HIDDEN FEE
Airport location surcharge
Premium location feeAirport surcharge
Picking up a hire car at an airport branch often costs more than the same car from a branch a short distance away, partly reflecting airport concession fees. The convenience can be worth it, but the premium is real and usually not separated out in the headline price.
Where it applies
How to avoid or shrink it
- Compare an airport pick-up against a nearby town branch reachable by a short transfer.
- Weigh the surcharge against the time and transfer cost of going off-airport.
- For short hires the surcharge can outweigh the saving; for longer ones the off-airport branch often wins.
THE HONEST CAVEAT
Off-airport is not always cheaper once you add a taxi and the hassle — the point is to check, not to assume the airport desk is a rip-off.
Count it in your true total
Run a specific booking through the calculator and this fee is counted — sourced, dated and confidence-graded alongside everything else the headline price leaves out.
Back to the full fee glossary, or browse the Hidden-Fee Index.