The standard way to return a rental car at an airport is to drive the car to the pick-up location, whether it is on site at the airport or a short trip away. Returning the rental car this way is the most popular choice of car rental companies because it allows their workers to inspect the car in your presence and lets you give final approval for charges. This also allows you to be at the car rental company in case you have any questions or concerns about charges so that you can get the answers that you need before leaving the airport.
A more expedient way to return your rental car is through a kiosk return. This is an option that is growing in popularity with the car rental industry as it is often quicker than the standard method and requires less employees. If your car rental company offers this option, you pull your rental car in to a designated parking lot, remove your baggage and leave the keys in the car. You go to the kiosk, where there is a free-standing computerized machine that will allow you to access your rental information, review any charges to your account and pay for your rental car at the machine without waiting for an employee from the car rental company to review the car and account.You will still be charged for any damage to the car that occurred while you were renting it, even though an employee did not inspect the car in your presence.
The express car rental return at an airport is a version of the standard car rental return; however, it is a much quicker process. When you rent a car, you are provided with paperwork that details your car rental and the expected charges to your account. There is a page of the rental agreement, which will have blanks that will need to be filled in upon return of the car to the airport. This page will require information such as mileage, date of return and your signature that you authorize the charges to your account. By going ahead and filling out this information prior to returning the car, you can drop the car off at the rental car company's return lot, leave the keys inside the vehicle, and simply return the paperwork to one of the rental company's workers.
Some larger airports are offering a different type of service to patrons returning car rentals at the airport: a car rental return lot. A car rental return lot does not have a branch of the rental company, but is rather a designated parking lot where you can return your car at the airport without returning the car directly to the lot where you picked it up. These return lots are a great option for car rental companies with facilities off site from the airport but that offer car rental services for patrons of the airport. It is extremely convenient for airport patrons, as they can drive the rental car directly to the airport, park it in the designated lot for their rental company and return the keys and required documentation to a representative of the car rental company without having to be shuttled from the offsite car rental company to the airport terminal.
Very often for an extra fee some car rental companies will offer you the option to drop your rental car off right at the airport door at your departure terminal. This service must be booked in advance, and you must fill out any necessary paperwork prior to arriving at the airport. For this service, your car rental company will provide an agent to meet you outside of your terminal and will drive the rental car back to the car company for you so that you can reach your departure gate faster than any of the other airport car rental return methods.
