Rental Automobile Scarcity In Hawaii Sends Vacation Vacationers Scrambling — What to Know

Vacationers destined for Hawaii’s Huge Island this vacation season are operating right into a roadblock earlier than even boarding the airplane due to a scarcity of rental automobiles on the island – and worth gouging of what stays.

The difficulty made its technique to Reddit earlier this week when a subject moderator in a Hawaii discussion board created a pinned publish titled, “PSA: There are nearly no automotive leases (together with Turo) on Huge Island for the following 2 weeks. Learn this publish on your choices.”

“There are primarily no extra automotive leases for Huge Island throughout the Christmas vacation,” the publish reads. “All rental businesses present as bought out, and in response to latest posts Turo leases are restricted and listed as excessive as $2500 for every week.”

It is value noting {that a} consultant from Hawaii Tourism Authority disputed this, telling Journey + Leisure that rental automotive costs are larger, “however automobiles can be found on the main automotive rental firms at each Hilo and Kona airports, as we count on throughout excessive demand intervals like the vacations.”

Nonetheless, searches executed by Journey + Leisure on Hertz, Enterprise, Sixt, and Avis yielded no availability for pick-up at Ellison Onizuka Kona Worldwide Airport at Keahole (KOA) in Kona — the island’s high resort vacation spot for vacationers — and simply seven choices on Turo, with the most cost effective choice being $274/day over the past two weeks of December.

“Journey specialists have all the time advisable reserving vacation journey as early as doable to safe the most effective offers and stock,” a consultant from Turo informed T+L. “Turo experiences seasonality, identical to different main journey firms, and we steadily remind company to e-book a automotive as quickly as doable, particularly in fashionable trip locations.”

A consultant from Enterprise Mobility additionally confirmed that vacation demand is at an all-time excessive.

“With the busy vacation season upon us, the demand for automobile leases at Enterprise Mobility is robust throughout all three of our rental manufacturers — Enterprise, Nationwide, and Alamo — and we count on this to proceed by the top of the yr.  Hawaii is all the time a well-liked vacation spot for vacation vacationers – and our present reservations present this yr isn’t any completely different,” the consultant stated in an e-mailed assertion. “From a pricing standpoint, our charges are decided by a number of provide and demand components together with location, dates of journey, size of rental, availability in addition to when the reservation was made.”

On the Hilo aspect of the island, those self same automotive rental firms provided restricted availability. Hawaii Island native and filmmaker Kolby Akamu Moser informed T+L that renting from Hilo Worldwide (ITO), the island’s extra regional airport presents a distinct logistical problem because it’s situated about 77 miles from Kona.

“It is a two hour drive to Hilo [from Kona], after which more often than not they will not allow you to drop [the rental] off in Kona, so that you’d have to return by Hilo and by some means get to the opposite aspect,” she stated.

Vacationers planning forward are reaching panic factors, however the true ache can be for these ready to lease a automotive upon arrival.

“Do not forget, everybody flying in Christmas day is in the identical boat — and lots of of them have NO concept they can not get a rental,” a Hawaii-based Reddit moderator shared. “They’re simply going to show up on the rental counter to study there are not any automobiles. So all of the vacationers are going to slam the Uber app at the very same time.”

Moser additionally spoke to the latest lack of rental automotive availability at KOA, noting, “typically it’s actually costly, however this time it’s not even an choice.” She additionally famous that in distant areas on the Huge Island, similar to Hawai’i Volcanoes Nationwide Park, Uber and Lyft are usually not dependable types of transportation.

Savvy Reddit customers and locals have prompt guests put together to spend the vast majority of their time in and round their resort vacation spot, develop into conversant in Hele-On, the island’s public bus service, prepare for excursions that present transportation, and make use of the restricted locations rideshares like Uber and Lyft service in busier areas.

“Some resorts additionally provide automotive leases on-property, ought to guests solely want a automotive for a portion of their time,” a consultant from Hawaii Tourism Authority stated including that company selecting to not lease a automotive can contemplate public transit and airport shuttles along with rideshares.