have rental car - drop luggage before returning car?

[TravelinGal]

So I don't know why we've never done/thought about this before, but wouldn't it make more sense if we drive up to the passenger drop off and do curbside check in for our bags and THEN return the car? We'll probably have quite a bit on this trip (along with the stroller and car seat and... you get the drift) and it would be a lot easier if we didn't have to haul it from the car return to the terminal to check it all. (YAY for SW still allowing FREE checked bags!)

Is it tricky to get back around to drop off the (on site) rental car if we do that?

Would you leave everyone else at the terminal and just have the driver return the car?

 

[DonnaL]

This is what we do when all of us are traveling (DH, myself, three adult kids, and one grandson). It just makes a lot more sense to drop all those bags at curbside. Everyone but DH (or sometimes we've had two cars and the two drivers will just go and do the return) usually stays with the bags and he just drives around to take the car back and meets us inside the terminal.......we sort of just hang around in front of the TSA security area and wait for him. It takes maybe 15 minutes by the time he follows the signage back to rental car return and gets back to the terminal.

 

[laughinplace199]

We used to do that, but now we use the luggage check-in at the resort. We still have the carry-on bags, car seat, and stroller to deal with, but it's not too bad.

 

[Brian Noble]

Depends on your situation. We're pretty mobile even with our luggage, because all of it rolls. If you're renting from one of the six in-terminal agencies, and you have very "portable" luggage, it's probably simpler to just return the car and head up to check in, rather than drop off and loop around the airport.

 

[prncess674]

You will not be able to leave the car parked at curbside while you check in, even at curbside. That zone is for immediate loading and unloading. Let's say you are 2 adults and 2 children. 1 Adult, 2 children and all checked bags could be dropped off at ticketing level. 1st adult would then need to either wait for Adult #2 to return or could check in bags for the number of people present with tickets. Assuming two kids have their own ticket then Adult #1 could check 6 bags on SWA, otherwise she would need to wait Adult #2 to be able to check all the bags.