I note you are not interested in price, but I would like to share with you that in dealing with this problem recently, I saved $175 by picking up a car at the Thrifty office located three miles from the Fort Lauderdale Airport but returning it to FLL.

The reservation is for 15 days. I used promotion code 5SE1M. The total cost for a Ford Fusion, with all fees, is $481.34 vs. $655.05 picking up and returning to FLL.

HTtY

THANK YOU!!!! I didn't mean to imply that I wasn't interested in the price (actually I am quite the tightwad), but sometimes I found you get what you pay for, you know? And I didn't realize I could pick up outside the airport, and then return AT the airport. That's a great idea. Thanks again.

In terms of airports, you will find that FLL is a LOT easier to deal with than MIA.

I second the above, FLL is MUCH easier than MIA for car rentals. Not matter how I try, I can get out of the MIA car rental area, but getting back to return the car is a maze. Do FLL if you can.

Thank you guys, this is a tremendous help.

I can get a better deal for MIA. If I fly into MIA I can get a non-stop flite going in. Is it really that bad at MIA re getting car back to them? I know what you mean about mazes at an airport, but should this be all that important in the decision making?

MIA is certainly doable, just allow extra time in case you miss a turn on the way back. If you're already at the Miami airport, then there's no sense to pay more to go to Ft. Lauderdale. FLL would be my first choice if cost was not involved.

LOok, if you can get a better deal for MIA then why are you asking about FLL?

Is it really that bad at MIA

Millions have solved the problem before you. If they can handle it, you can probably handle it too.

I didn't find MIA on this list of the 10 worst US Airports:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-and-worst-airports/13

If you can get a better deal for MIA then why are you asking about FLL?

I was wondering the same thing. Non-stop flight trumps airport for me most any day.

HTtY

Thanks to all for their helpful replies.

To answer what I consider the rather snarky comments/questions above:
**If you can get a better deal for MIA then why are you asking about FLL? I was not sure if there was a huge difference in price for car rental at FLL vs Miami that would negate any savings on the flite. And I thought before I spent hours investigating that, someone here could help out--like you did HTty. And if the car rental issue (yes I realize there are 16 agencies) at Miami had truly bad reputations, I thought that should factor in also.

**Millions have solved the problem before you. If they can handle it, you can probably handle it too:
Maybe one of these days you will be old and unsure and tired and wonder about what is the most easily doable thing. I've made plans and traveled all over the world without using travel agents, but this past year has just been a hard one for me and I've lost some of my mojo.

So, I apologize for asking what apparently to most of you "veterans" were questions with obvious answers.

Thanks, grazygrl, for reminding me that you never know when you're going be berated here for making a logical statement.

You were concerned about dealing with MIA, and I simply observed that if millions of others have done it you "probably" can too and I provided evidence that MIA isn't the worst airport in the US.

Maybe one of these days you will be old

I am old. Probably older than you are. If I ever become feeble, I'll have somebody wheel me around airports.

HTtY

Miami used to be a nightmare for car rentals -- long waits for the shuttle buses, much traffic, horrible lines at the facilities, and a nearly impossible maze of possible or impossible turns to find your way out of the airport area. But last I knew they were building an entire new car rental facility at MIA much like the wonderful one at FLL.

Does anyone know if that facility is indeed open and it is now much easier to rent a car in Miami? I've avoided flying in or out of Miami for about a year now, so I'm unsure what the facilities are like now -- and I suspect other posters may be judging based on old experiences as well.

But that said, if I had a choice between flying in and out of FLL or MIA, I'd give FLL the edge by at least 2 to 1.

Ah, I found it. Looks like it's been even longer than I thought since I've rented a car at MIA:

http://www.miami-airport.com/cip_rcc.asp

<<I didn't find MIA on this list of the 10 worst US Airports:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-best-and-worst-airports/13>>

That's because the criteria are equally weighted and a bit stupid. Wifi availability (amenities) and long check-ins get equal treatment and MIA has both. Get a hotspot to carry with you or a 4g tablet or phone and suddenly that check-in line sucks worse (as does passing through customs in Miami at any time, a criterion not listed on that survey).

That said, though, the listing of LGA as #1 on the worst list is somewhere between dead-on and no-brainer.

Big Russ, I'm confused. Is there an airport in the US that doesn't have wifi? How can wifi as an amenity mean anything since all airports have it. Miami charges for theirs just like many airports. I much prefer those that have FREE wifi.

But let me arrive in NYC at LGA any day over arriving for Florida at MIA!

If I can summarize to ensure I understand the key variables:

1) You are really heading to Key Largo
2) You can get a nonstop to MIA, but have to connect to FLL
3) Pricing for the flights is similar

If I have the above 3 things correct, then going with MIA would likely save at least 2 to 3 hours of time (saved connection + less driving). In that case, I would say it is a no-brainer and you should go with MIA. Fort Lauderdale is maybe a bit easier, but not by that much and certainly not enough to take the extra connection + the longer drive.

As for "better" rental car companies, all I can say is that I pretty much refuse to rent from anyone other than Hertz or Avis. It just isn't worth saving a couple of bucks to me to sacrifice what I find to be better cars, service, and convenience.

As for "better" rental car companies, all I can say is that I pretty much refuse to rent from anyone other than Hertz or Avis.</>

If you give Thrifty and Dollar a try, you will save money and you may change your mind. There is a reason Hertz bought these companies: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=298&articleid=20121119_298_0_HertzG397502

HTtY

If you give Thrifty and Dollar a try, you will save money and you may change your mind.

I've rented from Thrify before. No thank you. Maybe if the savings were incredibly substantial, but otherwise, no. This goes double for the busy locations like Miami.

travelgourmet, I think you are wrong about the idea of "connecting" to FLL. I assumed the option was open to fly into either airport for about the same price. In my mind, I'm pretty sure it is not even possible to fly from MIA to FLL!

Regarding which agency, I'm always amused when people prefer one company over another. In renting a couple hundred cars over the years, I'm convinced it's simply the luck of the draw which one will be more orgainized or less busy at any given airport. Recently I rented (via Priceline) from Hertz at Ft. Myers. Because it was Priceline I wasn't able to step into the quick line (I tried), and the lines were four times longer at Hertz than any other counter with fewer agents! It took a long time to get my car. Then just a few weeks later I got Budget (again via Priceline). Although this time the lines were HUGE at Budget but not anywhere else, they allowed me to go through the Fastrack Lane (even though my number wasn't on my Priceline voucher). But the point remains that those two times there was no winner on which would be faster or have shorter lines or better service. Period.

travelgourmet, I think you are wrong about the idea of "connecting" to FLL.

I was going off of this statement from the OP. I assumed that this meant FLL did not have a non-stop flight available from the OP's departure city but that MIA did.

If I fly into MIA I can get a non-stop flite going in.


In renting a couple hundred cars over the years, I'm convinced it's simply the luck of the draw which one will be more orgainized or less busy at any given airport.

I find that being a Hertz Gold or Avis Preferred member eliminates any luck of the draw. It doesn't get much easier than looking at the sign, seeing your name, and walking to your car.

NeoP - Don't ask me, I'm just quoting what seemed to be an important factor in that T&L rating of the best and worst airports in the US that HT2U linked. And MIA was 10th best in that survey. Seriously. IAH was one of the worst, but I'd take going through customs and transferring between flights there (and finding a decent place to eat) over MIA any day of the week that ends in "y".