Car Hire at BNE - Dom vs. Int'l Terminal

[tuapekastar]

I believe there are separate Dom and Int terminals at BNE.

Just ran through a couple of dummy car hire bookings and the only location specification available was BNE (covering both terminals).

How do they determine at which terminal to have your car waiting (or are they close enough together to share a parking lot). I notice you can input your arriving flight number but unsure if their software is programmed to use that info to determine the terminal.

Also, AVIS has a promotion for a 'free' one-class upgrade, subject to car availability . Does this mean 'pot luck' when you turn up or can they say yea or nay at the time of booking? I'd be reluctant to purchase a service that may or may not be delivered.

I know I can (and if necessary will) put these questions to the car companies, but figured there's probably a lot of first-hand practical experience here.

And any suggestions on car hire at BNE would be welcomed (pick up Thu 20 evening, return Sun 23 midday, travelling to Gold Coast - small car only - normally just pick whichever of the majors is giving the better deal at the time)

Cheers

 

[serfty]

I believe there are separate Dom and Int terminals at BNE.

Just ran through a couple of dummy car hire bookings and the only location specification available was BNE (covering both terminals).

How do they determine at which terminal to have your car waiting (or are they close enough together to share a parking lot). I notice you can input your arriving flight number but unsure if their software is programmed to use that info to determine the terminal. ...

I have done this many times ex BNE for both Int and Domestic.

I asked this question of one once (Thrifty), and, indeed the Flight number is used. Not done with software, it's a manual process. Once it failed me someone stuffed up and I had to wait at the Int Car rental desk for ¼ hour while they brought my car down from dom.

 

[Mal]

Yep, they'll use the flight number and their knowledge of incoming flights to determine.

I dunno what happens if you make a booking and you don't specify a flight number. I presume they prepare a car and wait until you show and then move it to that terminal.

The two rental car sections are about 3 mins drive (~1Km) from each other.

 

[TonyD]

The two terminals are seperate. About 2km's apart.
There are seperate lots at each terminal. My understanding is that the flight number triggers the correct terminal.
Re upgrades - I have never missed one of these offers - so maybe the "STA" is at time of booking?? enjoy QLD!

 

[tuapekastar]

Thanks all - just ended up with Hertz, found I was spending too much time comparing for what may have been a very small saving.

 

[thadocta]

Also, AVIS has a promotion for a 'free' one-class upgrade, subject to car availability . Does this mean 'pot luck' when you turn up or can they say yea or nay at the time of booking? I'd be reluctant to purchase a service that may or may not be delivered.

Ummmmmm - call me thick here (shut up in the peanut gallery) but how is the non-provision of a "free" upgrade a non-delivery of a purchased service? If the upgrade is not available, you will get the class of car that you paid for, hence you get what you paid for. How does this amount to you purchasing a service that is not delivered?

Dave

 

[straitman]

Ummmmmm - call me thick here (shut up in the peanut gallery) but how is the non-provision of a "free" upgrade a non-delivery of a purchased service? If the upgrade is not available, you will get the class of car that you paid for, hence you get what you paid for. How does this amount to you purchasing a service that is not delivered?

Dave

Dave,

I agree entirely.
The 'free upgrade,' subject to availability is just what it says and only what it says. ie you will be given an upgrade IF one is available. IF it is not available, you simply can't have it as it's not there to have :!:

Clear as mud to me.

 

[tuapekastar]

Ummmmmm - call me thick here (shut up in the peanut gallery) but how is the non-provision of a "free" upgrade a non-delivery of a purchased service? If the upgrade is not available, you will get the class of car that you paid for, hence you get what you paid for. How does this amount to you purchasing a service that is not delivered?

Dave

A lot of semantics going on here, and what you say is reasonable (I'll upgrade it to 'true', subject to availability)

My point (however poorly worded) is that the 'headline' is free upgrade, the reality is 'maybe'. I picked up on the 'maybe' which is why I queried it here. Are people prepared to take the chance on getting an upgrade with one company rather than paying a few bucks more and having a guaranteed car type with another?

In the end, I reserved a 'Camry or similar' with Hertz, and for reasons best known to them, got a Fairlane...

 

[straitman]

The man's a winner. Congratulations :!:

 

[wallacej]

And while we are on the topic of Thrifty, our company uses this rental firm, and because I never have to pay the bill I rarely see the booking or the invoice. Hoever, I did see the other day that the car I was picking up at BNE dom had a Premium Location surcharge... I think it was about $28... anyone else seen this, I mean where else are you supposed to pick it up from? The city? It just doesnt make sense, I am sure most of their rentals are from the airport...

