Hertz - What is Airport Concession Recovery?

...yet another baseless fee to flay us alive with?

I put my flight details in at Hertz.com for a rental at SEATAC and got an extra 11% tacked on for:

AIRPORT CONCESSION RECOVERY ON FLIGHT ARRIVALS WITHIN 12 HOURS

(What if you pick it up within 13 hours? Why this distinction?)

When I tried the same reservation at the same location without flight information, I got a lower rate without this charge. What is this charge? It's not like they're picking me up at the airport and driving me over to the airport rental counter. And since I'm picking the car up and bringing it back to the same location, there is no "recovery". So if I don't provide Hertz with my flight info, does it matter?

At some airport locations, the location is supposed to charge an airport access/concession fee (ie a tax on travellers) if you arrive via the airport. At some locations if you are not coming from the airport (or at least STATE you are not coming from the airport and don't give your name on the bus) you can avoid the fee -- hence if you leave out flight info, you don't pay the fee. In theory, you are breaking some sort of rule (ie you are supposed to pay the fee if you arrive via the airport).

Other locations, you have to pay the airport fee no matter what.

Yeah, I've definitely noticed this in my price checking recently. Can be a significant difference if all you do is check the "I'm not arriving by air" box when pricing online. In my case it's often true, though. :) Anyway, the other issue with telling them this if you really are arriving by air after all is if your flight is delayed, it's possible for the rental agency to hold your car. I suppose success at having this happen may vary, but I've also heard of above and beyond measures for late arriving passengers. Suffice to say, there is zero chance of the rental place holding your car beyond 30-60 minutes late if they don't have your flight info. You might still get a car, sure. It's just an extra risk.

This puzzles and irks me, too. I've talked to central reservations and they've said that if I pick up the car 12 hours later, I don't need to pay the 11% tax.
But, knowing there is a difference between Central and actual (reality), I called the SEA office and they said that there's a tax that the airport charges. They didn't go into whether it was good for 12 hours after your flight arrives or etc and I didn't ask because it didn't seem like he had free time to answer a $10 question. $10 is my difference with that tax, about. And you can't really blame Hertz because it is the airport's fault that there is an additional fee and I think the airport gets the money.

Should I wind up renting 12 hours later than when I arrived, which is possible, I'll ask them to take the tax off and see if they make a big issue out of it or even know about the 12 hour restriction it states on my rental.

I do agree that it is annoying that two of the major seattle locations, airport and downtown (hotel) both charge an extra tax. A small tax, I can understand, especially at the airport, because I appreciate logical traffic flow, nice new terminals, and decent parking garages. But a hotel?! Also, I'd guess that the car rental clerks which work at SEA get some disgruntled customers over the 11% additional fee. As if the original 18% isn't enough?

My brother has a booking done at the SFO airport location. But he did not put in the fact he's arriving by air. So, how long can he expect them to hold his car if his flight is delayed. he has a pick up scheduled at 8.30 am. Do they hold it for 30 mins or up to 60 mins from that time?

I think it depends on how busy they are, if they need the car for someone else, etc.

My brother has a booking done at the SFO airport location. But he did not put in the fact he's arriving by air. So, how long can he expect them to hold his car if his flight is delayed. he has a pick up scheduled at 8.30 am. Do they hold it for 30 mins or up to 60 mins from that time?

I've been told by central reservations that they hold cars for 24 hours after the scheduled pick-up time, but again, this may be only for reservations where people are "arriving by air."

What is Airport Concession Recovery?

One word: tax.

I've been told by central reservations that they hold cars for 24 hours after the scheduled pick-up time, but again, this may be only for reservations where people are "arriving by air."

Hertz guarentee that all bookings with a flight number attached to it, they will hold the vehicle until the flight lands and clears customs, hertz executives enforce this quite hardily to their airport branches in the UK!

One word: tax.


