Tour of the Phoenix Sky Harbor Rental Car Center

I had an hour and a half to kill between a 6am and 7:30am pick ups a few mornings ago so I thought I'd take a few photos and write up some tips on how to get through the rental car process as quickly as possible. It was a bit dark as the sun wasn't up and none of the counters were open yet! You may have already seen this on our Facebook page, but here's some more detailed information.

1. The facility has all the companies in one place and is off-site of the airport. You will take a big green and white shuttle bus over to the facility. There are lots of them so no need to run to catch one, another will come. It will take you about 45 mins - 1 hr from the time you land to deplane, go through customs if necessary, collect your baggage, and take the shuttle over. If you or the kids need a snack, there's a small snack bar with pre-made sandwiches, bagels, coffee, soda, chips, etc.

2. If you are meeting me there with rental items, head to your company's counter. I'll meet you just in front of their designated space inside the facility.  This way you don't have to take all your rental items on the shuttle bus from the airport.

3. Sign up in advance for any of the free express programs your company offers that allow you to bypass the check in line. The lines can get quite long here in the spring. It's free and can save you a LOT of time which is nice when you have kids along.  Budget is trying something new right now also. Instead of having you stand in line, you take a ticket (like the DMV) and sit down in their comfy chairs. They have a small play area for kids which is nice as well.  It's always one of the busiest counters though, so again, sign up for their Fastbreak program so you can get right to the car and get going.

4. Be aware that none of the companies guarantee they will have car seats available, and if they do they may not be up to your standards. We deliver at the facility and we are often cheaper for better (and clean) quality. Rental tax at the airport is almost 30% and you will pay that on everything from the rental car company including the car seat. (Ours is 6.3%).

5. When you leave, use the airline check-in kiosk at the rental facility if you haven't done so already. It will save you from a long line at the airport most likely.

6. Express bag check is coming soon to the facility, so definitely use that in the future too! Anything to make your trip on the bus and through the airport easier with the kids is worth it to me!

Money Saving Tips on Car Rentals

Watch out for those taxes and fees when booking your rental car. The Phoenix airport car rental locations have one of the highest tax rates in the nation -upwards of nearly 30% plus surcharges, facility fees, and anything else that they can sneak in!

Here's some tips on how to save on your rental car and avoid these hidden fees:

1. Rent your car from an off-airport location

If you have a rental of more than a few days, it will probably be worth it for you to take the SuperShuttle or a cab to a nearby off-airport rental location. You can return the car at the airport location at no additional cost. Send one adult to get the car while the kids play at one of the airport's play centers or have a snack at one of the restaurants.

Here's a map of the closest off-airport locations for Enterprise, Budget, Avis, and Hertz.

I checked rates for comparable cars at on- and off-airport locations of a few companies. The car itself is approximately the same cost, but a week-long rental racked up 15% more in taxes ($50-$75 depending on what you rent) PLUS various facility fees and surcharges to the tune of another $20. You'd probably rather spend your vacation money on actual fun instead of taxes and fees. (One person could take the SuperShuttle for $13-$17 to one of these off-airport locations.)

2. Rent car seats from Sweet Pea Baby Rentals instead of the car rental agencies

Most car rental agencies charge $9-$12/day for child seats. On a week long rental, that could cost you upwards of $90 per seat including the airport tax, and who knows what the condition will be. I can almost guarantee you that seat isn't even worth $90 brand new.

With us it's $55/wk plus 6.3% tax on a premium Britax car seat, and only $30-$38/wk on booster and infant seats. It's guaranteed to be clean, sanitized, safe, and include all instructions for installation. We also give a 10% discount on the second or more of the same item. We can deliver all your rental items wherever you rent your car, or can deliver to multiple locations like your car rental location for your car seats, and your accomodations with everything else.

3. Take the hotel shuttle from the airport and rent your car there

Most of our hotels and resorts offer a free airport shuttle and an on-site car rental service at their location. If they don't have an on site rental counter, most of the off-airport rental car locations will pick you up free at your hotel and take you to their facility. Again, you can return the car to the airport facility at no additional charge. So, if you don't need the car right away, this is a great option and can even cut days off your rental.

4. Use coupon codes or bid on Priceline.com

Here's a pretty good compilation of coupon codes for rental cars. You can also make a confirmed reservation in advance, then a few days before you trip, bid for something less than the rate you booked on priceline.com. Then, just cancel your other reservation if you get a better deal. If you're not picky about what company you get, this can be a good option. You can only bid for cars at the airport locations though.

More on Rental Car Company Seats

I was hunting down my own rental car seats at the Phoenix Rental Car center a few days ago and was led to the room where all the company's seats were stored. Let me reiterate once again what poor condition these seats are in! (Read here if you want more details.) Some were in plastic bags, although I don't think that meant they were necessarily clean, most had covers that were coming off, infant seats had no bases and looked to be of the absolute cheapest quality they could find. I didn't see any brand names on them so I'm not sure what they actually were, but I know it's nothing I've seen in stores in the last 5 years, which is when most car seats expire.

Most car rental companies charge $10/day for a car seat. Compare this with our rental rate of $11/day or $55/week for a top of the line Britax Marathon or Graco Nautilus, and you're not only guaranteed clean and sanitized seat, but a much better and safer one at that. Plus you're saving money if you're renting for more than 5 days! Our Graco Snugride infant seats are an even better deal at $8/day or $38/week.

Rental Car Company Car Seats

Courtesy of Las Vegas Baby Equipment Rentals, here's another reason why you should consider renting a car seat from a dedicated baby equipment rental company or bring your own. This was taken at a Fox rental car location yesterday in Vegas. Hanging from the fence by their tether straps are their rental car seats that have just been pressure washed with the car washing equipment. Well, at least they've been hosed down which is more than most other places do. If you missed the story about Advantage, take a look at this older post. It's scary at what is rented out and is clearly unsafe.

Car Seat Safety and Rental Car Companies

I ran across this story by Delicious Baby from a few months ago regarding rental car companies providing unsafe car seat rentals. If you plan on getting your car seat from a rental car company, be sure to call ahead to ensure that they have one available and verify models they provide if possible. In most cases, they can't or won't tell you and you never know what may or may not be waiting when you get there. These are some photos they complied of the selection they were given.







In summary, the story is regarding Advantage Rent A Car's LA location and is appalling. They were (and still may be) providing dilapidated car seats estimated to be up to 22 years old, horribly dirty, missing parts, and far out of current safety standards. Why I say they still may be is here in a follow up story after Advantage had supposedly "fixed" the problem. Both accounts involve parents unable to find a seat with enough parts to even install it correctly, let alone be safe for their child to ride in. Although I haven't relied on a car rental agency for a car seat, I would have expected something dirty but at least within current safety standards. But I certainly never would have expected expired car seats, ones smelling of vomit, infant carriers missing the bases, or ones so outdated that they didn't have 5-point harnesses.

In general, manufacturers recommend car seats are replaced every 5 to 8 years depending on the model, except some intended for longer term use like the new Graco Nautilus (available in our car seat rental inventory). Think about bringing your child's seat with you or save the hassle and rent one from a dedicated baby equipment rental agency at your destination. Many companies, including Sweet Pea Baby Rentals, will deliver your car seat to your rental car counter and can ensure and safe, sanitzed, like new car seat. Even if you are at the center in a last minute bind for a safe car seat, call a baby equipment rental company. Most were born out of mom's and dad's having these same experiences and try to accomodate emergency situations.