timbuktoo

...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?

pitflyer

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.

CrazyOne

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.

freecia

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?

legionnaire

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?

Tummy

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

SealBeach

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."

SealBeach

One word: tax.

olivetti

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!

channa

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."

ejmelton

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.

jwhite4

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

mvoight

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

tormapleaf

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?

ejmelton

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.