Previously run in North America, the service has now been launched in Europe following a pilot at a small number of locations.

Priority Service is available to members of the Emerald Club, National Car Rental’s loyalty programme for frequent travellers. Members can use this new service to bypass the rental counter entirely and instead go directly to a booth in the car park.

There they will receive a choice of two vehicles in their reserved car class. They simply show their credit card and driving licence, sign the contract and drive away.

Emerald Club members can take advantage of this service by including their member number on their advance reservation. They then receive an email alert prior to pick-up detailing where to go and how to bypass the rental counter at the airport.

Rob Ingram, head of European business rental for National Car Rental and sister brand Enterprise Rent-A-Car, said: “Priority Service allows frequent business travellers to receive exactly the kind of service they want from their car hire provider – fast, smooth and hassle-free with no time spent waiting in queues at the rental counter. They now simply head to the car park, sign the contract, get their keys and drive away.

“We’ve built this service because National Car Rental is a brand favoured by frequent business travellers and they don’t need to be walked through the rental process. For these customers, exceptional service means using technology to streamline and shorten how long it takes them to get their car.”

Priority Service is now available to Emerald Club members at the following European airports:

• UK – Belfast International, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London Heathrow, Manchester, Southampton, Stanstead
• France – Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Orly, Paris CDG, Toulouse
• Spain – Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid, Mallorca Palma, Valencia
• Germany – Dusseldorf, Frankfurt
• Ireland – Dublin
• Italy – Rome Fiumicino
• Netherlands – Amsterdam
• Portugal – Lisbon
• Luxembourg – Luxembourg City
• Belgium – Brussels
• Switzerland – Geneva, Basel