missingcolours

According to the website JFK closes at 11pm now. And yes, many locations from all companies are no longer 24 hours due to covid.

Officially, most rental companies will stay open until your flight arrives as long as you include your flight number in the reservation. In practice, especially right now, IDK. I've been booking with the agencies that are open later whenever possible to avoid playing with fate.

peepzlolo

Picked up on 10/9 at 1pm. Had a reservation for full size SUV (FFAR). Upon arrival I was handed keys to a 2019 Nissan Armada. I already knew before hand I didnt want the Armada due to not having Android Auto. Walked up to the car and WOW! what a let down. Cloth seats. 42k miles. Third row barely had any room for an adult. It was as base as can be. Went back inside and ended up taking a 2020 Ford Expedition Max Limited(PFAR). Night and day difference. Panoramic Sunroof. Leather seats. and a much roomier third row. Was very happy with the Ford. Other SUV options were a GMC Yukon, Chevy Suburban.

EA Aisle was bare bones. 4 cars. Plenty of minivans however.

Returned on 10/12 at 1130am

Much better selection on the lot. It was packed with cars. Barely any free spots. EA Aisle was well stocked. The usual Nissans and Chevys were there. Didnt see anything bigger than a Rouge. I did notice a new Kia K5 which was nice. In the return aisle there were 4 BMW's 330is and a BMW X1 and X2. JFK seems to be picking back up. I will however try to use Avis at JFK next time. Their lot is 4x bigger than National/Alamo and were well stocked on every class of vehicle which is good for me since I love having options. Still was a good experience with National.

soundpilot

Hi, first time poster here! Did you get a sense of if the Yukon or Suburbans were in good shape? I also have a full size SUV rental booked at JFK for a week-long trip over Thanksgiving (pick up Tues 11/24 evening) and wondering what the likelihood of getting something decent with all the recent demand on NYC rentals in the last 6 months.

I'm heading into the mountains (around a 9 hr drive) and trying to decide if I should feel good about JFK National giving me something solid for that drive. I'm Emerald Executive if that matters. Alternatives would be a different agency or reserving a specific model with something like Silvercar or Turo.

wal5036

Not JFK, but I rented premium SUV at EWR in July, and I got a Yukon XL Denali. It's a $75,000 SUV, with a Corvette V8 engine and over 400 horsepower, leather seats, etc. It was a great car for the trip.

peepzlolo

In all honesty, if you want either of those cars, you're probably better off reserving for that class. (PREMIUM FULL SIZE) The agent wouldn't budge on a free upgrade even after I complained about how trashed the full Size car was. The best he told me he could do was $20 extra a day. For me, it was worth the price based on what I was given. The Yukon and Suburban actually looked good to me but I wanted the Ford since I drive a Ford all day at work and I'm already use to their system.

As I mentioned before, try Avis. They have way more cars available at JFK than any other company as well as an insane amount of Yukon's available from what I saw.

mangoMan

Checked Hertz and they had no availability(?!). Avis wanted over $300. This is a one-way, one-day, rental, being dropped off upstate. Changed our flight to one that gets in around 7:30 pm when National is still open. Didn't want to risk not being able to get a car, plus I could use a free day

soundpilot

Similar to Mangoman's post above, I'm not seeing any availability with Avis or Hertz in the Full or Premium SUV size at JFK during Thanksgiving week, so I'll probably stick with National and hope for the best. I'd gladly pay $20/day more for a Premium SUV, right now the rate I'm getting on a reservation equates to about $100/day more than the Standard SUV I have reserved (all using a corp rate). Thanks all! Will keep an eye on this thread over the next month.

HLS2002

Hit the Executive Selection this morning as an Executive Elite and had the choice between two Malibus. There were half a dozen Armadas in the Alamo area (but almost nothing else on the lot). I asked if I could take one of those, and after lots of typing and waiting, I was offered one at almost double my reservation rate (a $50 upgrade fee, but worked out to be more all-in). As I walked away, the guy at the counter asked the manager if they could do anything for an EE when there were only two Malibus out, and she shrugged and offered nothing. I understand it’s a weird time for travel, but seriously? Walking up at Hertz, a Range Rover Discovery was about the same price as the National Armada offer. Ended up taking something cheaper from the well-stocked Avis lot. They’re not so easy to work with either, sending everyone to wait at the counter and not offering proper Preferred service.

mikefj2004

Things have surely gone from bad to worse at National. I don’t really expect much when arriving on a Sunday. I know that they’re expecting returns throughout the day. I’m also aware that they now share the lot with Enterprise making it a total of 3 companies pulling from 1 lot. However it would seem to me that the benefits of EE are going down the drain. The managers, at least at JFK, are unwilling to upgrade you as an EE without cost, they seem to always have a chip on their shoulder as if their children are the ones making the cars and the inventory is just dreadful. Upon arriving today, there were a few Malibus and 1 Ford Fusion with Ontario plates. Most of the cars were 10k+. They have a separate area where there were many BMW’s, Audis and Volvos near the car return entrance but they weren’t touching those. I’ve gone to this location often to rent but due to very slim pickings, I think I’m gonna just go to LGA. Their lot is much larger and they tend to be more generous with upgrades. I went there today too and they had way more returns and a bit more of a selection.

Auto Enthusiast

With the Canadian border closed, it's rare to see cars and trucks on the Thruway from Montreal and Toronto now. I assume that Fusion was old, and probably arrived on a one-way before covid?

Also, I bet some people are afraid to choose it. There have been stories in some rural areas afraid of virus transmission, about cars with distant plates getting vandalized and the driver attacked.

dkc192

Any recent reports on the Executive Aisle selection at JFK?

danwer930

Bumping this back up as I’m renting from there in 2 weeks. Anyone been to the EA or ES at JFK lately?

GW McLintock

Nope, but I'm picking up someone early at JFK tomorrow. Instead of waiting at the cell phone lot (if I remember) I'll swing by National and take a look.

-J.

danwer930

Thanks, much appreciated!

Hoof Hunter

Late update to this thread, but rented from National at JFK a couple weeks back around Friday at 6 pm-ish. In the Executive Emerald aisle were at least 2 brand-new Audi Q3 base models. I grabbed one which had 5 miles on it and had just been officially registered in NY that day. The EE lot was fairly stocked, but nothing more of note.

So, looks like National is restocking the supply. Wanted to give back some information to FT.