 6pm the day before checkin instead of day of — and some resort properties require much earlier cancellations, even weeks).

Airlines themselves have become more like airlines, with most change penalties moving from a pittance up to $100 (though the odd route on some carriers is still $50 mostly as a result of competitive requirements, Alaska is generally $50 across the board and JetBlue is just $25).

It’s remained something of a mystery why rental cars haven’t been able to move to a penalty-laden pricing model. But Hertz appears to be making baby steps towards changing that. They’ve announced their intention to charge no show fees to their U.K. customers. A minor thing to most readers of this website, perhaps, but perhaps a glimpse into the future.

Hertz looks set to establish a worldwide precedent for the car rental industry by introducing no-show charges on its U.K. customers. Hertz UK has written to travel management companies, telling them it will impose a fee for no-shows starting April 1. The fee will be $50 for rentals in the United States, £25 in the United Kingdom, 55 Swiss francs in Switzerland and €35 in countries that use the euro. Renters can avoid the fee if they cancel as late as the day the rental starts, even if it is after the designated pickup time.