Secondly, Alamo have removed the unpopular summer surcharge, this just leaves Budget with a summer surcharge for rental car collections between 20th June and 20th August – the pressure may result in this surcharge also being lifted, watch this space….

Thirdly, from April 1 st 2012, Alamo will be offering clients the choice between refilling themselves to return the car, or pre-paying for the fuel – this is the same option as currently offered by Budget.

Finally, Alamo have included a new location for us at 6211 N. Atlantic Avenue, Cape Canaveral, increasing the options for this popular cruise embarkation point.  With free one-way rentals from any Florida Alamo location such as Orlando International Airport, 3 drivers aged 21 – 24 with the Young Driver Package along with excellent Toll by Plate rates, this is really good news for cruise fans!

The Iconic Ford Mustang

We now have rates loaded around to next December for Alamo car hire, Budget car hire and Dollar car hire. Budget car hire rates are unchanged from 2011 – however, there is a summer surcharge on all cars collected between June 20th and August 20th. Alamo have also renewed the summer surcharge for the same dates, but just on the larger cars.
Dollar cars remain without a surcharge this summer – and with a guaranteed upgrade from the 2 door version to the 4 door model of each category!

Lovers of the Ford Mustang convertible will be delighted to see that the model is now showing as the convertible car of choice by all suppliers. Of course we can never 100% guarantee a particular make or model – but clients are going to have the best chance ever of driving one of these iconic cars with the top down this summer. Don’t forget that with both Dollar and Alamo you can choose your own car from those available in your category at all the larger locations – particularly Orlando International Airport. A great chance to try a different model for size…

If you are aged 21 – 25 you will need the Young Driver Packages from Alamo or Budget and don’t forget that Alamo’s Young Driver Package includes 3 drivers aged 21 – 24 for the same price – fantastic value!

As always, if you have any questions, please give us a call, or use the chat facility.

Elle

Part of the long term vision was to create an airport that truly represented Florida, rather than just any airport anywhere. We have all noticed the wonderful lakes, swamps, forests, palm trees and ‘Florida’ feel of the airport – this was created rather than accidental. Likewise, managers encouraged the theme park operators to come into the airport and offer both a presence and merchandise – this way passengers coming from the cold north in the middle of winter instantly know that they have arrived in Florida and can start their vacation. The developers have even taken inspiration from the theme parks for the design of the terminals, using curves instead of corners, high ceilings, fountains and palm trees – all contributing to a more spacious relaxed feel. Contrast your experience in these terminals to change-over’s in Newark/Boston or Chicago and you will know the difference. Many other airports are now looking to Orlando for inspiration and attempting themes of their own.

The terminal design of a central landside terminal connected by rail to several airside gates was first tried at Tampa and with the use of the monorail is evocative of WDW. The airport is recognised as one of the most efficient and passenger friendly airports in the US and always seems to rank in the top five airport convenience surveys conducted by J D Power and Associates, but one downside has always been international travel. The first International terminal was added in 1984, but it has always seemed a bit of a mishmash, with passengers having to either re-check their luggage after customs to get from airside to landside, or to tote it along on the monorail. With all the ‘wheeled’ luggage options available now this doesn’t seem like such a hardship any more.

Inside Orlando International

Orlando International has also taken the lead in implementing many industry firsts. MCO was the first airport in the nation to initiate the CLEAR Program, an expedited security screening for trusted travellers; companies like Guess, Oakley and Build-A-Bear Workshop opened their first airport locations at Orlando International Airport; and in 1982, MCO hosted the world’s only simultaneous landing of two supersonic Concorde jets.

Now, all rental car drivers can do the same thing thanks to Toll-by-plate. As the car goes through the SunPass lane a photograph is taken of the rear Tag plate (number plate). This is then matched up to the rental car company, and your rental, and then the toll is automatically billed to your credit card.

Since February 2011, the entire county of Miami-Dade has been E-tolling only – which means there are no longer any change booths available. If you fly into Miami International then you will more than likely use a toll road as to try and avoid them can lead you into some pretty seedy areas. This means that you will need to be aware of the toll-by-plate system. Once used, the system is active for the length of your rental so you can continue to use the SunPass lanes throughout Florida.

The rental companies do have different ways of billing:

For Alamo/National you will pay $2.00 per rental day, or $6.00 for the duration of your rental plus tolls. You opt in when you first drive through a SunPass lane.

For Dollar/Thrifty you will pay $6.99 per day or $36.99 for up to 30 days. This rate includes all your tolls and you must opt in to Pass 24 when you collect your car. If you fail to opt in and then go through a SunPass lane you will be charged a $25 admin fee plus the toll for EACH infraction.

For Budget/Avis you will pay $2.50 per day or $10.00 per week plus the cost of your tolls. There is no need to opt in, but once you have gone through a SunPass lane you will be charged for the length of the rental.

We continue to offer U Save at Orlando which allows 2 drivers aged 21 – 25 with no surcharge at all, but we only have this contract with U Save at Orlando, not the other U Save locations.

Budget’s Young Driver Package continues to allow 1 driver aged 21 – 24 with no change to that package.

BA is to move two of its weekly flights from Orlando to Tampa in March, this will provide daily service from the UK to Tampa for the airline, for the first time. Tampa International airport is only an hour or so away from the Walt Disney World / Kissimmee area and flights can often be a little cheaper than flying into Orlando. Because the airport is not as busy as Orlando, overall times of processing at Tampa are usually much quicker.

During November Alamo car hire moved its desks into the terminal area and its cars into the on-site car parks. Because Alamo are currently cheaper than the other providers on our website with almost identical packages, this makes them a very attractive proposition at the airport now.

If you would like to check what is included within your Alamo insurance package do please give us a call when we will be happy to fill you in.

If you are planning a trip to the U.S. anytime in the next 2 years, you can save a little money if you complete the ESTA beforet this date. You don’t have to have a trip booked to complete the ESTA and it is valid for two years or until your passport expires if that is sooner. Applications are simple, but do be careful to use the official site, not one of the bogus sites that may charge now, or charge more once the fee is online. The correct website is this: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/.

Save more money by using a Zero percentage Credit card, that doesn’t charge you a percentage on your exchange when paying foreign currency!

The ever popular Minivan 7 seater (people carrier) category features many different vehicles such as the Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Freestar, Chevrolet Uplander etc, but some of these are larger than others and some feature useful upgrades such as DVD systems. A quick look through the car can be most revealing, you can check to make sure your luggage fits, and if not, move on to a different car! The ‘Choice Product’ is only offered at locations that have a barrier gate on exit, and it is there that your choice of car is logged against your reservation.

Combined with Alamo’s ‘Save Time’ online check in facility (pre-registration), pre-bookable Sat Nav’s and the Young Driver Package for drivers under 25, this makes Alamo your first choice for car hire in Florida. Although Alamo staff are often known for their fondness of trying to pursuade you to upgrade your car – their customer service should things go wrong is quite superior, and probably worth sticking it out with a few polite “no thank you’s” at the desk! And there is no Christmas Surcharge!!

If you would like more information about how many drivers can be included on the standard package, or anything else to do with your rental, please do give us a call in the office on 01428 741438.

If your outbound flight has been cancelled and you have been rescheduled to a new flight, please contact us to re-arrange your car hire. If you are in Florida and unable to get home, please also contact us via email or our UK landline number and we will organise an extension of your hire for you. In this event, please supply us with your new drop off dates, and a contact number so we can get in touch. You will not need to return to the airport if you can get in touch with us as soon as possible.