For travelers coming in to John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, car rental options are offered by Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, and National car rental companies. If you want hybrid rental cars, the larger companies will have a better chance of getting you one when you get there.

The rental car offices are located along the Van Wyck Expressway near the entrance of the airport. Once arrived at JFK airport, head out to take the frequent courtesy shuttles AirTrain to the AirTrain Station C – Federal Circle. There are 3 AirTrain routes that stop at all passenger terminals and terminal parking lots.

• The All Terminals Loop (black line) tuns in continuous loop in reverse order from Terminal 8 to Terminal 1 and back to Terminal 8 – about 10 minutes for the entire loop or 2 minutes between each station.
• The Howard Beach  Loop (green line) originates and ends at the Howard Beach Station. This route stops at all passenger terminals, plus the Lefferts Boulevard and Federal Circle stations going both ways. The Federal Circle  Station is where rental car lots are located as mentioned above.
• The Jamaica Station Loop (blue line) originates and ends at Jamaica Station. This route also stops at the Federal Circle Station and all passenger terminals.

Click on the map for a larger pdf version. Map courtesy of the Port Authority of NY & NJ.

Once getting off at the Federal Circle Station, you can head over to the car rental company of your choice. As always, it’s recommended that you reserve your airport hybrid rental before your trip.

Here are some sample hybrid rental car rates from Enterprise Rent A Car and Hertz Rent A Car.

Enterprise Hybrid Cars Rental Rates at JFK

Three different rental rates for hybrid cars were examined for a one-day rental (pick up on Monday and return next day), a weekend rental (pick up on Friday and return on Monday), and a one-week rental (pick up on Monday and return the following Monday.) Enterprise is known to have great availability and for JFK this is no exception. Both the Prius and Camry hybrids are available during this test, while the Ford Escape Hybrid is tougher to get, requiring a call to check availability.

Enterprise one-day rental rate, May 11-12-2009: $117.71 per day for Prius, $142.49 for Camry Hybrid. All fees and taxes are included. 

Enterprise weekend rental rate, May 15-18-2009: Average $117.71 per day for Prius, $142.48 for Camry Hybrid. All fees and taxes are included.

Enterprise one-week rental rate, May 11-18-2009: Average $84.08 per day for Prius, $115.05 for Camry Hybrid. All fees and taxes are included.

Follow this link to check availability of rental hybrid cars at JFK International Airport for your next trip.

Hertz Hybrid Cars Rental Rates at JFK

Similarly I did a comparison of rates for Hertz Rent A Car hybrid rentals. One main difference if that Hertz will require presentation of a credit card at time of pick up and therefore makes only the “Pay Later” option available online. There is no “Pay Now” option for Hertz hybrid cars. Hertz has both the Prius Hybrid and Nissan Altima Hybrid for rent. The graphics below only show base rates without fees and taxes, so I included the total rates in the notes.

Hertz one-day rental rate, May 11-12-2009: $147.98 per day for Prius, $171.93 for Nissan Altima Hybrid – fees and taxes included. Fees and taxes are not included in rates below. 

Hertz weekend rental rate, May 15-18-2009: Average $111.46 per day for Prius ($334.39 total), $120.28 for Nissan Altima Hybrid ($360.84 total) - fees and taxes included. Fees and taxes are not included in rates below.

Hertz one-week rental rate, May 11-18-2009: Average $91.50 per day for Prius ($640.49 total), $96.90 for Nissan Altima Hybrid ($678.27) - fees and taxes included. Fees and taxes are not included in rates below.

In summary, it looks like Enterprise has very competitive rates and may have more hybrid cars available for rent, whereas Hertz may not as a result of a smaller hybrid car fleet size. If you have experience with renting hybrid cars at Hertz out of JFK, please share your stories with us in the comment below.

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Renting Hybrid Cars at John F. Kennedy International Airport

Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW) is one of the busiest airports in Texas, and is the third busiest airport in the world for aircraft movements. As in the case of many major airports, being able to rent a hybrid rental car at DFW is largely a function of which rental car company you contact. As always it’s advisable to make advance reservation either online or via the telephone.

The DFW Rental Car Center is located just outside the south entrance of the airport, off of International Parkway. The Rental Car Center is served by 10 car rental companies, which operate courtesy shuttle buses to and from the terminals every 5 minutes.

Hybrid rental cars are available with at least four of the car rental companies that operate at DFW Airport and, based on availability, can be picked up directly after arrival. It’s always a good idea to contact Enterprise, Alamo, Hertz, or National rental company and see what they have available. With hybrid car rentals it’s almost a requirement that you contact these companies before your trip. Enterprise makes it very easy for you to reserve a hybrid car online, while the other companies’ websites are a little harder to navigate. To reserve Enterprise hybrid cars at DFW, go directly to Enterprise’s hybrid car rental in Dallas webpage.

