2012 "What's on National's Emerald Aisle?"

[joxer1014]

Ok my turn fellow board members. We arrived on June 27 around 230pm and both aisles, Exec and EC, had nothing but sedans. No vans, suvs or crossovers. Both sides had Impalas, Camrys, Chargers, and I think I saw one VW, a CC I believe. I walked the whole aisle. All the way to the exit booth and all sedans. No biggie for me. A bigger car would have just been a bonus but I took a Charger with Sirius radio, touch screen radio, AC controls and trip computer. Only had 3700 miles on it. Really nice car. HUGE trunk.

When I returned on July 3, I took a peek at the aisles again on my way to the terminal. This time I saw at least one van on the Exec side along with a couple of suvs, Jeeps I believe and some other larger cars. This was just in passing. One thing I did notice is that the mini van aisle had a bunch of crossovers parked there. Dodge Journey I believe.

Now I am not badmouthing the emerald aisles or National's way of distributing the cars but I expected to see the aisles to have the vans and suvs when I arrived in June and not when I returned the day before the 4th of July. I would expect the emeralds to be sedans only on the day before a busy holiday. But like I said it wasn't an issue for me, I was just a little surprised. In the past I was usually able to score a suv of some kind. One time I got a Suburban. I still love using National and having my Emerald Club priviliges.

 

[goodferry]

Same experience here, we arrived lateish on the 28th and returned around noon on the 3rd and all we saw were sedans, no minivans, no crossovers, no SUVs. We had a Nissan Altima, there were just two of us, so that was fine for us.

 

[gmeh1]

Ok my turn fellow board members. We arrived on June 27 around 230pm and both aisles, Exec and EC, had nothing but sedans. No vans, suvs or crossovers. Both sides had Impalas, Camrys, Chargers, and I think I saw one VW, a CC I believe. I walked the whole aisle. All the way to the exit booth and all sedans. No biggie for me. A bigger car would have just been a bonus but I took a Charger with Sirius radio, touch screen radio, AC controls and trip computer. Only had 3700 miles on it. Really nice car. HUGE trunk.

When I returned on July 3, I took a peek at the aisles again on my way to the terminal. This time I saw at least one van on the Exec side along with a couple of suvs, Jeeps I believe and some other larger cars. This was just in passing. One thing I did notice is that the mini van aisle had a bunch of crossovers parked there. Dodge Journey I believe.

Now I am not badmouthing the emerald aisles or National's way of distributing the cars but I expected to see the aisles to have the vans and suvs when I arrived in June and not when I returned the day before the 4th of July. I would expect the emeralds to be sedans only on the day before a busy holiday. But like I said it wasn't an issue for me, I was just a little surprised. In the past I was usually able to score a suv of some kind. One time I got a Suburban. I still love using National and having my Emerald Club priviliges.

I worked side B on the 3rd of July and we did not have anything other than sedans on either side of the aisle and we only had mini vans in the mini van row. We have not been putting mini vans or SUV's on the EA or EE for awhile now as it is vacation season and those vehicles are in high demand.

 

[gmeh1]

OK, I'm sure this is repetitive for those who follow this closely, but I'm unsure which way to go with our reservation.

2 adults, 2 small and 1 medium teen plus luggage

Do I risk a EA reservation? I'm pretty confidant we could fit into a full size(Impala?) car with our stuff. I'm a little nervous about if it would be possible in a midsize.

My luck I book a full size (or bigger) and there one sits on EA. Or I book EA and there are nothing but midsize and we can't fit all the luggage!

Help!!!

Tammy

I have yet to see a day when all we have on the EA are midsize cars. We generally have full size and a few midsize. We always seem to have Impalas and if you don't see on on the aisle, just ask the friendly greeter.

 

[gmeh1]

Ok my turn fellow board members. We arrived on June 27 around 230pm and both aisles, Exec and EC, had nothing but sedans. No vans, suvs or crossovers. Both sides had Impalas, Camrys, Chargers, and I think I saw one VW, a CC I believe. I walked the whole aisle. All the way to the exit booth and all sedans. No biggie for me. A bigger car would have just been a bonus but I took a Charger with Sirius radio, touch screen radio, AC controls and trip computer. Only had 3700 miles on it. Really nice car. HUGE trunk.

When I returned on July 3, I took a peek at the aisles again on my way to the terminal. This time I saw at least one van on the Exec side along with a couple of suvs, Jeeps I believe and some other larger cars. This was just in passing. One thing I did notice is that the mini van aisle had a bunch of crossovers parked there. Dodge Journey I believe.

Now I am not badmouthing the emerald aisles or National's way of distributing the cars but I expected to see the aisles to have the vans and suvs when I arrived in June and not when I returned the day before the 4th of July. I would expect the emeralds to be sedans only on the day before a busy holiday. But like I said it wasn't an issue for me, I was just a little surprised. In the past I was usually able to score a suv of some kind. One time I got a Suburban. I still love using National and having my Emerald Club priviliges.

