2005 Study Rates Airports in Terms of Sticker Shock and Compares Taxes When Renting Cars On-Airport Vs. Locally
SOUTHLAKE, Texas, Mar 29, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) — After first revealing major discrepancies from total versus quoted
rental car prices in 2003, an updated Travelocity study examining
added rental car taxes (which, for the purposes of the study, include
government imposed fees such as facility charges, stadium initiatives,
etc.) has discovered that sticker shock on the whole has slightly
worsened and that consumers can save on the amount of extra taxes they
pay by renting at a local outlet rather than at the airport.
The new study from Travelocity(R) shows that the average taxes
added to base rates for car rentals at major U.S. airports has
increased from 24.4 percent in 2003 to 25.8 percent in 2005. These
added taxes are imposed by local and state governments and are aimed
at drawing income from travelers in order to fund local projects.
Travelocity’s 2005 research findings also showed such taxes to be
dramatically lower at neighborhood car rental locations than airport
locations, averaging only 14.1 percent of the final cost.
“Consumers want as few surprises as possible when they are on the
road with a fixed budget,” said Tracey Weber, senior vice president of
air, car and last minute deals for Travelocity. “Therefore, it’s
important that travelers research the price of the rental inclusive of
all taxes using services like our award-winning TotalPrice(SM) for
Cars which Travelocity first introduced in 2002. By exploring all of
their options consumers may find a significant difference between
airport and neighborhood car rental rates and taxes.”
Among the study’s key findings:
Texas Still Tops at Airports; California, New York Lower: Texas
still leads the nation in terms of sticker shock, having four of the
top 10 airports with the largest difference between base rate and
total price. The average taxes at top Texas airports decreased from
the 2003 findings, from 51.7 percent to 47.1 percent. Houston’s Bush
Intercontinental continues to lead not only Texas, but the nation
overall in airport taxes, adding 66.1 percent to the base rate of the
rental car, but lower than 2003, where taxes averaged 71.7 percent.
Because California and New York include such taxes in the daily rates,
cities in those two states were prominent throughout the top 10 list
of airports with the least sticker shock. At Orange County airport,
add-ons equaled 7.7 percent, which was the lowest among the top 100
airports.
10 Airports in 2005 with Largest Jump in Price Between Daily Base Rate and the Total Amount Due at Airport Locations (averages include the top 100 U.S. airports): Airport Percentage Jump in Price 1. Houston George Bush Intercontinental 66.1% 2. Dallas/Fort Worth International 61.4% 3. Phoenix 52.3% 4. Austin Bergstrom 49.9% 5. Kansas City 45.4% 6. San Antonio 42.4% 7. Baltimore/Washington International 41.0% 8. Tulsa 40.3% 9. Cleveland 39.0% 10. Albuquerque 38.9% 10 Airports in 2005 with Lowest Jump in Price Between Daily Base Rate and the Total Amount Due at Airport Locations (averages include the top 100 U.S. airports): Airport Percentage Jump in Price 1. Orange County 7.7% 2. Palm Springs 7.8% 3. Sacramento 7.8% 4. Fresno 7.9% 5. Burbank/Glendale/Pasadena 8.2% 6. Long Beach 8.3% 7. Los Angeles (LAX) 8.3% 8. Albany 13.2% 9. Buffalo/Niagara 13.3% 10. Syracuse 13.4%
Neighborhood Rental Locations Offer More Clarity: Neighborhood
rental locations are the fastest growing segment in the rental car
industry leaving consumers with several more options to choose from
when renting. In addition to the convenience of accessing a
neighborhood location close to home or work, taxes at neighborhood
locations were usually lower than or equal to airport locations
nationwide. Travelocity’s findings show Honolulu as the only city
where neighborhood taxes are considerably higher — 12.8 percent —
versus taxes at airport locations.
