Orlando International Airport to Hike Rental Car Fees

While Orlando may be practically synonymous with theme parks, it seems the Florida city holds another distinction as well.

It’s the world’s largest rental car market, per The Points Guy.

And as it turns out, many of those rental cars happen to be housed at Orlando International Airport (MCO), where they take up an inordinate share of the airport’s parking garages. (Additional rental car companies are located in garages across the street from the airport.)

Recently, the Greater Orlando Airport Authority (GOAA) suggested a solution to the space constraints posed by all the rental cars in the airport garages: The GOAA wants to create a consolidated $2.2 billion rental car facility.

According to an interview in Click Orlando with Angela Starke, GOAA's senior vice president of public affairs and community relations, the proposed new facility would open up thousands of spaces in the airport’s parking structures.

"The facility would instantly open up about 5,000 parking spaces in the existing A, B and C garages, where rental cars are currently housed," Starke said, per The Points Guy. The location of the facility would be the south end of the airport close to the existing Terminal C.

But here’s the catch. The plans for a new facility, which would open by 2032, spell higher prices for rental cars, starting practically immediately.

As of this coming November 1, the Customer Facility Charge (CFC) paid by many customers picking up rental vehicles at the Orlando airport would increase from $6 to $9 per day. The additional money would be used to cover the cost of the new facility.

Once that new price is rolled out, it will be the second highest in the country, per Click Orlando. Only San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a higher fee at  $10 per day.

When the new rental car facility is completed, customers will need to be shuttled there from the airport terminals. This will likely involve either bus or train transportation.

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