Car Rentals at Ottawa Macdonald Cartier International Airport

Ottawa International Airport is the sixth largest airport in Canada, handling over four million passengers per annum, and is located approximately 10.2km, or 6.3 miles from downtown Ottawa. Ottawa is also one of the larger cities in the province of Ontario, along with Toronto and Montreal. The airport forms part of the Eastern Triangle, that is between these three important cities.  The airport has the code of YOW, and is also known as the Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. For arriving passengers, the Ottawa Airport car hire companies provide quality vehicles for hire, as well as very competitive car rental rates. A private hire car is an ideal option for transport in the area.

The airport of Ottawa, known for its excellent service, consists of a single passenger terminal, that has arrival facilities on the ground floor and departure facilities and a food court on the upper levels. The airport has won numerous awards over the years, including the Best Airport in North America award by ASQ in 2011. It was also placed second in the world for ‘Best Airport’ in the 2.5 million passenger category. Its passengers can therefore expect only friendly, efficient and professional service, and will find all the facilities they require. The airport car hire companies are found in the Parkade nearby the terminal (across the street), and are open to meet the majority of the airport’s arrival flights, usually from 06:00 to at least midnight. On Saturdays and Sundays many are open only from 07:00, but are available to midnight as well. They are also open on public holidays, but their times could vary on these days.

The Ottawa International car rental companies include Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Auto Europa, National, Alamo and Enterprise. These companies all have many years of experience in the car hire industry, and have rental locations around the world, and at many of the major airports of the world as well. Hertz and Auto Europa are perhaps the companies who have been longest in existence, and have the largest number of rental offices. They offer a wide range of vehicles, and a number of services that assist their customers. Avis is an all-time favourite car rental company for many travellers on leisure and business trips, and Europcar is a popular choice for inclusive rental rates and additional services that may include chauffeur driven vehicles and environmentally friendly car rentals. Customers of Europcar at Ottawa Airport should collect their vehicle from the National rental counters. National is an excellent choice for business rentals, and Alamo is one of the most popular companies for holiday vehicles. Budget and Enterprise have a number of vehicle categories available at Ottawa Airport, and their customers can expect only the best and most professional service.

The airport’s car hire companies offer vehicles of only the latest models, various items of equipment to hire along with the vehicle and services to assist loyal customers, for example, the Hertz #1 Club, Avis Preferred Memberships, Budget’s Fastbreak services, the Privilege Card from Europcar and Emerald Club at National. The car hire companies have child and booster car seats available for their vehicles, as well as satellite navigation systems and hand controls for disabled drivers. Ski-equipped vehicles may be possible to arrange as well. Ensure that you book all equipment early, to ensure its availability, and that you reserve the correct size of child seat, as some are only suitable for infants, while others are larger for older children. These items will cost a few extra dollars per day of hire, or per rental contract. However, from the rental location of Ottawa Airport, hand control equipment is free of charge, although it is best reserved in advance. The car hire companies may also have only a limited number of wheelchair accessible vehicles, therefore always book early if a special vehicle is required.

When reserving a vehicle (online reservations are often most convenient and offer the cheapest car rental rates) specify if your vehicle will be returned to the same rental location, or if it is preferable to return it to a location other than Ottawa International Airport. One way hire services are convenient for many travellers, however, they may be more expensive, therefore only select the option if it really suits your travel itinerary. If you plan to drive the vehicle into the United States, a cross-border rental may need to be arranged, and may cost a few extra dollars per day of hire as well.

The vehicles hired in Canada, and from the Ottawa International Airport car hire companies, are divided into various car categories, for example, Economy, Compact, Intermediate, Fullsize, Premium, Convertible, SUV, Minivan and Pick-Up. Smaller cars available are found in the first-mentioned categories, and may be similar to the Suzuki Swift, Nissan Versa, Dodge Caliber, Hyundai Accent, Toyota Yaris, Kia Rio, Nissan Sentra, Chevy Cobalt and Pontiac G6. These are also the vehicles that are hired with the lowest car rental rates. Larger vehicles hired will be similar to the Chevrolet Impala and Ford Fusion, while SUVs may include the Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, Ford Escape, GM Tahoe, Jeep Grand Cherokee and GM Suburban. Larger SUVs are able to seat up to seven passengers. Minivans such as the Dodge Grand Caravan can seat seven as well, and are ideal for larger families or groups of travellers.

Vehicles for hire from Ottawa International Airport are available to passengers twenty-one years of age or older, provided that a valid drivers license and major credit card can be shown. An International Driving Permit may be required by persons from foreign countries. Although 21 is the minimum age requirement, younger drivers will be responsible for higher rental rates, and may not be permitted to hire larger sized vehicles, or cars of a more special nature. It is also recommended to always arrange adequate insurance for your hire car.

Driving in Ottawa, and Canada in general, is quite simple, as the roads are well structured and in good condition. Vehicles drive on the right-hand side of the road, and all passengers should be wearing seatbelts (in the rear of the vehicle as well if there are seatbelts). Always follow the speed limits of the roads, which are no more than 50kph in urban areas, 100kph on open roads and 130kph on motorways and highways.

Find out further information from your favourite Ottawa International car hire company.