If you are planning to go somewhere and it involves an airport and staying in another state for some time, you probably want to rent a car. Questions like how to return the rental car at the airport and how long does it take to return a rental car at the airport pop to mind. Don’t worry. We are going to cover everything you need to know about airport car rental returns.
Airport Car Rental Return
There are not many airports in the US that don’t have rental car services. So, we are pretty sure wherever you end up, you will have a rental car at your disposal. But, there are two types of car rental at airports.
- On-Site Car Rental
- Off-Site Car Rental
Large airports have a mix of that. Keep in mind that in larger airports, car rental services are on the premises, but it would usually take a bus to get to them because of the size of the airport.
You need to pay attention when booking a rental car in bigger airports because both on-site and off-site car rentals are available but from different companies. That is important because it’s usually easier to get to the off-site car rentals where you can easily return your car rental without any wait.
“On-Site” Airport Car Rental Return
The prices of an on-site airport car rental is usually a bit higher because of this feature. This is for people that don’t like to waste time and want to go directly to the car rental, and not take a minibus to it.
On-site usually means that car rental is within walking distance from the terminal, but in larger airports, that may not be the case. We recommend you take a look at the airport website as they usually have a list of all car rental companies at the premises.
So, how do I return my rental car at the airport? Every airport has lanes with signals that say car returns and the list of all of the car rental companies so it’s actually really easy. Even if the lane is busy you can call staff, and they will come and do the inspection right there so you don’t miss the flight.
“Off-Site” Airport Car Rental Return
As the name says, off-site airport car rentals are usually away from the airport. This poses no particular problem, as there are usually buses that pick up passengers from the terminals and drive around the airport, so you’ll just need to add a couple of minutes into the count to not be late for check-ups.
There is a common practice with well-established brands in car rentals, where if they are off-site, they will have their own drivers and mini-buses that will pick up everyone and their luggage.
So, let’s take, for example, Denver airport, you ask yourself the question, how long does it take to return a rental car at Denver airport? Well, in this instance, it’s best to go for an off-site car rental because it’s the largest airport in the world, and there is no big difference between on-site and off-site car rental besides the price.
The return process is actually really easy, you’ll park the car and ask for an employee to come check the car. When he arrives, he will check the car for any damages as well as the mileage and interior of the car. If all of that seems to be in order, he will then give you a receipt, and that’s where that ends.
After-Hours Returns
Everyone has had a situation pop up and plan to change, so it’s normal that sometimes you can’t return your rental car in time. Well, the main thing here is to let your car rental company know.
No matter why that happens, an emergency situation, or a late flight, most car rental companies will understand you. But, let’s look at the policy of Realcar.nyc for example.
It states that if you are late more than 30 minutes after the contract said, you will be charged $50 for every 30 minutes after that. Of course, this is if you don’t notify them. Another way of dealing with this situation is to use their drop-off option. That allows you to drop the car off at some of their locations, which, if done, doesn’t have any fees.
Closing Thoughts
We are sure you are now informed about everything regarding returning the rental car at the airport. If you can, make sure to bring it back as the contract states and try not to do it after hours, because you can face some fees. And that’s it. We are sure you now know how to return a rental car at the airport.