Lisbon Airport car hire – airport fee at off-site car rental companies in Portugal
Lisbon Airport car hire – compare rates on Cartrawler Portugal
Portuguese airport authority ANA Aeroportos de Portugal has tightened the requirements for the car rental companies operating at their major airports in Lisbon, Porto and Faro.
Until a short time ago, any car hire company was allowed to develop its activity at the airport, regardless of having office/rental station at the terminal, or not. From 1 April 2015 the off-site car hire companies are required to pay ANA a charge for each airport rental deal. This of course means a higher cost to the customer.
Lisbon, Porto and Faro airport car rental – airport fee not included in the price
From April 2015 onwards, all bookings from off-site car rental companies at Portuguese airports made via Cartrawler search engine are subjects to an additional airport charge in the amount of €15. The airport fee is not included in the price displayed by the search engine; the information about this charge is stated in ‘Rental conditions’, when applicable. Airport fee is paid locally, to the car rental supplier and applies only if the car is provided by an off-site car hire company.
ANA justified the decision of introducing the airport charge with the need to make a competition between on- and off-site car rental providers fairer and to regularize the activity of the latter at the airports. In exchange of the additional cost, the car rental companies operating at the airport will receive more visibility and a designated, signposted parking area.
Off-site airport car rental – popular in Portugal
Not having to face steep airport chargers for office space rental and airport licensing, the off-site rent-a-car companies often provide the cheapest car rental deals at the Portuguese airports. Depending on the provider, the cars are either delivered to the airport and all the formalities completed directly at the terminal or the customer is redirected to the car rental station.
The shuttle transfer to the car rental company’s office, usually in a short distance from the airport is, for many customers, only a small inconvenience, compared to the often significant savings on the cost of car hire. There is, in fact quite a high number of off-site car rental companies operating at the Portuguese airports. In the summer 2015, Lisbon Airport car hire is available from the following rent-a-car brands without offices in the terminal amongst: Bravacar, International Car, Multiauto, Interrent, Drive on Holidays, Cael, Go Rent and Mastercars.
Lisbon Airport on-site car rental companies – where to find them
Car rental customers who refer to pick up their rental car directly at the airport will find the following on-site car hire companies at Lisbon Airport: Avis Rent A Car, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Guerin/Enterprise and Goldcar. All rental desks are located in a dedicated area – the corridor leading from the public area of the arrivals hall to the P1 parking area.
From April 2015, Lisbon Airport car rental for the walk-in customers is available only from the above car hire companies, as one of the requirements imposed by ANA on the off-site providers is that they can only offer their services to customers who booked in advance.
No additional charge (airport fee) applies to bookings from Lisbon Airport on-site car rental companies (lease confirm in ‘Rental conditions’ when booking on Cartrawler).