Just one more thing. It is funny you should expect the EA to be busy on the day before a holiday, it was anything but. Keep in mind that Enterprise, National and Alamo all draw from the same pool of cars. Both Alamo and Enterprise were very busy on that day, but, not National.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Just one more thing. It is funny you should expect the EA to be busy on the day before a holiday, it was anything but. Keep in mind that Enterprise, National and Alamo all draw from the same pool of cars. Both Alamo and Enterprise were very busy on that day, but, not National.

Business travelers stayed home

 

[gmeh1]

Business travelers stayed home

Yes yes they did, it was a holiday for me.

 

[gmeh1]

I am overlooking the aisles on B side right now.
On the EA: Altima 2 door coupe, Kia, Altima 4 door, Impala LT, Malibu, Altima, Malibu, Malibu, Altima (all 4 doors, except for the coupe).
That is as far as I can see from the booth.
Exec.: Avalon, Avalon, Camaro, Avalon, 2013 Mustang, Impala LTZ, 2013 Mustang, Chrysler 200 Convert. Camaro, camaro.
That is as far as I can see from the booth.
NO MINI VANS and NO SUVs.
It is also very quiet on the National side. Can you tell I am bored?

 

[HayGan]

I am overlooking the aisles on B side right now.
On the EA: Altima 2 door coupe, Kia, Altima 4 door, Impala LT, Malibu, Altima, Malibu, Malibu, Altima (all 4 doors, except for the coupe).
That is as far as I can see from the booth.
Exec.: Avalon, Avalon, Camaro, Avalon, 2013 Mustang, Impala LTZ, 2013 Mustang, Chrysler 200 Convert. Camaro, camaro.
That is as far as I can see from the booth.
NO MINI VANS and NO SUVs.
It is also very quiet on the National side. Can you tell I am bored?

Thanks for the info! Hope the exec aisle looks that good when we arrive in Oct!

 

[tammydel]

I have yet to see a day when all we have on the EA are midsize cars. We generally have full size and a few midsize. We always seem to have Impalas and if you don't see on on the aisle, just ask the friendly greeter.

Thanks for the advice!
I realized that not knowing for sure what type of vehicle we would get was going to worry me too much. I would feel uncomfortable asking for the full size when I know I am only guaranteed the midsize.
After talking it over with my husband we decided just to book something we would be sure to be comfortable in. We booked the Standard SUV which gives the example of Jeep Grand Cherokee. I'm sure this will work.

Is that the only vehicle type in its class or are there others? Not worried anymore, just curious.....

Tammy

 

[gmeh1]

Thanks for the advice!
I realized that not knowing for sure what type of vehicle we would get was going to worry me too much. I would feel uncomfortable asking for the full size when I know I am only guaranteed the midsize.
After talking it over with my husband we decided just to book something we would be sure to be comfortable in. We booked the Standard SUV which gives the example of Jeep Grand Cherokee. I'm sure this will work.

Is that the only vehicle type in its class or are there others? Not worried anymore, just curious.....

Tammy

Standard SUV: Kia Sorrento, Ford Explorer or Edge, Dodge Journey, Nissan Murano, Mazda CX7 to name a few.

 

[gmeh1]

Thanks for the info! Hope the exec aisle looks that good when we arrive in Oct!

You are welcome. I hope it looks that good for you also, but, no guarantees.

 

[tammydel]

Standard SUV: Kia Sorrento, Ford Explorer or Edge, Dodge Journey, Nissan Murano, Mazda CX7 to name a few.

Awesome, now I can look at some pictures of each car online and not have to run down the aisle peeking at each backseat and trunk.

You've saved my family a little embarrassment!

We arrive Tuesday, landing at 11:30 am via Jetblue. Thanks again for your help!!!

Tammy

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Awesome, now I can look at some pictures of each car online and not have to run down the aisle peeking at each backseat and trunk.

You've saved my family a little embarrassment!

We arrive Tuesday, landing at 11:30 am via Jetblue. Thanks again for your help!!!

Tammy

Tammy,

There's no embarrassment in running up and down the aisles. I see grown men in thousand dollar suits doing it ALL the time... They RUN to the cars they want or RUN up and down the aisle to make sure they get their first choice.

It's actually much worse at other airports where you have to shuttle to the car locations. I swear in LA they FIGHT to get off the bus first and then would knock down thier own Grandmother to be the first to the aisle.

There's no reason anyone on here should be embarassed to examine the cars etc... it's part of the National experience

 

[HayGan]

Tammy,

There's no embarrassment in running up and down the aisles. I see grown men in thousand dollar suits doing it ALL the time... They RUN to the cars they want or RUN up and down the aisle to make sure they get their first choice.

It's actually much worse at other airports where you have to shuttle to the car locations. I swear in LA they FIGHT to get off the bus first and then would knock down thier own Grandmother to be the first to the aisle.

