Sixt @ GVA
Sep 5, 2012, 6:52 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: YEG
Posts: 3,717
Sixt @ GVA
I am looking at a two day rental in GVA. It seems there are 2 options; french sector or swiss sector.
The same car CLMR (Bmw1) goes for $202 USD and for $332.60 USD (french/swiss). Are both at the airport? Any disadvantages of grabbing a car on the french side versus the swiss side?
We are thinking of taking a few days in Geneva, return to the airport to pickup a car and then a few days road trip to either italy or france before returning the vehicle.
The same car CLMR (Bmw1) goes for $202 USD and for $332.60 USD (french/swiss). Are both at the airport? Any disadvantages of grabbing a car on the french side versus the swiss side?
We are thinking of taking a few days in Geneva, return to the airport to pickup a car and then a few days road trip to either italy or france before returning the vehicle.
Oct 30, 2012, 3:07 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 17
If you rent on the French side you won't have the Swiss vignette, which is required to drive on Swiss roads, and will have to pay for one if you enter Switzerland. We recently picked up a car at GVA French side and used the directions on the GVA web site that tell you how to get in an out of the French side of GVA airport w/o going on Swiss roads. It means going a little out of the way.
Nov 1, 2012, 3:38 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 17
Dandel is right, but I found it a little confusing as to exactly how to be sure of avoiding the Swiss motorways to/from the French sector, even with the attached access map and directions, so we just took a more circuitous route. But here's the link to the map and directions.
http://www.gva.ch/en/Portaldata/1/Re...cations/af.pdf
http://www.gva.ch/en/Portaldata/1/Re...cations/af.pdf
May 23, 2017, 10:16 am
#6
Join Date: Mar 2010
Programs: AA exec plat, Hilton dia, a-club plat, National exec, Sixt plat
Posts: 16
Reviving this thread as I'll be picking up a rental in GVA in June. Have booked in the French side as prices are 50% lower, and also will be driving in France. My questions are:
1. I know they do not guarantee the vignette. Though I do not really need it, it would be easier to have it since it would make it easier reaching to/from the A41 in France. But any guess on how often the cars in the French side have the vignette? Would they know at the counter what cars have it or not, so that it's a reasonable request, like for example asking for a diesel?
2. Is the fleet different between the French and Swiss sides? ie. for the same category do they have the same vehicles, or on the French side they only have the French fleet with French plates?
3. Any experience on how good they are with plat upgrades? I have booked a IVMR which is the minimum I need, but if they upgrade me, what would they upgrade typically to? SVMR? SWMR? LWMR?
4. I'm assuming there is no issue in driving it to Spain?
Thanks
1. I know they do not guarantee the vignette. Though I do not really need it, it would be easier to have it since it would make it easier reaching to/from the A41 in France. But any guess on how often the cars in the French side have the vignette? Would they know at the counter what cars have it or not, so that it's a reasonable request, like for example asking for a diesel?
2. Is the fleet different between the French and Swiss sides? ie. for the same category do they have the same vehicles, or on the French side they only have the French fleet with French plates?
3. Any experience on how good they are with plat upgrades? I have booked a IVMR which is the minimum I need, but if they upgrade me, what would they upgrade typically to? SVMR? SWMR? LWMR?
4. I'm assuming there is no issue in driving it to Spain?
Thanks
Sep 11, 2017, 9:14 pm
#7
formerly known as daveland
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: NY, NY, USA
Programs: Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LTP, Delta Platinum, Hilton Honors Diamond, Wyndham Diamond
Posts: 2,969
Partial response to Flying_Frog and additional info.
- You can ask for a car with a vignette though you can expect it to be an upgrade and to pay for it. In our case, the amount we paid for the upgrade was about the cost of a vignette so we took it and called it a wash + small upgrade.
- I was given a one category upgrade that was not impressive and offered an additional upgrade only at charge. Given point 1 above re: the vignette it worked out reasonably well, though I felt like in the US Sixt would have just upgraded me as Plat to the better car. At least they do at LAX where I rent often and am treated very well.
- Lastly and most importantly, beware Dynamic Currency Conversion here. I wrote about my experience being forced into DCC at this Sixt location in this post.
- You can ask for a car with a vignette though you can expect it to be an upgrade and to pay for it. In our case, the amount we paid for the upgrade was about the cost of a vignette so we took it and called it a wash + small upgrade.
- I was given a one category upgrade that was not impressive and offered an additional upgrade only at charge. Given point 1 above re: the vignette it worked out reasonably well, though I felt like in the US Sixt would have just upgraded me as Plat to the better car. At least they do at LAX where I rent often and am treated very well.
- Lastly and most importantly, beware Dynamic Currency Conversion here. I wrote about my experience being forced into DCC at this Sixt location in this post.