I don't think it's a tax. It's a fee that's imposed by Hertz to recover their costs of doing business at the airport. A more appropriate term would be "junk fee."

This is Avis' definition:

Airport Concession Recovery Fees

Where permitted, in addition to time and mileage charges and taxes, an airport concession recovery fee may apply to rentals from airport locations.
This fee is added to rental charges, collected by Avis and remitted to the applicable authority where the rental originates.

So, is it a tax on rental customers? Is it recovery of a cost of doing business? I dunno. :confused:

Most car rental offices look like zoos. Last time I got a rental, the rate they have in their system was significantly different from what I had on my reservation. There was so much difference they wanted to make a copy of my printed reservation, I guess for auditing purposes in case someone questioned why they lowered the rate tha much.

Given this, you're telling me rental agencies also monitor fliight arrival times to extend the reservation period?

Jeff

This is Avis' definition:

Airport Concession Recovery Fees

Where permitted, in addition to time and mileage charges and taxes, an airport concession recovery fee may apply to rentals from airport locations.
This fee is added to rental charges, collected by Avis and remitted to the applicable authority where the rental originates.

So, is it a tax on rental customers? Is it recovery of a cost of doing business? I dunno. :confused:

It is "tex". the car rental agency only collects it for the taxing authority.

I booked a car for the Loews Royal Pacific resort in orlando and was surprised to see a hotel concession recovery" since when is there a charge from a hotel? whats up with this?

I booked a car for the Loews Royal Pacific resort in orlando and was surprised to see a hotel concession recovery" since when is there a charge from a hotel? whats up with this?

One of my customers had a rental franchise in a hotel,and yes, the hotel negotiated a fee for every car rented. I don't know what they called it, but I recently had a rental at the Renaissance in SF that included a $10 fee for the hotel.

I don't think it's a tax. It's a fee that's imposed by Hertz to recover their costs of doing business at the airport. A more appropriate term would be "junk fee."

Perhaps. But costs of doing business at the airport should be covered in theory by the cost of renting the car. If the airport doesn't require the fee to be assessed to people not arriving by plane, then it raises some flags to me. If a local government tacked on a "climate control" fee to cover air conditioning costs generated by people opening the door to do business at a public library or police station or courthouse, people would howl. But the airport concession fees are easy to jack up because nobody who pays them (i.e. business travelers from out of town) can vote in the jurisdiction where the fees are imposed.

...yet another baseless fee to flay us alive with?

I put my flight details in at Hertz.com for a rental at SEATAC and got an extra 11% tacked on for:

AIRPORT CONCESSION RECOVERY ON FLIGHT ARRIVALS WITHIN 12 HOURS

(What if you pick it up within 13 hours? Why this distinction?)

When I tried the same reservation at the same location without flight information, I got a lower rate without this charge. What is this charge? It's not like they're picking me up at the airport and driving me over to the airport rental counter. And since I'm picking the car up and bringing it back to the same location, there is no "recovery". So if I don't provide Hertz with my flight info, does it matter?

So technically, if I leave the airport, walk around the block and come back in to get my car, then I have arrived at the airport w/o a flight and I can get the car w/o the fee? Right? :rolleyes:

So technically, if I leave the airport, walk around the block and come back in to get my car, then I have arrived at the airport w/o a flight and I can get the car w/o the fee? Right? :rolleyes:

If you are willing to sign a statement that you did not arrive by plane (it's in the contract) and the Hertz people do not see your luggage, then yes you can. Or...you can take a cab to an offsite location. Or have a franchise HLE pick you up.

I think it was CLE, the taxes and facility fees are two or three dollars more than a mid-sized one-day rental. :mad:

So technically, if I leave the airport, walk around the block and come back in to get my car, then I have arrived at the airport w/o a flight and I can get the car w/o the fee? Right? :rolleyes:

Not quite, some Airports charge on "Local Rentals" too so even if you didn't fly in and actually did drive in from town you will still be charged the ACFR. It is all based on the Concession Agreement that Hertz signs with the Airport and most of the rules usually will be applicable to all rental agencies at the airport.

