Airport plans consolidated rental car facility
May 5, 2003, 6:44 pm
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Airport plans consolidated rental car facility
Airport plans 1-stop rentals
Off-site car center to ease traffic, free up space at Sky Harbor
Glen Creno
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 30, 2003 12:00 AM
Squeezed for space and faced with mounting traffic snarls, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is developing a $250 million plan to consolidate its rental car operations in a single spot off the airport.
Construction on the Rental Car Center is to start in late summer and the facility is scheduled to open toward the end of 2005. Rental counters and cars at the airport's three terminals will be transferred to the center at the southeastern corner of 16th Street and Buckeye Road and companies with off-site rental and service buildings also will move.
Paul Blue, Phoenix deputy aviation director, said the airport wants a car rental system that "doesn't require a lot of figuring out." Blue said between 120 and 140 rental vans pick up customers at Sky Harbor now and the airport hopes to reduce that to 50 airport-run buses that will simultaneously transfer car customers and reduce traffic confusion on the twisting grid of roads that connect the terminals.
"When you come to pick up Grandma, it feels less challenging," Blue said.
Experts say that busy airports around the country are opting to put all of their car rental operations in one place. Such systems are in place at San Francisco, Dallas and another opens this summer at Houston's Bush International Airport, all of them geared to simplifying things for travelers, cutting traffic and reclaiming valuable space in or near terminals.
Iraj Misaghi, a Tucson retiree visiting family in Phoenix on Tuesday, said he favors the idea. "It's too confusing to go to 5,000 places" to rent a car.
Blue said between nine and 12 car-rental companies do business at the airport, with the number of the smallest satellite operators fluctuating by seasonal demand. With a fleet of about 40,000 rental cars, Blue said, Sky Harbor is No. 4 among U.S. airports in car rental revenue, racking up $250 million last year, mainly from rentals by tourists.
The airport estimates that it takes about 10 minutes for a car rental customer to get to one of the big off-airport sites via company van.
It hopes to match that or do better with buses scheduled to hit only one terminal, eliminating the need for several stops.
The companies themselves don't have major gripes about the new system. Bob Bouta, senior vice president of properties and facilities for the company that owns Avis and Budget, said customers prefer to rent cars and pick up cars at airport terminals.
But that's becoming increasingly difficult at airports like Sky Harbor where there's no room to stockpile a lot of cars near terminals. Most people renting cars at the Phoenix airport already must hop on a van to an off-airport site to pick up the vehicle.
"It's not the be-all answer for every airport but it's appropriate for many airports, and Phoenix is one of them," he said.
The new facility is being paid for with a $3.50 a day charge on airport rentals. The fee kicked in last year and Bouta said it is not a deal-breaker for customers.
Before the fee was added, Phoenix ranked second among cities for the highest tax rate for rentals cars at more than 27 percent. Seattle was No. 1 at more than 28 percent.
John Ferguson, who flew in Tuesday from Connecticut, was surprised by the fees for his rental car, which he is using for five days.
"I was amazed at how high car rental prices are here," he said. "I'm used to getting the car for $150 a week rather than $300."
The new center also will offer the rental agencies room for expansion though Mike Rollins, vice president of the National and Alamo agencies in Phoenix, said that won't be necessary until travelers start flying again. Rollins said customers will like renting from one facility that's easy to find.
"I think it will actually help business," he said.
Sky Harbor expects to reclaim from 1,500 to 1,700 terminal parking spaces now dedicated to rental cars plus counter space in the terminals, which Blue said could be used for such things as additional baggage carousels.
Off-site car center to ease traffic, free up space at Sky Harbor
Glen Creno
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 30, 2003 12:00 AM
Squeezed for space and faced with mounting traffic snarls, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is developing a $250 million plan to consolidate its rental car operations in a single spot off the airport.
Construction on the Rental Car Center is to start in late summer and the facility is scheduled to open toward the end of 2005. Rental counters and cars at the airport's three terminals will be transferred to the center at the southeastern corner of 16th Street and Buckeye Road and companies with off-site rental and service buildings also will move.
Paul Blue, Phoenix deputy aviation director, said the airport wants a car rental system that "doesn't require a lot of figuring out." Blue said between 120 and 140 rental vans pick up customers at Sky Harbor now and the airport hopes to reduce that to 50 airport-run buses that will simultaneously transfer car customers and reduce traffic confusion on the twisting grid of roads that connect the terminals.
"When you come to pick up Grandma, it feels less challenging," Blue said.
Experts say that busy airports around the country are opting to put all of their car rental operations in one place. Such systems are in place at San Francisco, Dallas and another opens this summer at Houston's Bush International Airport, all of them geared to simplifying things for travelers, cutting traffic and reclaiming valuable space in or near terminals.
Iraj Misaghi, a Tucson retiree visiting family in Phoenix on Tuesday, said he favors the idea. "It's too confusing to go to 5,000 places" to rent a car.
Blue said between nine and 12 car-rental companies do business at the airport, with the number of the smallest satellite operators fluctuating by seasonal demand. With a fleet of about 40,000 rental cars, Blue said, Sky Harbor is No. 4 among U.S. airports in car rental revenue, racking up $250 million last year, mainly from rentals by tourists.
The airport estimates that it takes about 10 minutes for a car rental customer to get to one of the big off-airport sites via company van.
It hopes to match that or do better with buses scheduled to hit only one terminal, eliminating the need for several stops.
The companies themselves don't have major gripes about the new system. Bob Bouta, senior vice president of properties and facilities for the company that owns Avis and Budget, said customers prefer to rent cars and pick up cars at airport terminals.
But that's becoming increasingly difficult at airports like Sky Harbor where there's no room to stockpile a lot of cars near terminals. Most people renting cars at the Phoenix airport already must hop on a van to an off-airport site to pick up the vehicle.
"It's not the be-all answer for every airport but it's appropriate for many airports, and Phoenix is one of them," he said.
The new facility is being paid for with a $3.50 a day charge on airport rentals. The fee kicked in last year and Bouta said it is not a deal-breaker for customers.
Before the fee was added, Phoenix ranked second among cities for the highest tax rate for rentals cars at more than 27 percent. Seattle was No. 1 at more than 28 percent.
John Ferguson, who flew in Tuesday from Connecticut, was surprised by the fees for his rental car, which he is using for five days.
"I was amazed at how high car rental prices are here," he said. "I'm used to getting the car for $150 a week rather than $300."
The new center also will offer the rental agencies room for expansion though Mike Rollins, vice president of the National and Alamo agencies in Phoenix, said that won't be necessary until travelers start flying again. Rollins said customers will like renting from one facility that's easy to find.
"I think it will actually help business," he said.
Sky Harbor expects to reclaim from 1,500 to 1,700 terminal parking spaces now dedicated to rental cars plus counter space in the terminals, which Blue said could be used for such things as additional baggage carousels.