On average hybrid rentals around DFW airport cost you from about seventy dollars a day to two hundred dollars a day. Obviously that price can be affected by the time and date you need the car, the model of hybrid rental you are looking for, and how far in advanced you make the reservation. At time of publication of this article, a quick check on Enterprise’s webpage shows the Toyota Prius at a daily rate of $89.99 and $124.68 total including taxes and fees. Both the Camry hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid require you to call in for availability.

With Enterprise’s huge hybrid rental car fleet, you should be able to get what you want. Alternatively, hybrids are not your only choice for go green during your travel. If availability is tight, or you just don’t want to pay the premium rates for a hybrid rental car, then go for other smaller cars which are very fuel efficient themselves.

So here’s what you do after arriving at DFW. After picking up your baggage, simply follow the car rental signs to the pick-up points just outside each terminal. Hop on the courtesy shuttle buses (which runs on 5-minute intervals) which take you south past Terminal E to the Rental Car Center. Happy traveling!

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Hybrid Car Rentals at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport

O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is a Chicago airline system offering connections to many cities worldwide. It is the largest hub of United Airlines and second largest hub of American Airlines. Over the years the O’Hare International Airport has become one of the three busiest airports in the United States. If you’re traveling to Chicago, you have a number of choices for renting hybrid cars for business or pleasure trips.

ACE Rent-A-Car recently upped their fleet of hybrid rentals but still have problems keeping up with demands. While the company is trying to make hybrid car rental in Chicago effortless and therefore allowing you, the traveler, to be more earth friendly, here’s a notice on ACE Rent-A-Car’s website at the time of this article regarding the Toyota Prius Hybrid:

We are sorry, due to exceptional demand, we cannot confirm any additional car rental reservations for the Toyota Prius hybrid. If you are interested in the best gas mileage in you car rental please consider these ACE rental cars with good fuel economy:

Chevy Cobalt – 31 Highway MPG
Ford Focus – 34 Highway MPG
Toyota Camry – 31 Highway MPG
Toyota Corolla – 38 Highway MPG

So it looks like rental car companies are running up against the limit of their relatively small fleets of hybrid rental cars. And this should continue as consumer interests still appear to be strong.

Other car rental companies also vie for your business. On the lower level of the airport near baggage claim you can find courtesy phones to Alamo, Hertz, National, Avis, Budget, Dollar, and Enterprise rental companies which can all help with various types of cars. Alamo, National, and Enterprise together offer a large variety of hybrid rentals. Because these three companies are all owned by the same parent company Enterprise, they may be able to help each other in finding you what you need. Most often the availability is more exclusive when you call and reserve your hybrid rental car in advanced. Reserving in advance your hybrid is the best way to insure you actually have a car available that you want upon your arrival. Hybrid rentals are especially hard to get at the last minute, so good luck if you’re counting on choosing one off the lot. For Enterprise, follow this link directly to their webpage to rent a hybrid car in Chicago.

Here’s what you you’ll do once landed at O’Hare. Go to the lower levels of the Terminals 1, 2 and 3, near the baggage claim areas. There you’ll find signs and courtesy phones to all car rental agencies. If you’re in Terminal 5, then you can find rental car courtesy phones on the lower level there. Like in many major airports, it’s most convenient to just hop on one of the courtesy buses that will take you to specific rental car lots.

Below is the map of O’Hare International Airport, courtesy of flychicago.com. Click on the image to view a high resolution version in PDF. Additional maps and resources can be found at flychicago.com.

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Hybrid Car Rentals at O’Hare International Airport (ORD)

Reserve a Hybrid Rental Car at Denver International Airport

Denver International Airport (DEN) is the largest international airport in the United States with a land size of 53 square miles (140 km²). DEN is also an extremely busy airport with over 51 million travelers moving through its terminals in 2008. On the ground transportation front, the Denver International Airport makes it easy and attractive for you to rent a hybrid car in Denver by providing easy access to the top car rental companies in the business. 

Hybrid car rental is becoming increasingly popular among the United States airports, and this definitely holds true at Denver international. Home to eleven different car rental companies, Denver International Airport does its best to keep renting hybrid as simple as possible. While not all of the companies that work with the Airport offer hybrid rentals, Enterprise, Alamo, Hertz, and National rental companies do offer the green alternative. According to the Denver Business Journal in an article published on December 3, 2008, Enterprise “is putting about 100 hybrid vehicles at its Denver International Airport branch, which will be designated as the company’s second “hybrid branch.” For customers who want to reserve hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry hybrid and the Ford Escape, they can do so either online or by phone.

As always reserve your hybrid rental car for Denver International Airport at least two weeks in advanced or even earlier to increase your chance of getting one. With fleets of hybrid rental cars being limited in size in may cases, it is an extremely good idea to try and secure your reservation as early you can.

