Car rental MCO to BUF?

[riu girl]

Does anyone know of a car rental agency that will allow me to pick up at MCO and drop off in BUF ??

Please advise.

Suzy V.

 

[Kitster]

You are asking about pick-up in Orlando and drop-off in Buffalo, NY, right ? None that I know of that won't charge a hefty 1 way rental fee. It would probably be cheaper to fly.

 

[riu girl]

It will be for four people and we will be leaving MCO on Dec. 31 (flights are so expensive for that day, so that was why I was looking into a car rental). This is only a back up plan, I do in fact have air tickets for the 31st to get back to BUF but I am worried that the airline will no longer be flying on that date and I will need to get my family home.

Do you have any idea of any rental agency who would allow me to pre-book a rental (MCO-BUF) and then cancel at the last minute if my flight plans do work out? Do you have any idea how much the drop off fee would be?????

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Suzy V.

 

[Kitster]

I checked a 2-day rental using NAtional, booked 12/31 - 1/2, standard size car (assuming you are driving ~1/2 way and overnighting somewhere in the VA/TN area). They are quoting a rate of $124.20 per day, using the Priceless Vacations code (6600330). Total, including taxes and 10% discount, is $266.93. They seem to have incorporated the drop-off fee into the rental rate, because the same rental with pick-up & drop-off at MCO is $ 76.24, so it's not a bad as I thought.

What airline do you have tickets with and why do you fear that they will not be flying this New Years?

 

[riu girl]

I am flying with Independence Air (BUF-MCO) return in December. I booked the flight without knowing anything about the airline. I then started researching the airline and discovered that they are having BIG financial difficulties.

I am worried that by some remote chance, they won't be flying by the end of Dec. I am worried that I will get the flight out of BUF and get stranded in MCO.

This happened to a good friend of mine in Ontario when Canada 3000 suddenly stopped flying one day. Her husband was at that time a Canada 3000 pilot and even he had no clue. She was stranded 2000 km's from home. She had young kids with her and I guess the whole experience was a nightmare.

I will also be travelling with young kids also and am just trying to have a back up plan, just in case.

Does this make any sense to you???

Any more tips/suggesitons would be greatly appreciated.

Suzy V.

 

[PlutoPony]

We get quite a bit of local coverage on them here in the Washington Post Business section (since they're essentially based at Dulles). Right now they're talking potential bankruptcy filing in January, and also cutting some flights at that point. I'd be surprised to see them cease operations during the busiest part of their year, when their load factors should be quite good. I have tickets on them for December (but not to MCO ) and am not concerned.
Given how many airlines are now in bankruptcy or will likely enter in the next few months, it's obvious that the airline industry is going to lose some carriers. Don't know who I'd bet on long term at this point....

 

[CarolA]

Suzy.

BREATH! You are working yourself into a panic over a situation you can do nothing about.

If it happens deal with it, there is no sense borrowing trouble. If you really want to hold a car just call National or someone and put one on reserve. (Warning! It will be expensive since most codes/discounts don't work for one way travel)

Also, the advice given on here is fairly good. I think you are safe with Independence until at least January and probably beyond. (NOTE: ATA went bankrupt this week, but the planes are still in the air!)

 

[kap10]

If you do end up driving home, I suggest you rent a car just for the drive home.

When we were not able to fly home (due to the hurricane), we ended up turning in the rental car we had for a week and then booking another car for the drive back home. (They actually let us keep the car we had once we got to the National counter at MCO -- they just changed the paperwork to reflect a new rental.) We saved about $350 doing it that way. National, at least, charges the one-way rate for the entire time you have the car. If we turned the car in that we had for the week (at $25 per day) and took a new one-way reservation, we paid $70 per day for the time to drive home.