Things to know about TPA’s Rental Car Center

There’s a lot to love about Tampa International Airport’s Rental Car Center, which opened to the public on Valentine’s Day 2018.

The new facility consolidated on-airport rental car companies and their fleet of vehicles in one location, freeing parking space in our public garages and creating a convenient experience that’s just a short train ride from our Main Terminal.

Here’s a look at some of the features in our Rental Car Center, and how best to use them to make your visit as stress-free as possible.

A big addition to TPA

Our Rental Car Center is big – like 2.5 million square feet big. While the customer service counters for the 14 different rental car company brands at TPA are all spaced together side by side, the entire complex sits on a sprawling 55 acres. The garage complex has room to hold about 4,400 vehicles, with three floors for picking up and dropping off a vehicle and a fourth floor on top for rental vehicle storage. You may notice your rental car company parking your rental vehicle backward in spaces with the trunk open; that’s to help you load the vehicle you’re picking up without having to fumble with keys while toting your baggage. We also have Ride App Pick-up (Uber and Lyft) curbside at our SkyCenter One office building across the street, but please note your private vehicle is not permitted inside the Rental Car Center – it’s for rental vehicles only.  There is a convenient remote curbside outside adjacent to the Rental Car Center if you are dropping someone off or picking someone up.

Keeping cars on the road

When all those cars, trucks and SUVs are returned, they need to be cleaned and fueled for the next renter, so TPA’s Rental Car Center has a full suite of prep bays. The quick turnaround area  of the Rental Car Center has 28 car washes and 144 fuel dispensers with vacuums in the garage structure that allow vehicle service attendants to get those vehicles ready to go back on the road again. Some companies also have electric vehicle chargers for those types of vehicles. If a vehicle needs scheduled maintenance or further attention, there are four service centers adjacent to the complex with dedicated mechanics and technicians to keep things running smoothly.

Try our Remote Bag Check

One of the most unique features of our Rental Car Center is the Remote Bag Check, which allows travelers on certain participating airlines to tag and drop their bags and check-in for their flight (check with your airline about oversized items) without having to visit the ticket counter in the Main Terminal, cutting down on congestion and wait times. This special service takes your checked bags and loads them onto a van to be screened and sorted before heading to the aircraft. This service is available for passengers on American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest, Spirit and United. There is a cutoff time for this service: You need to check in at a minimum of 90 minutes before your flight, although that can stretch to two hours during the busiest travel periods.

Mind your SkyConnect etiquette

The SkyConnect train that links the Rental Car Center to the Economy Parking Garage and the Main Terminal stops right in front of the rental counters to drop off and pick up travelers. The station is designed so that arriving renters can exit the train on the rental car customer service counter side of the platform and head right to their rental car company, while departing renters who have dropped off their vehicles board on the opposite side. This is to keep the two sets of travelers from running into each other trying to get off or on the train. Also keep in mind that the train doors don’t work like elevators, and aren’t designed to be held open. This can lead to the train system shutting down for safety reasons.  Don’t worry, another train will be along in a couple of minutes.

Wheelchair assistance is available

If you require mobility assistance in the Rental Car Center, all you need to do is ask! Wheelchair service from your arriving flight to the Rental Car Center can be arranged through your airline. When you’re back to drop off your rental vehicle and need to get to the Main Terminal, call (813) 387-9797 and arrange to have wheelchair service to your airline’s ticket counter. Signs throughout the garage include the phone number and a location number. Give the representative your location number and a team member will arrive in a few minutes to assist you.