Mr. BoH

I went to make a reservation at ANC today, and it doesn't even show up as an option in website or app. I went to the page for that location and tried to force a reservation but got an error message. Does that mean they are closed permanently?

I know Hertz has (understandably) been closing a lot of HLE locations, but I had not seen locations at major airports closing.

AutoSlash

Hertz in Anchorage (and Seward) have recently changed hands. It used to be a corporate location but is now owned by the same folks that own Dollar and Thrifty in ANC (really good people btw). The transaction just recently closed and there is probably some bumpiness with Hertz's website dealing with the changes. The location code changed last week from ANCT11 to ANCT17. Given Hertz's IT issues of late, this should not shock anyone.

The good news is that you can book via an OTA like Priceline or better yet, ask AutoSlash for a quote and we'll find you a discounted rate.

SanDiego1K

I'm so glad you asked. I had the same issue yesterday and was very perplexed.

Mr. BoH

Thanks! I made a (non-Hertz) booking a couple months ago at a preposterous rate just to get something locked in as inventory seems scarce. I've been trying to check back periodically hoping it comes down. As of now, no Hertz inventory at all is showing for my dates even through OTAs, not sure if that is due to transition or they just have no vehicles. I am hoping some pops up because our corporate Hertz rate often gives good leisure discounts. I have AutoSlash tracking too, I am a fan of you guys.

screeton

I wonder about Hertz stability too, after hearing reports that they sold off a significant part of their fleet. When I checked for a rental at AUS for this weekend, they show nothing available. In pre-covid times, that was never a problem. I can't imagine them closing their Austin Bergstrom location, but apparently they have sold off too much of their fleet. They are not going to escape bankruptcy by not having any cars available to meet the demand.

AutoSlash

All of the major rental companies are sold out in various locations, and yes, Austin is one of those "hot spots", so I wouldn't read too much into this. Hertz has multiple competing offers to emerge from bankruptcy, and while they face a bumpy road in the short term, they are likely to emerge as a much stronger company in the end since they won't be saddled with so much debt. As to whether that will translate to tangible improvements from a customer perspective, that remains to be seen, but we can say with confidence that they will definitely survive, and probably will even thrive in the future.

Also, keep in mind that that the new owners of the Hertz franchise in ANC are quite strong financially having operated Dollar and Thrifty there profitably for decades so zero chance of them not righting the ship there.

Auto Enthusiast

Franchising ANC makes a lot of sense. There is no need for one-way flexibility to other regions. Competitors are likely franchisees there as well.

cayohueso

Well, the Austin Hertz location also closes at 10:00PM which really makes it hard to rent a car from them you're on one of the 25 or so flights that land after that

Long Train Runnin

This new phenomenon has been one of the hardest parts of COVID travel for me.

Working remotely and having freedom is great, so I normally try to fly after normal business hours.

Its great that the airline is running that late bank through their hub, but when you show up in a small town at 11pm and the rental car desks are already closed for the night. Plus, the (if your lucky) one airport hotel doesn't run the shuttle that late it creates quite an interesting problem. Especially, since Uber/:Lyft availability even during the day is spotty at best even in larger cities.

It creates some new logistical challenges for sure.

returnoftheyeti

Try showing up at MAF Thanksgiving morning at 0100 am. No way in hell Hertz was open. We got lucky and WN was delayed so we stayed in Vegas for the night and flew to Midland on Thanksgiving morning.

m907

I've only rented from a few franchisees (Overland West locations and a couple family-run locations) and they're often better than Hertz corporate. I'm glad ANC is in good hands.

Mr. BoH

As usual, AutoSlash is correct, and ANC is back to being live and searchable on the Hertz website. Still totally sold out for my dates, but I guess that is the way things are going to be for summer 2021

SanDiego1K

It's gone again, at least when I search.

Mr. BoH

Still works for me, maybe try clearing cache

spongenotbob

Thank you very much for posting this. I had a couple of corporate ANC reservations which mysteriously fell off a cliff thanks to Hertz IT. ( Thread: Is there anyone left in Hertz IT? )

I tried to rebook but failed and assumed that Hertz had closed up shop in ANC. If you hadn't posted here, I would have never made the effort to stumble around the pathetic Hertz website and eventually locate the "new" franchised location, which still does not come up using the main page search.

But it does come up here: https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/locat...horage/anct17/
And also here, if you type ANC in the search field: https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/location

The last link is the most convenient since it allows you to enter your corporate rate codes, etc.