Road Notes

• Hertz has expanded its cell phone services for customers traveling overseas. Drivers in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and the Middle East now have the option of renting a cell phone prior to their departure when booking a car.

• Midwest Express Airlines has expanded its frequent-flier partnership with Virgin Atlantic Airways. Travelers can earn Midwest Express Frequent Flyer miles when traveling on Virgin Atlantic, and Virgin Atlantic flying club members can earn Virgin flying club miles for travel on Midwest Express or Skyway Airlines, The Midwest Express Connection.

• OpenTable.com restaurant reservations network is now available in Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; New York City; San Francisco; Seattle; Vail, Colorado; and Washington, DC. It enables diners to search for reservation availability by cuisine type or neighborhood, get instant confirmation, relay special instructions to the restaurant, invite guests via the Internet and view maps online. The service is free to diners, and reservations made online are instantly confirmed.

Christopher Elliott is a writer in Annapolis, Maryland. Contact him at www.elliott.org.

This article was originally published in the May 2000 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Road Notes.