FlightCar

I made a reservation but saw it was a few miles off the airport. This wasn’t what I was looking for and called into their customer service line. It was answered quickly and my reservation was cancelled with no issues. Very proficient customer service. I can’t rate actually renting from them as this was my only contact.

If you are lending your car to flightcar, please read the below terms carefully. THEY DON“T COVER DAMAGES TO YOUR CAR WHICH ARE LESS THAN 3 INCH IN SIZE.
However, there are things we don’t cover.
As you know, every time you drive your car, things can happen. We call this wear and tear, and we don’t cover this.
Wear and tear occurs during normal use of the vehicle, and includes, but is not limited to: small dents, nicks, cracks, scratches, scuffs, or scrapes of 3 inches or less on the exterior and interior, as well as wear on brakes, suspension, and your engine and parts such as belts and hoses. In addition, we do not cover interior items such as speakers, buttons/​knobs/​levers/​switches, radios, door handles, window regulators, lock actuators, glove compartments, dashboards, cup holders, visors, sunshades, interior electrical components/​parts, or cigarette lighters. On the exterior, we do not cover items such as antennae, rims, curb rash on wheels, under front/​rear bumpers and rocker moldings, any curb rash to the protective shields beneath the vehicle, hubcaps, bulge in tire, or trunk latches, unless there is evidence of a collision.
There are also other things in life that can happen when travelling, like missing a flight or losing luggage. We do not cover these or any other consequential or emotional damages.
Additionally, if you receive notice that the visitor incurred a toll or violation you must report it to us within 30 days. We will not pay late fees resulting from later notification.

Also blogged a more detailed experience about this — can’t say it went too well but I like the concept. My main beef was the car I got was kinda beat up and I don’t feel should have been rented out. When you turned the steering wheel all the way it would make a scraping noise which didn’t make you feel too comfortable about it but it wasn’t something I noticed until I was out driving a bit.
I would like to keep trying FlightCar but this was my only opportunity so far…
Full review blog:

This is an update to a previous poor review of Flightcar. After the complaint, I was contacted by Ashlynd and she took care of the situation. Thank you Ashlynd!

Here’s my experience with Flightcar in short. I ordered a car in Texas for $ 105 for the weekend, I landed and the said they had changed their mind about renting a car to me, due to my driving record and denied the rental. They emailed me days before saying that they had my license info and everything was approved. To make up for the mistake, they said they would reserve a car for me and pay the difference with the other company. Yeah, that didn’t happen. Hertz charged my card $ 736.15 and now Flightcar will only reimburse me $ 383.13 and I’m on the hook for the rest. Dishonest company and lied to me about the reimbursement. Had I known it would be that much, I would have Ubered the whole way. Here’s my total bill that I got hit with and no, Flightcar will not cover it, they just said that’s what they can do. Funny, Hertz didn’t say anything about checking driving history when I picked up the RESERVATION FLIGHTCAR MADE FOR ME AND LEFT ME WITH A BILL 7 TIMES GREATER THAN THE ORIGINAL AMOUNT. Here’s the receipt:
… I attached the receipt that Hertz charged my card for an amount of $ 736.15. If FlightCar reimburses me $ 383.13, that still leaves the bill at $ 353.02, which is $ 248.02 more dollars then what FlightCar originally charged me. The car I had was a midsize car, the exact same size car I ordered from FlightCar. I didn’t upgrade the car or insurance in any way and it was Flightcar that made the reservations, so I’m not sure what the representative added on. I assume since my original reservation had no add-​ons, that the representative would have ordered the same thing. It was my understanding that Flightcar would charge me $ 105 and reimburse me the difference Hertz charged me, since it was the same car that was reserved by the representative of Flightcar. Had I known Hertz would charge me this much, I never would have rented the car. Furthermore, Flightcar approved my reservation and only withdrew when I called to pick the car up. I put FlightCar responsible for the mishap.
Here’s my original receipt after they charged me.
think renting a car with Flightcar is cheap, checkout the bill I received. Credit Card Number ************0705 Expiry Date ⁰¹⁄₁₇ Rental Rate $ 105.62 4 days @ $ 22.93 $ 91.72 4 hours @ $ 3.47 $ 13.88 Sub Total $ 105.62 Free Mileage 400 mi Total Charges $ 105.62 USD This is what they charged my card, then after denying the rental to me, here’s the bill I am stuck with below.
… I went from $ 105 to $ 736.15 and they reimbursed me $ 383.13, but said they would not cover any additional amount. They screwed me over big time and I would not use or recommend this company.

***BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE*** I used FlightCar for the first time during my recent visit to Austin. Though I was aware of their peer-​to-​peer model, I wanted to give them a chance.
— On-​line booking was easy
— The car I received was OK, it was an older car, but it worked just fine
— There is a 100 mile a day limit — it’s not very clear, so keep a look out
— The pickup and return spot is slightly away from the airport
All of the above items were OK, but it is the $ 28 charge I received a few weeks after my trip that earns them a whopping 1 star (since 0 stars is not an option).
When I questioned the charge, I was told it was for a Toll Violation. I did not violate any tolls, infact the car was equipped with a TexTag that could not be removed. I did take a few toll roads which cost me $ 3 total. FlightCar then adds $ 25 as an «administrative fee» because I did not tell them I took a toll road. No where on their website do they state that YOU HAVE TO INFORM THEM IF YOU TOOK A TOLL ROAD. I was expecting my card to get charged for the tolls (just like any other rental car company does), but instead I see a $ 25 fee. Despite going back and forth with their support team, they are not willing to waive the administrative (scamming) fee. I also found their support staff to be very rude, especially with this reply:
«As stated on our website, „Renter is solely responsible for paying all tolls, and fines resulting from improperly paid tolls, incurred during the Rental.“ That means that you are responsible for notifying us of any tolls you went through. I have to ask, since you did notice there was a toll tag already on the vehicle, which cannot be removed, who exactly did you think would be paying these tolls if you did not notify our station that you went through them?»
First off, I don’t understand how the above statement implies that the renter has to tell FlightCar that they took a toll road. Secondly, you do not talk to a customer like that. Rude, rude, rude!
They are not up to par with other car rentals and have a loooooonnnngggg way to go. My opinion, save yourself time and trouble and go with a well reputed car rental company.

