April 1- May 31, 2014 Florida drive out
Nov 4, 2013, 8:05 pm
#18
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York suburbs
Posts: 4,210
A few things can happen:
1) Fewer cars to choose from. This should not be the main concern, especially compared to issue #4b.
2) They shut it off early, which means no cars at the price you wanted, or no more one-way out of FL availability at all.
3) They still have extra cars, and extend it, so the selection might still be decent.
4) A hurricane comes and the causes you to be unable to pick up the car when planned.
4a) The hurricane comes, you have to cancel your reservation, and so do a lot of other people in the same boat. So they quietly extend the driveout period, you can rebook your airline ticket, change your hotel dates, and still get the car at the price you wanted.
4b) The riskiest of all: The hurricane comes, you cancel, but the driveout rate is not extended. The airline is pressuring you to rebook for travel within the next 2 weeks, but since the one-way special is no longer available, this trip no longer makes economic sense. You're now stuck with paying cancellation fees for airlines, hotels, etc.
1) Fewer cars to choose from. This should not be the main concern, especially compared to issue #4b.
2) They shut it off early, which means no cars at the price you wanted, or no more one-way out of FL availability at all.
3) They still have extra cars, and extend it, so the selection might still be decent.
4) A hurricane comes and the causes you to be unable to pick up the car when planned.
4a) The hurricane comes, you have to cancel your reservation, and so do a lot of other people in the same boat. So they quietly extend the driveout period, you can rebook your airline ticket, change your hotel dates, and still get the car at the price you wanted.
4b) The riskiest of all: The hurricane comes, you cancel, but the driveout rate is not extended. The airline is pressuring you to rebook for travel within the next 2 weeks, but since the one-way special is no longer available, this trip no longer makes economic sense. You're now stuck with paying cancellation fees for airlines, hotels, etc.
Nov 4, 2013, 9:05 pm
#19
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 826
2 is a moot point if you already booked. They will honor the existing reservation.
1 and 3 I also believe to be moot points if you are renting from a EA location. They should allow you to pick from the EA/ES or ER selection if you book a van or SUV. I've never heard of EA locations limiting what you can pick for the aisles for one ways, except for cross border one ways to/from Canada.
It's not as if they are going to be giving away all the cars to the north, so selection shouldn't really be significantly different.
1 and 3 I also believe to be moot points if you are renting from a EA location. They should allow you to pick from the EA/ES or ER selection if you book a van or SUV. I've never heard of EA locations limiting what you can pick for the aisles for one ways, except for cross border one ways to/from Canada.
It's not as if they are going to be giving away all the cars to the north, so selection shouldn't really be significantly different.
Dec 26, 2013, 8:22 pm
#21
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: C1, C1.5 C2
Programs: aa ua dl jb starwood marriott hyatt
Posts: 442
Just tried a booking. The taxes and fees are the same as the weekly rate i.e weekly rate for 2 weeks for MIA pickup car is $139.30 + taxes of $135.38 for total of $274.68 FLL is $12 cheaper. Tried MCO and rates weren't there.
Dec 26, 2013, 8:25 pm
#22
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York suburbs
Posts: 4,210
You can now also do this from Enterprise neighborhood stores directly online. The advantage is proximity and lower taxes. However, some locations say something like, "Unlimited miles in FL and surrounding states, otherwise 150 mi/day." I asked customer service about this, since the whole point of the FL driveout is to spread the cars around to different states, and they suggested calling the branch directly to clarify.
Dec 28, 2013, 11:35 pm
#24
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 7
A few things can happen:
...
4) A hurricane comes and the causes you to be unable to pick up the car when planned.
4a) The hurricane comes, you have to cancel your reservation, and so do a lot of other people in the same boat. So they quietly extend the driveout period, you can rebook your airline ticket, change your hotel dates, and still get the car at the price you wanted.
4b) The riskiest of all: The hurricane comes, you cancel, but the driveout rate is not extended. The airline is pressuring you to rebook for travel within the next 2 weeks, but since the one-way special is no longer available, this trip no longer makes economic sense. You're now stuck with paying cancellation fees for airlines, hotels, etc.
...
4) A hurricane comes and the causes you to be unable to pick up the car when planned.
4a) The hurricane comes, you have to cancel your reservation, and so do a lot of other people in the same boat. So they quietly extend the driveout period, you can rebook your airline ticket, change your hotel dates, and still get the car at the price you wanted.
4b) The riskiest of all: The hurricane comes, you cancel, but the driveout rate is not extended. The airline is pressuring you to rebook for travel within the next 2 weeks, but since the one-way special is no longer available, this trip no longer makes economic sense. You're now stuck with paying cancellation fees for airlines, hotels, etc.
Dec 29, 2013, 8:47 am
#25
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York suburbs
Posts: 4,210
Has anyone had success finding the rate with a pickup other than JAX and TPA?
Yes, a quick test shows the rate is available from almost any major airport and neighborhood store in FL. A few exceptions seem to exist, such as the Westin in Tampa and Atlantic Blvd in Jacksonville.
Yes, a quick test shows the rate is available from almost any major airport and neighborhood store in FL. A few exceptions seem to exist, such as the Westin in Tampa and Atlantic Blvd in Jacksonville.
Dec 29, 2013, 10:47 am
#27
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York suburbs
Posts: 4,210
Sometimes. And it's often quietly offered, in the form of randomly occurring unusually low rates, rather than actively announced. For instance, you may be able to find a few $35/day rates from the Northeast into FL right now, with a variety of companies.
Jan 5, 2014, 2:36 pm
#30
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: somewhere
Posts: 1,381
Jax still has cars, but no SUVs. Tampa and MCO has SUVs and cars. Miami prices on ow fares during my preferred days is not good.
Anyone else driving out in April or May?