Airport car rental was a disaster
As a former Montrealer living in Florida, I return home often, flying into Trudeau Airport. I still have family here, so one day last week was the first time I’ve ever needed to rent a car at the airport, as I usually have the use of a family member’s car. I was unfamiliar with the layout of the car rental operations until now.
What a disaster it was picking up the vehicle. While there are large and prominent bilingual signs pointing travellers to the car rental location, those signs only lead to the “preferred members” booths of the various rental car companies. What was very frustrating is that the 90 per cent of us who are not “preferred members” of rental car companies are left to find an unmarked section within the parking garage of the airport, which, like the rest of Montreal during the summer, is under construction.
It took me well over 45 minutes to find this unmarked structure, and once inside, all the car company counters were there. Why are the airport signs only directing people to the “preferred members” booths? Why are they the only ones easily seen? If this was my first time in Montreal, what a poor first impression that would be.
I heard and saw many other people looking for the rental car counters as well, so I know it was not only a poor sense of direction on my part. I fly constantly and rent vehicles at airports all across North America and never have I had such a frustrating time finding and picking up a car.
When I asked the employees at the counter why the area they were working in was so hard to find, their response was “we put signs up, but as soon as we do, the airport takes them down. ... They consider it advertising!” The airport administration needs to wake up and see what a poor taste they’re leaving in travellers’ mouths. Harley Kesselman, Boynton Beach, Fla.