10 Cities with Highest Jump in Price Between Daily Base Rate and Total Amount Due at Neighborhood Locations (cities were from top 100 US airports): City Percentage Jump in Price 1. Minneapolis 30.1% 2. Honolulu 30.1% 3. San Antonio 29.5% 4. Austin 28.6% 5. Houston 27.5% 6. Seattle 26.6% 7. Phoenix 26.5% 8. Reno/Tahoe 25.6% 9. El Paso 24.7% 10. Ft. Lauderdale 24.4% 10 Cities with Lowest Jump in Price Between Daily Base Rate and Total Amount Due at Neighborhood Locations (cities were from top 100 US airports): City Percentage Jump in Price 1. Boise, Idaho 4.7% 2. Kahului - Maui 4.9% 3. Burlington, Vt. 6.8% 4. Birmingham, Ala. 7.2% 5. Santa Ana, Calif. (Orange County) 7.4% 6. St. Louis (Lambert) 7.5% 7. Palm Springs, Calif. 7.8% 8. Sacramento, Calif. 7.8% 9. San Diego, Calif. 7.8% 10. Dayton, Ohio 7.9%
“Rental car taxes can change considerably from city to city,” said
Amy Ziff, Travelocity’s editor-at-large. “Whether traveling for
business or pleasure, smart travelers will research rates with all of
the taxes and government fees presented upfront using services like
TotalPrice for Car before making a reservation.”
Greatest Difference in Taxes at Airports vs. Neighborhood
Locations: The 2005 study discovered that taxes, on the whole, are
lower at neighborhood locations. In Dallas/Fort Worth for instance,
consumers can save 44.3 percent on taxes by renting at a neighborhood
car rental location. Because of the higher taxes charged at airports,
six of Travelocity’s top 10 airports with discrepancies between the
quoted and total price also had the largest difference in taxes at
airports versus neighborhood locations.
10 Cities with Largest Difference in Daily Base Rate and Total Price at Airport Vs. Neighborhood Locations (averages include the top 100 U.S. airports): Airport Percentage Difference 1. Dallas/Fort Worth 44.3% (61.4% vs. 17.1%) 2. Houston (Bush Intercontinental) 38.6% (66.1% vs. 27.5%) 3. Kansas City 36.1% (45.4% vs. 9.3%) 4. Cleveland 30.3% (39.0% vs. 8.7%) 5. Dayton 27.9% (35.8% vs. 7.9%) 6. Phoenix 25.8% (52.3% vs. 26.5%) 7. Tulsa 24.8% (40.3% vs. 15.5%) 8. Jackson, Miss. 24.2% (35.2% vs. 11.0%) 9. Richmond, Va. 23.4% (34.1% vs. 10.7%) 10. St. Louis (Lambert) 21.8% (29.3% vs. 7.5%)
Travelocity expanded its neighborhood rental options last year,
providing car rental shoppers with more than 20,000 airport and
neighborhood locations across the world. It also guarantees that the
total price quoted is within one percent of the price given during the
booking process, otherwise, it will pay the difference back to the
consumer.
A complete analysis of Travelocity’s findings at each of the 100
airports researched can be found at
www.travelocity.com/rentalcarstudy.
About the Travelocity Car Rate Study
The Travelocity study was fielded in December 2004. Three
lowest-priced, full-size cars and three lowest-priced, compact cars
for a three-day period (April 7-10, 2005) were priced at all airports
and nearby neighborhood rental car locations. A comparison was made to
determine a weighted average difference. The airport list was taken
from the top 100 airports in the United States in terms of passengers,
according to Airports Council International.
About Travelocity
Travelocity’s industry-leading technology and straight-talking,
honest information help travelers take more rewarding and affordable
trips. With millions of registered users and booking $4.9 billion of
travel in 2004, Travelocity(R) negotiates thousands of low-priced
deals with the world’s most reputable travel providers — top
airlines, hotels, car rental companies, cruise lines, and other
destination attractions and services. Additionally, Travelocity offers
deeply-discounted rates for weekend getaways and dynamic packages
through its Last Minute Deals and TotalTrip(SM) shopping engines, and
provides customer service support over the phone 24 hours a day. Based
in Southlake, Texas, Travelocity also operates Travelocity
Business(SM) for corporate customers, powers international travel Web
sites in eight languages, and has been recognized for its consumer
advocacy and global leadership in online travel. More information
about Travelocity is available at www.travelocity.com. Travelocity is
owned by Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG), a world leader in
travel commerce. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at
www.sabre-holdings.com.
SOURCE: Travelocity
Vollmer Public Relations
Judy Haveson, 212-554-7425
judy@vollmerpr.com
or
Chintan Talati, 972-488-4790
chintan@vollmerpr.com