Car rental in Alaska
 

Hello,

I am looking for a rental car next august in Alaska, preferably Fairbanks down to Seward, or Anchorage to Seward. Seward only has Hertz and Thrifty there.
Search engines do not yet show prices or simply don't show any cars available.
-> OW option possible or way to expensive? Hertz shows around 1300$ for a 4 day rental (OW fee included), but no car class shown yet.
-> when is availability shown?

Caro

The franchisee that owns the Hertz and Thrifty franchises in Anchorage also owns the franchises in Seward. They do generally allow one-ways, though sometimes with hefty drop fees.

The Hertz and Thrifty in Fairbanks is a separate franchise, so I would not expect to be able to book one-way rentals from Fairbanks to Seward.

Rental car companies and OTAs generally follow the industry standard of being bookable 330 days out, so perhaps check back later in September. Whatever you do end up booking, don't forget to price track it with AutoSlash so we can alert you to rebook when the price drops. :)

I wonder why it's not one big franchise in AK like Hertz has in some western states, and like what Avis in AK has long been doing. Historical fiefdoms? I know Hertz in Anchorage used to be corporate, before the pandemic.

Historically, it's just always been that way. The owner of the Dollar/Thrifty franchisee in ANC bought the rights to the Hertz ANC and Seward franchise post-Covid when Hertz was trying to raise cash.

The Fairbanks Hertz/Thrifty franchise is a different owner. Maybe they will all consolidate one day, but there are no plans for this for the foreseeable future as far as we are aware.

Hertz: still nothing online, neither from ANC airport nor downtown location.
only a crazy managers special for 1280 dollars

What company does https://alaskancarrental.com/ work together with?
They have astonishing low prices...
and a OW fee of 700USD :confused:

They are a locally-owned and operated firm not affiliated with any of the major brands. That's why they charge very high one-way fees. They need to cover the cost of returning the car to Anchorage if they can't find another renter to bring it back in the other direction.

AutoSlash but are each of their locations independent franchises, or is it an independent company that has their own network? If the latter, cars can randomly circulate, but inventory might be lower and thus less flexible than larger chains?

I remember renting a car at a port (forget which one) on my Alaskan cruise, for 1 day I paid a little over $200, didn't need the full 24hrs since the cruise was only there for the day.

Super pricy but it's a small town, it was still worth it and better than paying for a tour/activity.

Are you beginning a cruise in Seward and that's why you want to do a one-way drop off? If so, you might save money by dropping the car in Anchorage and taking the train down to Seward.

That's correct.
But - with a family - the train to Seward is in the lowest fare 316$. Even with the bus it would be about 300$. As we are planning to have a stop over on the way down, a car is very reasonable.

ignoring the supply chain issue right now in the rental market.

a problem is people book the Cars as part of their trip and book these early. As supply drops prices go up. As part of the cruise, the rental car is part of a package deal.

Alaska has a short season so rates are going to be higher.

I am finding the same. Trying to book for May 2023. Nothing for any dates I check, just says sold out. However April is fine.

my problem is that I need to get from ANC to Seward for our cruise that leaves May 8th. This is too early in the season for the train or bus transfers. I guess an Uber would be an option?

I believe there is a train that runs from Anchorage to Seward.