Rent-a-Car Center eases airport travel

dale dombrowski/viewAll of the major rental car companies at McCarran International Airport now have counters in one building, the McCarran Rent-a-Car Center, 7135 Gillespie St. The center also has an area where travelers can check their luggage. Advertisement

Although the McCarran Rent-a-Car Center at McCarran International Airport opened in April, it's still new to many Las Vegas residents. The center, 7135 Gillespie St., just north of Warm Springs Road, houses 11 car rental companies, which previously were housed in the airport's main terminal.

Before the center opened, many of the companies were crowded together in a location near baggage claim. Each of the 11 companies had its own shuttle service that took customers to a remote lot or off-site office and lot.

"The space vacated by the rental companies' counter is in the process of being torn out," said Randall Walker, director of aviation for Clark County. "We're going to expand the baggage carousels." It's part of an integrated plan that couldn't begin until the counters were out. The remote lots that the airport previously leased to the rental car companies will become overflow parking in time for the Thanksgiving rush, according to Walker.

The change also reduces traffic at the airport. "Often, we'd have the various rental companies picking up just two or three people in their shuttles," said Chris Jones, public information officer for McCarran. "Now, we have a single shuttle system that comes by every five minutes and leaves with a nearly full load of people."

The rental car companies actually gained a significant amount of space, as well, both for the counters and vehicle storage. The center is arranged with three wings of multi-leveled parking structures radiating from a central lobby. Customers entering the center simply walk to the middle and glance around to find their preferred rental car company.

Walker said, overall, the center has been a success.

"It's been working as anticipated," he said. "Of course, there's always a wrinkle or two to work out. We had to move a few companies around initially, and there was a shortage of shuttles at peak times at the beginning, but that was all sorted out. All in all, it's been a success."

He notes that the feedback received from customers has been overwhelmingly positive, with customers citing ease of use as the center's biggest selling point.

"If I'm not in a hurry, I'll just hang out here," said Eric Washington, a Chicago resident who recently visited Las Vegas on business, indicating the central lounge area. "I work on my laptop while I wait for the line to go down. It's much better than the old setup."