The car rental industry, tied closely to airline traffic and hotel bookings, has benefited from recovering business and travel in the United States.

Hertz said worldwide car rental revenue rose 2 percent to $2.15 billion, while worldwide equipment rental revenue rose 13 percent to $363.0 million.

Third-quarter net income attributable to the company rose to $242.9 million, or 55 cents per share, from $206.7 million, or 47 cents per share, a year earlier.

Excluding items, the company earned 63 cents per share.

Revenue rose more than 3 percent to $2.51 billion.

Analysts expected earnings of 61 cents per share on revenue of $2.59 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Hertz made an offer earlier this year to acquire smaller rival Dollar Thrifty for $2.56 billion to boost its rental offering in the cheaper off-airport market.

However, the deal has run into antitrust issues as a merger would leave only three players controlling about 95 percent of the market.

Shares of the Park Ridge, New Jersey-based company were up 2 percent at $13.51 in trading after the bell. (Reporting by Bijoy Koyitty in Bangalore; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)

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