The onslaught of the pandemic froze travel in its tracks. Planes were grounded and hotels were deserted. Rental cars were returned and future reservations canceled.
“We were literally having trouble finding places to park the cars that weren’t being rented,” said Gregory Scott, spokesperson for the American Car Rental Association.
Companies sold off their fleets and cut prices for the cars they retained. This left rental car agencies ill-equipped to meet the sudden increase in demand that came last year.
And now, more than two years later, with leisure travel reaching near pre-pandemic levels and business travel picking up, rental car companies are still struggling to fill their fleets.
“It continues to be tough out there and it’s going to continue to be tough for a while,” Scott said. “It’s getting better, but it’s not solved yet.”
This means steeper prices for consumers. Some are having trouble even finding an available car.
Car rental companies have been getting creative to try to fill their fleets, including retaining their vehicles longer than they would have in pre-pandemic years. If they used to sell their cars into the used car market at 20,000 miles, they now might hold onto the cars until they have 30,000 miles.
“Our hope is that we can continue to re-fleet and get the number of vehicles in our fleets up as we head toward the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays,” Scott said.
The easiest way to protect yourself—and your travel plans—from the ebb and flow of the rental car market is to book your reservations as far in advance as possible, according to Scott.
Travelers often treat rental cars as an afterthought when making bookings. “We get our housing setup months or years early, we make our plane reservation tickets early, but we wait until the last minute to get a rental car because it’s been so easy for so long,” he said.
Your safest bet is to turn that on its head. “Please don’t wait. Get out early, make your reservation early at the same time you’re making your other plans.”
Flexibility is also key. Travelers have gone to great lengths to navigate the depleted fleet, some even ditching traditional rental cars and instead renting U-Haul trucks to get around on their vacations.
On a recent trip, Scott himself struggled to find a reservation to his liking. “I did not like the available choices and the price tag, and so I simply went a different direction,” the ACRA spokesperson said. He opted to use Lime scooters to get around town for a portion of his trip.
If you’re struggling to find available vehicles at the airport, consider checking other in-town rental car pickup locations. It may be an added hassle, but the inconvenience could be the difference between whether or not you get a car at all.
Another tip: Don’t hesitate to check back in with rental car companies if you’re struggling to find a vehicle. The push to re-fleet means store locations are constantly getting new inventory and a sold-out store could see a replenished fleet at any point.
And if you’re not finding the perfect reservation but see something that could work, book it.
“You can make a reservation and then cancel it with no penalties most of the time,” Scott said. So secure the car while you know you can and have peace of mind while you try to find something better.
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