July 29, 2003
You're tan, gorgeous, and most of all, relaxed. Why? Because you've been resting on the beach in between island explorations all week. Even your kids have been a delight. Well, maybe it was all those fruity drinks by the pool? Who cares! You're happy as you pile your belongings into the rental and head to the airport. It's amazing, somehow despite all the souveniers, the suitcases seem smaller on this end of the trip. Life is good. At the airport your flight is expected to depart on time and there isn't even a line to turn in your rental car. Ah, the flawless vacation.
Then you glimpse the number on the bottom of your rental car bill. Is that the price? Is that the charge they are going to put on your heavily exercised credit card? How did it jump several hundred dollars from the price you were quoted on your daily car inquiry?
Holy #$(*@&! What happened?
What happened was you didn't get the total price when you looked into and booked your rental car. At airports, it's the worst: In addition to the price the rental agencies quote you, airports typically heap on a bevy of taxes which can include, but sadly aren't limited to: concession fees (although the amount varies, this is pretty standard), license plate fees, state taxes, "privilege" fees, convention center fees, and even stadium taxes (often for something yet to be built which is mostly used by the locals).
All these costs are passed on to unassuming tourists like you.
Your best defense against these sneaky surcharges is to get all the pricing, fees, and tax information before you rent. With that in mind, below is a list of some of the worst airport offenders (based on a study Travelocity conducted in 100 markets). The percentage listed is the average mark-up you can expect to see on your rental car in the most egregious states:
- Texas: 51.7 percent with Houston Bush the highest at 71.1 percent
- New Mexico: 41.6 percent with Albuquerque at 41.6 percent
- Arizona: 40.1 percent with Phoenix at 48 percent
- Minnesota: 39.6 percent with Minneapolis / St.Paul at 39.6 percent
- Massachusetts: 38.4 percent with Boston Logan International at 38.4 percent
- Maryland: 37.9 percent with Baltimore/Washington at 37.9 percent
- Kansas: 32.6 percent with Kansas City at 48.1 percent
- Utah: 31.6 percent with Salt Lake City at 31.6 percent
- Washington: 31.5 percent with Seattle at 31.5 percent
- Oklahoma: 30.5 percent with Tulsa at 21.1 percent
For whatever reason, for some airports that don't inundate you with excessive fees, you'll still find renting a car costs more than your daily quote would lead you to believe. Based on our survey, the most expensive airports for rental cars on average are: New York LaGuardia, New York JFK, Indianapolis, Anchorage, and Seattle.
No matter what's on your itinerary, do yourself and your budget a big favor--next time you're renting a car, get the total price up front. Make sure your quote includes ALL taxes and fees--that way, you won't get gauged, stressed, or stumped when you return from your vacation.
A little wisdom is all it takes to ask the right questions--and now you have it. Think total price and let vacation bliss last a bit longer…
For more details on this survey you can visit www.travelocity.com/rentalcarstudy
If you have a question or topic you would like me to cover in a future column, please e-mail Amy Ziff at askamy@travelocity.com And remember to look here for your topic each week!
