How To Rent A Car At An International Airport

SeaTac (Seattle/Tacoma) will serve as our model for what you can expect to find at a large airport. The baggage claim area is where you will find information and/or kiosks for all ground transportation to and from the airport. Taxis, shuttles, city buses and vans are all represented. That’s where the courtesy phones are so you can tell them you’ve landed and make further arrangements.

The major rental car companies have counters there. Some of them, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, and National have cars on the premises. Advantage, Dollar, Enterprise, and Thrifty have information counters but their cars are elsewhere. They have shuttles to take you to the car you have reserved. (Why does the movie, ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles’ come to mind?)
If you want to rent a car from Rent a Wreck, or a local car rental outfit, you’ll have to do that on your own on the net or by telephone.

It is always wise to reserve your preferred car in advance. Some of the companies have accelerated check-in for preferred customers. If you do a lot of traveling, it’s probably a good idea to find out what each company’s criteria are for ‘preferred customers’.

If you are visiting the city and staying at one of the downtown hotels, you may not even need to rent a car. Your hotel may have a free shuttle to and from the airport, and getting around on foot and public transport is of ten more practical than trying to find a parking space in a busy downtown. Just a thought.

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