Cheap looking rent-a-car companies that feed off Portugal’s airports are to be regulated by ANA which is fed up with customer complaints and a lack of income from unlicensed operators.
The cowboys that operate from premises outside the airport area are going to have to pay fees to the airport operator in return for properly designated space in which to conduct their business as well as signage in the arrivals area.
The new set of rules devised by the French owners of airport management company ANA will be discussed "with all stakeholders" in the coming days but will come into force on April 1st anyway, according to ANA’s Luís Vaz.
The regulations will establish fairer competition between the off-site operators and the traditional rent-a-car companies which pay a fee to ANA for their mini-offices at the airport, either a fixed rate or a variable rate depending on turnover. These legitimate on-site companies suffer high costs while observing, with increasing annoyance, unregulated and unlicensed car rental merchants escaping fees and able to undercut on price.
The ‘low cost’ rental operators are now faced with paying ANA Airports between €10 and €17 per car rented. ANA says that in return these operators will receive a specific car parking area flagged for rental vehicles and customer reception facilities and signage placed in the arrivals area.
All cars rented by ‘low-cost’ operators both on the airport premises and outside the perimeter will have to be pre-booked on pain of stiff financial penalties. This does not apply to the legitimate companies operating in the terminal or those in designated zones in the carpark.
"They can not come to the airport hunting for clients," said Vaz.
The new ANA charter also will ensure that all ‘low-cost’ companies operating at the airport have the correct license to operate a rental business and that their fleets are below a certain minimum age.
Luís Vaz claims that the ‘low-cost’ car rental companies will benefit from this raft of regulations as customers will now receive a better services from a properly marked area from which to rent their cars.
The ANA administrator claimed that the new fee structure for unlicensed car rental companies is not intended to benefit the existing licensed operators at airports, he claims "there is room for everyone."
Next step is to improve the commercial behaviour of the frequently disingenuous, callous and margin-obsessed on-site rental companies that do pay for the priviledge of ripping-off and deliberately confusing tourists with unforeseen added charges, complex fuel policies and insurance scams.
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Comments
Existindo reserva devidamente comprovada, o loca- dor pode proceder à entrega do veículo na área de exploração de terminais de transporte ou noutro local em que o aluguer se inicie, ainda que nele não disponha de um estabeleci- mento fixo ou de um local de atendimento ao público para o efeito.
this means you have the right to deliver to transport terminals.
How can you possibly bring a car back empty of fuel?
As I understand, it is the last group that ANA want to see either gone or operating within the airport and hence governed by its new rules. The indignity is that it gives this French company an excuse to stiff us all for an extra 17 euros each time we rent a car.
Even during the toughest of times, the smaller companies have worked their hardest to sort us a car and not charged us the earth for the privilege.
Whilst I accept that there MAY be a couple of exceptions, I find this article very offensive to the MANY hard working smaller companies that operate within Faro airport, legally and fairly, to label them all "cowboys" is absurd. Why does Portugal keep doing things to impact the already affected tourism even more. It is a beautiful country with so much to offer, but, it is blighted by bureaucracy gone mad.
I have to say I'm not sure whether the article was comparing the "inside the airport building" companies with those in Car Park 4, or whether the comparisons were both these groups together as opposed to those companies that are completely outside the whole area. However, from the other comments on here there is a general consensus that inside the building are the expensive rip off "big name" companies whilst CP4 has the good value companies (although from bitter experience I will never again use Air Auto). But the unanimous vote for the most appalling company anywhere goes to Gold Car who should be charged with highway robbery.
As I said in my comment below, LagoRent, TravelRent, Drive4Fun and LuzCars are all good value with good quality cars, no insurance stitch ups, and no "full tank" petrol scams.
Not all companies that do not have office inside the airport work like cowboys!!
There are companies with office inside the airport that work like big cowboys like for example Goldcar and A.N.A. is a big far west.
there are many legitimate small car hire company's that pay their all their taxes pay parking to ANA and practice VIP service to their clients and are a very warm well come when clients arrive to the Algave.
This people that write this things do not know the reality of tourism in Portugal.
ANA does not represent Portugal and Portuguese legitimate companies and does not help Portugal in anything.
Fernando Almeida
Most of the complaints for tires, fuel and damages comes from "licensed" car rental companies which have offices in. Crooks are everywhere.
Just note all the companies which used to pay the enormous amounts ANA asks left the building, and most are bankrupt. From the 7 offices in Faro airport only 4 are in use (rented).
Maybe was time for ANA to come down to real economy.
Guess ANA has to support the millionaire wages of the board of directors at any cost.
Last note: even the title of this article is offensive!