WASHINGTON — With so many flights being canceled this week, many are left to find alternative means to travel, such as taking a bus, train, or renting a car. But people in D.C. tell us renting a car hasn’t been as easy as you’d think.
Some travelers are claiming that not only is there a shortage of rental cars for stranded flyers - but they also say companies are spiking the price.
When Zack Eccleston learned his flight home from Atlanta to D.C. was canceled, he knew renting a car was the only way he’d make it back in time for work. But it wasn’t as easy as he’d hoped.
“Like, I just couldn’t find any cars and when I was looking at Hartsfield-Jackson, I just couldn’t find anything available," said Eccleston. "So I had to look more in the suburban areas to find any cars.”
Eccleston is one of many travelers who’ve had a tough time this week finding a car to rent after their flight was canceled.
“I had looked at maybe like 10 different stores to find something that might have something available and none of them did,” he said.
But when he finally found a ready rental, he was shocked to find he’d have to shell out more than $200 for the one-day trip.
“I’m used to seeing it for $90 a day,” Eccleston says.
We reached out to several rental companies for comment on complaints from travelers like Eccleston. Hertz, the only one to get back to us, said “...severe weather and widespread flight cancellations over the last week have led to increased demand for new bookings, reservation modifications and one-way rentals.”
But their response doesn’t mention increased prices.
“I don’t feel like it’s fair to me in that this is my only choice,” Eccleston said.
Leaving him frustrated with the travel industry as a whole.
“I’d say my frustration is sort of industry-wide," he said. "That there are these travel companies that can just kind of do whatever they want to and the people who are left to flounder when something fails are the ones who bare the brunt of it."