At a price not much more than a regular car rental, going green can be a responsible thing to do. You can find hybrid rentals near the Denver International Airport for as low as seventy dollars a day at some places and it can vary from there to three hundred depending of course on the make and model of the hybrid rental you’re interested in, the date, and the time that you are renting the car.

Even if you can’t get a hybrid during your travel due to unavailability, you can still be green by paying a small fee ($1.25)  to help offset your carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint. Enterprise and sister companies National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car offer the carbon offset program, which is managed by Terrapass. TerraPass carbon offset program allows consumers to easily and affordably eliminate the environmental impact of driving their cars by purchasing carbon emission offsets. Head more about Terrapass carbon emission offset program.

Here’s another reason to rent hybrid cars while traveling. It’s an excellent way to test drive new hybrid cars! Not only will they shrink your carbon footprint while also reducing fuel costs that go along with going green, test driving a hybrid rental car rather than a hybrid off of a dealership lot actually eliminates the pestering car salesman from the experience. How about that?

So here’s what you do when arriving at at Denver International Airport. Whichever gate you’re coming in from, find your way to Jeppesen Terminal Level 5, where you’ll find bus pickups to car rental lots on Island 4. All graphics courtesy Denver International Airport.

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Hybrid Rental Cars at Denver International Airport

Hartsfield Jackson International Airport is the busiest airport in the world, and as anyone who’s traveled in Atlanta knows, the city itself is busy.

For travelers to Atlanta, hybrid rental cars are often a good way to save on fuel costs as well as helping to protect the environment. Car rentals at airports can be found all over the world, but car rental companies have found themselves riding the wave with the recent green movement. Many are working closely to provide Atlanta Airport car rental service that includes a fleet of hybrid cars.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Enterprise Rent-A-Car is the top company for hybrid rental cars. In 2007, they had 4000 hybrid cars and have recently doubled their fleet to include over 8000 hybrid cars. The company is based in St. Louis, Missouri, and provides rental car services to markets around the world. Most U.S. major cities in which Enterprise maintains its branches in have hybrid cars available for rent. The company is doing its part to minimize its business’ environmental impact by offering hybrid rental cars in selected markets, or by encouraging its customers to participate in its Carbon Offset Program. You can read more about Enterprise’s GreenHouse Gas Emissions Offset Program.

Enterprise allows you to reserve a specific hybrid vehicle, including the Ford Escape, Toyota Prius or Toyota Camry. So if your next destination is Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, Enterprise can help with your hybrid rental car needs. 

Hertz Car Rental

Hertz Car Rental, another well-known car rental company affiliated with Atlanta Airport, has shifted more toward offering hybrid rental cars and other fuel efficient cars. Called Hertz Green Collection, Hertz has nearly 35,000 cars in the Green Collection fleet, of which approximately 4000 are hybrid cars. According to Hertz’s website, all Green Collection vehicles are:

• Reservable by specific make and model
• EPA Highway Fuel Efficiency rating of 28 Miles or more per gallon
• Available at 50 major airport locations in the U.S.

At this time you can reserve Nissan Altima Hybrid and Toyota Prius Hybrid cars from Hertz’s fleet.

Avis Budget Car Rentals 

Hartsfield Jackson International Airport also has strong presence of Avis Budget Car Rentals, which operates both Avis Rent A Car and Budget Rent A Car. They are the third-ranked company as far as hybrid cars are concerned. There are 2500 hybrid cars available in Avis’ fleet, including the Toyota Prius, Nissan Altima hybrid and Ford Escape hybrid.

Even if you can’t reserve a hybrid, Avis claims it has other ways for customers to drive responsibly. According to the company, about half the vehicles in its fleet have a fuel efficiency rating of 28 miles per gallon or better (highway), and one-fourth of the fleet is rated at 30 miles per gallon (highway) or better. But for green customers who wants to look cool, the hybrids are the way to go. Visit Avis Prius Rental.

Avis and Budget also offer their customers opportunities to offset emissions through an alliance with Carbonfund.org, one of the leading international non-profit organizations providing carbon offset solutions to individuals and businesses.

Hartsfield Jackson International Airport is well aware of the need for more hybrid cars to offset the levels of pollution in the city and surrounding area. Because of the high volume of travel to and from the city, the airport is very prepared for the rising green movement by aligning itself with the leading airport car rental companies to have the widest selection of hybrids available for visitors. If more cities follow Atlanta’s lead, it’s a safe bet that the travel industry’s negative impact on the environment will be significantly lessened. So the next time you arrive in Atlanta, Georgia, go hybrid.

Airport photo courtesy www.atlanta-airport.com.

Post from: Airport Hybrid Rentals

Renting a Hybrid Car at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport