Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
1–10 of 49 posts
Re: Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
#2Frequent travelers and members of rewards programs aren’t treated that differently
Um, actually we are. With Avis First (free to join) or Hertz Gold (last I knew there was a fee, but that may have changed), I take a shuttlebus to the rental car lot (or at the smaller airports, walk from the gate to the rental lot), look for my name on the message board, walk over to my car, get in, drive to the gate, show the attendant my license and I'm gone. In the really small airports (FSD or FWA for instance) it's literally 5 minutes from gate to road.
WRT Flightcar, that has absolultely no appeal to me as a car owner parking at an airport, or as a car renter. As a car owner, when I get back from a trip, I really want my car to be there so I can get home, I don't want to have to deal with my car not being there because the renter got stuck in traffic or had a change in plans.
As a renter (for both business and pleasure) I want to be able to have some flexibility in my rentals - if I want to extend my rental, I just visit the website and extend the rental. Would I be able to do that if the guy who's car I'm renting needs it back at a certain time? Also, how do I know that the car I'd be renting would be in decent running order?
I think that airport car rentals could use some disruption (for example more flexibility in refueling is nice, but I don't see that Silvercar really solves that problem), but I don't see these businesses doing it. Of course YMMV.
Re: Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
#3Flightcar sounds like a tough call...a lot of moving parts to save a few bucks on parking and/or car rental and with added anxiety for both parties.
Silvercar sounds more like how renting a car should be (except for the limited car options)(I'd go with a Toyota/VW lineup).
The things that are completely stupid with current car rental companies: 1) lengthy checkout process, 2) inability to choose car and 3) anti-customer gas policies.
Re: Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
#4[deleted]
Re: Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
#5Why would I risk my 2 decades+ no claim discount on someone else renting my car?
Why would I let someone who I don't know drive the car I take good care of, possibly use it for illegal purposes or deal with the aftermath of fines and so on?
Really, that's a pretty bad idea.
Re: Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
#6Some people might be okay with the risk of someone else driving their car, for the money, especially in these tough times.
Re: Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
#7Why would I risk my 2 decades+ no claim discount on someone else renting my car? Why would I let someone who I don't know drive the car I take good care of, possibly use it for illegal purposes or deal with the aftermath of fines and so on? Really, that's a pretty bad idea.
Your "no claim discount" will still remain valid incase the renter hits your car because you will using renting company's (flightcar\silvercar) insurance for filing claims. You are right with your other points.
The OP made up this stuff pretty badly - "There are the lines, the hassles, the constant upsells, confusion around cost of gas and insurance, and about 15 pages of paper that you have to sign before being able to pick out your car and leave the lot. " I have never experienced any of this.
Most of times I have used enterprise and few times hertz. Car choice is an issue when it is a long weekend otherwise not a problem at all. I use my own insurance because I know there is no point in using their's. If I can use an insurance for my own car then why should I get some other insurance for renting a car. I get cheap gas, free upgrades from enterprise.
Re: Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
#8Frequent travelers and members of rewards programs aren’t treated that differently Um, actually we are. With Avis First (free to join) or Hertz Gold (last I knew there was a fee, but that may have changed), I take a shuttlebus to the rental car lot (or at the smaller airports, walk from the gate to the rental lot), look for my name on the message board, walk over to my car, get in, drive to the gate, show the attenda…
The petrol (gas) refuel thing is the only thing that feels all that different from Hertz Gold (I think it's sometimes a 1-time fee -- I got mine free a few years ago).
My experience at CBR last week. Walk off the plane. Walk up to the Hertz counter. Wait 20 seconds for the 1 other person in the Gold line. Flash my license. Given my keys and the direction to the lot. Walk to the lot. Drive off. Would have been under 5 minutes from when I walked off the plane.
Re: Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
#9Why would I risk my 2 decades+ no claim discount on someone else renting my car? Why would I let someone who I don't know drive the car I take good care of, possibly use it for illegal purposes or deal with the aftermath of fines and so on? Really, that's a pretty bad idea.
Your "no claim discount" will still remain valid incase the renter hits your car because you will using renting company's (flightcar\silvercar) insurance for filing claims. You are right with your other points. The OP made up this stuff pretty badly - "There are the lines, the hassles, the constant upsells, confusion around cost of gas and insurance, and about 15 pages of paper that you have to sign before being able…
You can't just be 'double insured', insurance is usually on the license, not on the driver. So if I put another driver in my car he/she can claim whatever they want, the law here is that the license owner is the one taking out insurance. By law, as soon as a vehicle is on public roads the owner of the car has to have mandatory insurance.
I'm not quite 100% clear on what the situation would be if someone else would be driving the car and they took out insurance to absolve me (and by extension my insurance) for liability, but I'm fairly sure that just driving around with my license plate will cause me to be the party addressed for any injuries/damage caused using that vehicle.
That's why license plate duplication is such a nasty thing, you end up having to prove that it wasn't you that caused the damage/fines/whatever.
And of course, if they do get into an accident and supposedly their insurance pays for the damage I will still find no car on my return from a trip as well as having to deal with the aftermath of the damage and having a car that was repaired after an accident, which may render it drivable but will significantly impact the book value.
Bad plan.
Re: Airport Car Rentals: The Next $10 Billion Industry Ready For Disruption
#10[deleted]