There's no reason anyone on here should be embarassed to examine the cars etc... it's part of the National experience

It is actually quite funny to watch how some business travelers act in the Emerald Aisle. There are very few cars I don't really want to get so I don't make the mad dash for the aisle when I travel.

 

[Bordassi]

Dear friends,

We will be arriving at JFK in about 2.5 weeks time; 2 adults and 3 minors (ages 6, 5, 1) after a long 12 hour transatlantic flight for a 2 week vacation in NY.

As an Executive member I decided to rely on the Exec car fleet, hoping to find something large enough to fit my family + luggage & stroller.

Having read some more posts, I am getting doubtful as to whether the exec aisle fleet will suffice. However, the difference between the midsize rate ($650 all inclusive for 2 weeks) and a minivan or standard SUV is significant (~$500 more).

We are arriving on a Thursday at 10pm. Does that increase our chances to find an SUV / Minivan among the exec aisle vehicles? I did post a similar question a while ago, but thinking perhaps at JFK I have better chances. Also, do I need a van/SUV??

I know - I probably shouldn't be so cheap and just reserve what I need, but with a total vacation cost of nearly $15K, I'm trying to cut cost wherever possible...

Please help me making the right decision..

Thanks a lot in advance for your help!

 

[HayGan]

Dear friends,

We will be arriving at JFK in about 2.5 weeks time; 2 adults and 3 minors (ages 6, 5, 1) after a long 12 hour transatlantic flight for a 2 week vacation in NY.

As an Executive member I decided to rely on the Exec car fleet, hoping to find something large enough to fit my family + luggage & stroller.

Having read some more posts, I am getting doubtful as to whether the exec aisle fleet will suffice. However, the difference between the midsize rate ($650 all inclusive for 2 weeks) and a minivan or standard SUV is significant (~$500 more).

We are arriving on a Thursday at 10pm. Does that increase our chances to find an SUV / Minivan among the exec aisle vehicles? I did post a similar question a while ago, but thinking perhaps at JFK I have better chances. Also, do I need a van/SUV??

I know - I probably shouldn't be so cheap and just reserve what I need, but with a total vacation cost of nearly $15K, I'm trying to cut cost wherever possible...

Please help me making the right decision..

Thanks a lot in advance for your help!

Given the ages of your children you will almost certainly need an SUV or minivan to accomate their three car seats (I'm assuming you have at least booster seats for the 2 older ones as they still should be in one.)

Also, the vehicles found on any Exec aisle can really vary at any airport. I would never count on there being a SUV or minivan available. (For instance, on my recent trips to Newark, only sedans have been available.) I would really go ahead and book the size you need. Check out Mousesavers.com's rental car section for codes that can be used for different rental car companies.

Also, I know when you are a loyal member of a rental car company that is hard to even consider renting from someone else. You may want to consider checking out the rates of other companies such as Alamo or Enterprise (Enterprise can earn you points on Emerald Club as well sometimes) to see if you can get a better rate to keep your costs down.

 

[Bordassi]

Given the ages of your children you will almost certainly need an SUV or minivan to accomate their three car seats (I'm assuming you have at least booster seats for the 2 older ones as they still should be in one.)

Also, the vehicles found on any Exec aisle can really vary at any airport. I would never count on there being a SUV or minivan available. (For instance, on my recent trips to Newark, only sedans have been available.) I would really go ahead and book the size you need. Check out Mousesavers.com's rental car section for codes that can be used for different rental car companies.

Also, I know when you are a loyal member of a rental car company that is hard to even consider renting from someone else. You may want to consider checking out the rates of other companies such as Alamo or Enterprise (Enterprise can earn you points on Emerald Club as well sometimes) to see if you can get a better rate to keep your costs down.

I appreciate your response. I'll check on mousesavers.

 

[gmeh1]

It is actually quite funny to watch how some business travelers act in the Emerald Aisle. There are very few cars I don't really want to get so I don't make the mad dash for the aisle when I travel.

It is funny to watch, for sure, however, the "funny" goes away when you have to deal with some of them. Rude and nasty is not fun.

 

[gmeh1]

Awesome, now I can look at some pictures of each car online and not have to run down the aisle peeking at each backseat and trunk.

You've saved my family a little embarrassment!

We arrive Tuesday, landing at 11:30 am via Jetblue. Thanks again for your help!!!

Tammy

You are most welcome.
I would not feel embarrassed at all. I recently had one woman who literally sniffed every single car on both the EA and Exec. aisle.
The business travelers are in such a hurry they (some) cannot respond to a "Hi, how are you" from the greeters, they block a car with their bags and then proceed to check out all the vehicles,some apparently think they are the only people on the aisle, or they ask for something they can clearly see is not there(IE: a BMW). Just take your time and if you want to peek in every trunk and backseat, go for it. If you don't see what you want, ask the greeter and they will try to find what you want (no guarantees).