Originally Posted by
milepig
Completely confused.
I don't understand the reference to Manchester - as that sends me off to locations in/around Santa Rose, and the QB9 seems to be wrong. [ah, when you start by asking for Q9L it comes up with "Manchester-Q9L" although the initial dropdown has Los Angeles.]
When I start with "Los Angeles" what I'm seeing on my dropdown is "5740 Arbor Vitae Street, Los Angeles, CA - (Q9L).
But - here's the kicker - my pickup for LAX on 12/25 went through fine, but when I select Q9L I'm told the location is closed due to the holiday!!
I also note that the official address for LAX is 9217 Airport Blvd, which is a block or so west of 5740 Arbor Vitae St. Both show up as "Avis" on Google maps. Are these actually physically the same location>
The Arbor Vitae location is the Manchester/QB9 location - not sure why it's not showing correctly on your drop-down list, but this is the location that should "waive" the airport-specific taxes/fees.
When I originally checked on Google Maps, they appeared to be the same spot, but now I see they are 1 block apart (barely 1/4 mile). It looks like the easiest way to get there is take the Avis shuttle and walk about 5 minutes over, or take the Dollar shuttle which will drop almost next door. The location has different hours than LAX, so it really is a different physical location - but it should work for most folks, especially if you can do a 1-way from QB9 to LAX to drop at the shuttle stop and ride back to the terminal.
The only question is the cars - if you're a preferred or presidents member, what cars will they have on hand for you...but given the usually terrible upgrade process and attitude at the LAX location and that silly Select-and-Go system, you might find equivalent cars at QB9, especially if you call first and develop any rapport with the agent.
On a longer rental of a week or more, the savings could be significant - I guess you could pick up a not-so-nice car at QB9, then drive over to LAX to do an exchange and find something better.