We are flying to Tampa for the first time and just wondered are all car hire companies on site. I would prefer pick up at the airport rather than offsite ?
Most of the car hire offices are located just across the street from arrivals, with the exception of National/Alamo. You have to catch a free shuttle bus for that, which we found to be a bit of hassle when we tried it a few years ago.
Last November we went with Avis and it was great - check in was quick and the car was in a large multi-story car park just behind the terminal. This was the same place we dropped it off at. I noticed there was a long line for Dollar as they're often used for fly-drive packages.
We have gone with Budget again as we want to drop off at Port canaveral while on Disney cruise. Then pick up another after the cruise with another tank of gas, which was free, same price with or without gold cover.
Have used Tampa twice. Avis is a doddle, a bit of a line but nothing too bad and the cars are right at the terminal.
Also used Alamo. OK, it is offsite but the 5 minute shuttle journey was no problem. Easy access from the rental lot to the Veterans Expressway/Memorial Highway.