Attempted Hertz reservation not logged into my account out of SFO and returning to downtown location 2 1/2 days later. Chose option that I'm not arriving via airplane of train. Rate INCLUSIVE ITEMS:
Airport Concession Fee Recovery On Flight Arrivals
Vehicle Licensing Cost Recovery

Logged into my Hertz #1 Gold account and attempted same reservation using same CDP and rate code. Chose option that I'm not arriving via airplane or train. Hertz gave me same low daily rate , but anyone know why it charged me 11.10% for Airport Concession Fee Recovery On Flight Arrivals?

I understand why it would charge me if I checked arriving via plane or train, but just for being logged into my Hertz #1 Gold account? I even tried changing the address in my profile to one in San Francisco, and it still charged me the concession fee. Needless to say, we booked the rental under my boyfriend's name without a hertz #1 gold account to save the large fee. But I'd still like to have the rental credited to my #1 gold account and be able to take advantage of the #1 gold service. ????

Attempted Hertz reservation not logged into my account out of SFO and returning to downtown location 2 1/2 days later. Chose option that I'm not arriving via airplane of train. Rate INCLUSIVE ITEMS:
Airport Concession Fee Recovery On Flight Arrivals
Vehicle Licensing Cost Recovery

Logged into my Hertz #1 Gold account and attempted same reservation using same CDP and rate code. Chose option that I'm not arriving via airplane or train. Hertz gave me same low daily rate , but anyone know why it charged me 11.10% for Airport Concession Fee Recovery On Flight Arrivals?

I understand why it would charge me if I checked arriving via plane or train, but just for being logged into my Hertz #1 Gold account? I even tried changing the address in my profile to one in San Francisco, and it still charged me the concession fee. Needless to say, we booked the rental under my boyfriend's name without a hertz #1 gold account to save the large fee. But I'd still like to have the rental credited to my #1 gold account and be able to take advantage of the #1 gold service. ????

I know this may be a stupid question, but are you sure you chose "Not arriving via airplane" when you were logged in? There are a number of things on Hertz.com that can make it default back to "I don't have my arrival info" (I think that's the default).

The other thing is that there are often two large-ish (10% or thereabouts) fees/taxes relating to airport rentals. Sometimes they're both charged regardless of whether you fly in or not. If anything changes when you don't arrive by plane, it's usually only one of those that is removed.

I rented from SFO last year, logged into my Gold account to make the res, and there was definitely some charge that was not levied that would have been if I had been flying in. (Picked the car up after already staying in the city for a few days.) So it should not be a function of just being logged in. (There have, I believe, been reports of odd rate quotes where logging in got a worse rate vs not logging in, but that is not what you are describing here.)

I've been told by central reservations that they hold cars for 24 hours after the scheduled pick-up time, but again, this may be only for reservations where people are "arriving by air."

This is funny. There is a thread about the problems the Hertz in SEA has. Apparently, being a Gold member and giving flight information does little to secure your reservation.

I had this problem with Hertz in BOS in early May. I had flown into BOS several days earlier when selling my house there. Days later, I arrived by T (the subway) at Logan to pick up my rental for my drive back to Colorado. I had "not arriving by plane" on my confirmation and a lower "total estimated amount" than when I tried it with a flight number. However I needed to have the car switched due to them giving me a Jeep Liberty (15MPG) vs. the expected Ford Escape (19MPG), given the upcoming 2200 mile drive. When they reprinted the contract for the swapped same-class vehicle, the airport concession fee appeared and both the clerk and manager claimed there was nothing they could do. When I showed them the confirmation from the reservation made in March for the May rental, they claimed "Logan airport just changed its policy and now requires it on all rentals".

I think I got scammed but since I had serious miles to go that night, I couldn't waste much time arguing about it.