 

[Evan]

Common for lots of rental companies and lots of airports but not all.
And sometimes its a higher daily rate.
Yep, it sux, but i guess it is a direct result of costs at airport locations.
E

 

[thadocta]

And while we are on the topic of Thrifty, our company uses this rental firm, and because I never have to pay the bill I rarely see the booking or the invoice. Hoever, I did see the other day that the car I was picking up at BNE dom had a Premium Location surcharge... I think it was about $28... anyone else seen this, I mean where else are you supposed to pick it up from? The city? It just doesnt make sense, I am sure most of their rentals are from the airport...

It is the airports which impose this charge, Thrifty are just passing it on.

Dave

 

[futaris]

The premium location surcharge is a certain %age of the daily rate. Note that at some airports, there is a free airport shuttle (provided by the rental firm) to an off-site airport rental place, that doesn't have the surcharge.

 

[Groundfeeder]

Given the BAC's intense objective to recoup fees/expenditure anywhere near BNE airport, you're lucky they don't have the meter running while the free shuttle is waiting.

Straying OT a bit, I'm somewhat surprised they weren't out busting stationary cars stranded on Airport Drive and backed up from the INT terminal to the Gateway due to the CLEVER introduction of traffic lights on the Gateway Roundabout last week:evil: .

 

[Mal]

It is the airports which impose this charge, Thrifty are just passing it on.

Thrifty *Choose* to pass it on. No different to the other rental firms at Brisbane and other Airports around Australia.

When I shop at Coles in the CBD of Brisbane, do I see a "CBD" surcharge due to their rent? No. Does Maccas charge extra for a Big Mac because I buy it in the Brisbane Mall rather than other restaurants outside of the Brisbane CBD? Still no.

Everyone and anyone involved with travel seems to think that because businesses pay big $ to ship their staff around that people aren't aware of the various cons that are in place and that they'll accept them willy nilly.

 

[thadocta]

Thrifty *Choose* to pass it on. No different to the other rental firms at Brisbane and other Airports around Australia.

When I shop at Coles in the CBD of Brisbane, do I see a "CBD" surcharge due to their rent? No. Does Maccas charge extra for a Big Mac because I buy it in the Brisbane Mall rather than other restaurants outside of the Brisbane CBD? Still no.

Everyone and anyone involved with travel seems to think that because businesses pay big $ to ship their staff around that people aren't aware of the various cons that are in place and that they'll accept them willy nilly.

Things at airports are ALWAYS more expensive - I don't like it, but I don't like the fuel fines that QF charge either. Can I change it? No I can't, so I just have to suffer through it.

I had a Red Rooster Chicken & Chips at SYD T2 a few weeks ago, cost me about $2.50 more than an identical item at the Red Rooster just around the corner from where I am posting now - due in no small part to the extortionate rents that SACL charge. The only difference is that Red Rooster are passing it off in the cost price rather than by way of an "airport surcharge" - at least with Thrifty you know who it is who is gouging you, namely BACL in this case.

Dave

 

[serfty]

It's the hire car companies who choose to charge in Oz; maybe Airport rents are high so they offset the cost with this 'surcharge'. Most rental car companies do it.

Interestingly; much of my Oz car hire is at a flat corporate rate. No surcharges (including "premium location", "Registration Recovery :shock: "), includes delivery to hotel, unlimited Kms (including NT rentals) etc. .

I get a commodore/falcon/magna type car for ~$49 Nett per 24Hours.

This includes rentals from major airports.

 

[thadocta]

It's the hire car companies who choose to charge in Oz; maybe Airport rents are high so they offset the cost with this 'surcharge'. Most rental car companies do it.

Interestingly; much of my Oz car hire is at a flat corporate rate. No surcharges (including "premium location", "Registration Recovery :shock: "), includes delivery to hotel, unlimited Kms (including NT rentals) etc. .

I get a commodore/falcon/magna type car for ~$49 Nett per 24Hours.

This includes rentals from major airports.

SACL (as an example, I doubt that they would be the only airport to do so) charge ALL transport providers a fee for accessing the airport, whether they be buses, taxis or whatever (even CityRail pays a fee to SACL for every train which stops at airport stations, or so the Minister of Transport stated a few years back when responding to MacBank commercialism). SACL charges all rental companies a fee for every car rented from airport locations. Some choose to pass it on, some don't.

Dave