Avis in the Dallas Morning News

LIFE/TRAVEL

Head north and west with one-way rentals from Florida
12:00 AM CST on Sunday, March 4, 2007

A few weeks ago, we told you about special rates available on Hertz for one-way car rentals out of Florida.

Avis and Budget have rolled out similar deals, but travelers have a lot more drop-off locations to choose from. Returns are available in the contiguous U.S., except Florida, California or Las Vegas. Hertz drop-off locations for this offer are mainly in the Northeast and Midwest.

Car rental companies offer these deals each spring because it's an easy way to reposition their fleets for the summer season. Both Avis and Budget rentals must be picked up at Florida airport locations from April 9 through June 15. The minimum keep is one day; maximum, seven.

Avis rates are a bit cheaper than Budget's, with daily rates of $9.99 for a subcompact, compact or intermediate; $12.99 for a standard size; $14.99 for a full size; and $15.99 for a minivan. Budget rates are $12.95 for economy, $13.95 for a compact, $14.95 for an intermediate, $16.95 for a standard, $18.95 for a full size and $19.95 for a minivan. Weekly Avis rates range from $59.99 to $99.99, and Budget weekly prices are $5 to $15 more. Rates include unlimited miles. Add taxes and fees. Hertz rates are lower on smaller cars, but Avis matches them on standard and full-size vehicles. Avis and Budget minivans are cheaper than those from Hertz.

The trick to making the most of these deals is to find a cheap one-way ticket into Florida. When we checked fares for travel from Dallas, the cheapest one we found was a $65 one-way fare into Orlando on Southwest. If you want to fly nonstop, American offered a one-way fare of $105.

We found reasonable rates on AirTran, Southwest and US Airways to most cities in Florida. Sample one-way fares from Dallas started at $79 to Jacksonville, $84 to Fort Lauderdale and $99 to Fort Myers. Most of those flights will involve a stop along the way. Since AirTran recently added service to Daytona Beach, fares have dropped, so that is also worth a look. Also check Southwest's Ding! fares; they're often best.

Nonstop fares on American were more of a mixed bag, with travelers paying a premium on some routes. For example, American's cheapest nonstop one-way flights started at $449 to West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. In other markets, fares were more reasonable. American offered a $118 nonstop to Fort Myers.

Since you can drop off cars at more locations, the Avis and Budget deals probably are a better option for Texans. If you don't mind flying both ways, or you want to see different parts of the country, consider the Hertz offer. Hertz rates start at $3 per day and $9.99 per week, cars may be picked up from April 8 through June 30 and rentals are valid for up to 14 days.

Check on deals
For current one-way airfares from Dallas, access www.beta .bestfares.com and enter DMN in the Search box. For Avis rentals, call 1-888-777-2847 or access www.avis.com and cite code AWD G017900 when booking. For Budget, call 1-800-283-4387 or see www.budget.com and request BCD U094700. For Hertz, call 1-800-654-3131 or see www .hertz.com and request rate code 1WAY.

Tom Parsons is publisher of Bestfares.com.

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