Plane to curb - how much time About This Page:

[portagethecat]

We are flying into LAX and plan to rent a car from one of the companies that have regular shuttles. Can anyone recommend how much time to allow from our scheduled landing time to the time we'd be picking up the car? We will have to pick up our checked luggage, probably visit the restroom and we've never be at LAX before. Our flight is scheduled to arrive at 11am. Is a 1 pm car pick up too much or too little (or just right?)

For our flight back, we will be leaving from the San Diego airport on a 630 pm flight. Any recommendations for what time I should say we will be dropping off the rental to allow time to get shuttled to the airport, check in and get through security?

[Tink and co.]

I haven't flown in or out of San Diego recently, but I can help with LAX. We were at the car rental location within 30 minutes of landing. The shuttles come often and the rental places (or the main ones anyway) are not far away at all.

[duck addict]

The last time I took a rental car shuttle I had to wait about 15 minutes for one (but that was in New Orleans). I would guess at a major airport 15 minutes wait and 10 minute ride would be typical since you are during prime airport hours.

[Dave Marx]

Make the reservation to be roughly the same as your landing time. The rental clock doesn't start until you actually pickup the car, so you're better off having a car waiting for you, than end up having to wait for the car.

The pickup and dropoff time estimates are needed to give you the rate estimate. For example, I ususally fly into LAX in the morning, but fly out on a redeye. That usually means another rental day has begun by the time I drop off the car.

Most rental agencies ask for your arriving flight number as well, so their computers will also be tracking your status. LAX is typical of most airports. Usually 10 minutes (inculding restroom break) from plane to baggage claim, and about 20 minutes at baggage. The rental car shuttles are right outside, it may take 10 minutes to reach the rental office.

Watch the dropoff time - while you usually agree to a particular rate for extra hours, you usually don't pay less if you drop off a few hours early (and happen to cut a day off the rental clock). The important thing is the 24-hour rental clock from the time you picked up the car to the time you actually drop off. So, if you picked up at noon, and you have a 1:00pm departing flight from San Diego, just be sure you drop off the car before noon on your departure day. Tell them it'll be an 11:00am dropoff, since you want to be in the airport a minimum of 90 minutes before departure. If you get there before 11:00am, the agency is not going to be heartbroken.