With Airport car hire a little foresight and planning can really help you to save both time and money. Read our guide below, or get a quote for airport car hire with Avis.
Choosing a company
You will find that Avis and other premium brands usually have desks in the arrivals terminal, where you can collect your keys or make a reservation on the spot.
However, other companies can be a short bus ride away before you even speak to a representative. Bear this in mind when you are weighing up prices against your preference for speed, convenience and peace of mind.
What to expect
Airport facilities vary greatly but car rental services are usually well-signposted. Depending on your company, destination and arrival time, you may be expected to do any of the following:
- Find your car hire company’s desk
- Call the company’s office from a dedicated telephone in the terminal so a minibus can collect you
- Find your company’s bus stop and take a bus to their office
Additional services like Avis Preferred are available to make your experience quicker and a little more ‘VIP’.
Airport choice
You probably won’t choose your holiday or business destination based on its airport’s car rental facilities, but do bear in mind that while some airlines offer cheap flights to popular cities, the airports are often a long way away from the city and the additional transport costs and transfer time can mount up. Once again it’s best to know what to expect before you arrive.
Airport car hire prices
Rental prices from airports can be a little more expensive as there are a variety of extra charges and costs that can be levied against rental providers. If saving money is your priority, check the price from ‘downtown’ locations and how much it will cost you to travel into town by public transport or in a taxi. Avis often refund taxi fares from railway stations to their offices, but check with the station.
Returning your car
In arrivals, airport rental offices are usually well signposted. But what about when return your car? This is where some research can save you a lot of time, and maybe even a missed flight!
Check with staff when you collect your vehicle or research the drop-off location on the internet. Once again, you may find that better-known brands offer more convenient drop-off options, especially in big airports.
Remember to leave enough time to find the drop-off point as well as to have the car checked and deal with for any specific questions or paperwork that you require.
One way car hire
Most car rental companies allow you to collect and return your car in different airports. This can be especially convenient in an age of competition between low-cost airlines, when you may use a different carrier and airport for the return leg of your journey.
See our related post about one-way car hire and crossing the border for more information and tips on one-way hire.
Wonder which airports are most popular with British travellers?
At the time of writing these were the most popular searches on UK search engines (in order):
‘car hire faro airport’
‘car hire edinburgh airport’
‘car hire nice airport’
‘car hire glasgow airport’
‘car hire mallorca airport’
‘car hire gatwick airport’
‘car hire cork airport’
Share your experiences
If you have any other tips to offer on airport car hire, share them below by leaving a comment!
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February 13th, 2012 at 3:33 pm
can i hire a car in Gran Canaria with my licence that i have had for less than a year?
February 13th, 2012 at 3:37 pm
Hello Beth,
Unfortunately one of the requirements for renting a car with Avis in any country is to have held your driving license for a minimum of 12 months.
Sorry that isn’t the answer you were hoping for!
Desiree – Reservations UK
May 30th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Hi,
I’m planning to rent a car from Edinburgh Airport and returning it in Hull the next day. Can I book with a debit card?
June 9th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
can i hire a car in Halifax canada with 3 points on mt licence
July 12th, 2012 at 4:35 pm
It would be nice, when having reserved a car at the airport, they actually had it when you turned up.
It would be even better if, after screwing up, they actually looked at your complaint.
July 13th, 2012 at 4:27 pm
Hi Colin-
Sorry to hear this.
Could you please send us an email with your reservation details so we can check the status of your complaint?
Thanks
Sabrina
July 16th, 2012 at 12:17 pm
This is a reply for Sabrina in Marketing, responding to my earlier criticism of your service.
The reservation I have a complaint with is;
Avis Booking Confirmation 4069-3458-GB-1 03/29/2012 18:51
My Rental Agreement Number is;
101361282
I have written two previous emails to customer service. The fifteen day reply period for the second email is 20 July 2012.
You did not have a car available from the category which I had paid for.
After much discussion I was finally offered an alternative. The final bill is for less than my pre-payment. I want the difference refunded.
Kind regards
Colin Hutchinson
Tel. 07801 634498
July 18th, 2012 at 9:09 am
Thank you for sharing this information Colin.
I have forwarded your query to customer service so I will keep you updated on status.
Thanks
Sabrina
November 7th, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Great tips. very well-written, keyword-oriented and incredibly useful. its really interesting to many readers. I really appreciate this, thanks