I should preface this review by saying two things: (1) why can’t I leave ZERO stars?, and (2) that I’ve just booked Flightcar for a second time in hopes they do not completely let me down like they did the first time.
First time experience was a booking at the end of July 2015. I was excited to try this service, primarily loving the idea of not having to pay parking fees upon my return home to Austin. With a 5:30 am flight, I made sure to check with Flightcar about the feasibility of getting me to the airport on time since they don’t open until 4am. They assured me it would be fine. With a seriously skeptical spouse at my side, we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express at exactly 4am… and waited 10 minutes with no one showing up. Called Flightcar 800# for customer service (because there’s no local number) and had a clueless and confused customer service agent on the other line. She couldn’t even find my name despite my having received an email confirmation from Flightcar and having my listing on the app. With no time to waste, we drove to a pay lot and were on our way to Seattle. My husband was gracious enough not to say «told you so». Got back and sent an email to Flightcar asking what the hell happened. I never even received a response! So why am I trying this again? Because I’m an optimist and really want this service to succeed. So I’m booked for October 8. A 6am flight and again will arrive when they’re supposed to open at 4am. Fingers crossed!

My first car rental experience. Was easy, affordable, accessible, and friendly.
They prefer a credit card for the deposit vs a debit-​credit card… which was the only slightly inconvenient part.
Still a good experience.

My wife and I recently rented a car from the Austin’s Flight car. The company is located in a Holiday Inn Express and this is your life-​line to get to and from the airport (two miles away). If this hotel’s shuttle isn’t running (midnight flight in Austin), flight car will tell you to take a cab and they’ll reimburse you.
Our overall experience was ‘good’. They provided an awesome car to drive, which would be cheaper than renting one from the airport. The only downsize is that they only have one employee on duty at the hotel. They may be out of the hotel cleaning a car, or doing something else. You’ll have to ask the hotel’s staff to call them up to help you. Also, the customer service is great!
So if you don’t like waiting, than flight car isn’t for you. If you don’t mind waiting, than the savings is worth it. Next time we’re in Austin, we would probably do this again.
Thanks

The concept of getting free parking, a tank a gas and a car wash enticed us to try Flightcar on our recent trip to NYC. Coupled with the fact that we could make money if our car was rented out, which it was.
All in all a fine experience. But there is room for improvement. They need more staff at busy times, a message I left at the Austin location (thru their 1 – 800 number) was never returned and there is no local number to call. Every call goes thru customer service (even pick up) in another state. And there is slow pick up at the airport which can be exacerbated by traffic. I can see during rush hour this location can be brutal to get to the airport in a timely manner. Even in their text to me that they were on their way, said it could take 30 mins. Not sure it’s worth it when I get home to wait for 30 mins just to get the shuttle and then go thru the pick up process which u will wait again as they need more staff.
I might do this again if my flight times are not during rush hour. But they need a location that much more convenient to the airport considering Austin traffic.

Very bad service for rentals! No showing respect, and always make the rental wait for a long time until they get to you. No helping with each side. Poor service! I hope things change in the near future.(To be honest, not all the staff, most of them)

I’ve rented my car out twice.
The people people are nice that work there.
They cleaned the car and washed it. The wash was decent (side windows were a little dirty) but overall better than when i left it and there was no damage so that in it self is a win!
I’ve never had any huge issues with them. I like using it if I’m only going somewhere for a few days.
10 cents a mile is pretty cheap. So If someone rented my car for a week and drove 500 miles. I don’t necessarliy feel that $ 50 is worth it. I guess that depends on your car.

It is nice to have your car waiting for you right when you get back especially if you live far from the airport and you don’t want to bother any one for a ride or pay for a lyft/​über.
Why only 3 stars???
Because:
Getting picked up from the airport has been slow both times. The first time I requested a ride and no one showed up for 20min so I had to request another one. Customer service sucks. When I called it took forever for someone to answer and they seemed like they did not have a clue really what was going on (It was also 1 am so this may have played a factor). Especially since it sends your call to someone in another city.
I’ll probably give it another try at some point.

I have heard great things from others who have used FlightCar and while I didn’t have an ideal experience the issue was resolved quickly and I was reimbursed and given a credit for future use. An awesome idea and excellent customer service.

Great car rental service, and a novel idea — I’ve used Flightcar in San Francisco, and was impressed with the level of service. This Flightcar service is nestled inside a Holiday Inn Express along a one-​way frontage road, so it’s not as eminently convenient as it could be. They also employ the hotel’s shuttle service to get you from the airport to the Flightcar rental lot, so there was more of a wait to retrieve my rental than I was expecting. Still, I would recommend Flightcar both to people who frequently leave their car in long-​term parking and for people who want a more eco-​friendly method of short-​term vehicle rental.