For our Colorado trip, Kelvin and I decided to try our FlightCar, a new airport parking and car rental startup. The general concept of the company is that travelers get free airport parking, and while they are traveling, people can rent their cars. If your car is rented out, you get paid between five to twenty cents per mile depending on your car’s year and brand.
We registered our car ten minutes before we drove over to FlightCar to drop off our car, and they already had our information when we arrived. Their lot is surprisingly small. The front lot probably holds around ten cars. They handle the check in on a tablet. They request your car’s registration and ask you to remove any personal information from your car. We had dry cleaning in our car that we planned to leave for the weekend, and they helped store our clothes in their facility. They offer bottled water and coffee while you wait. We got a ride to the airport on a town car.
While we were gone, they washed our car and cleared some of the compartments of my car by putting stuff in the glove compartment and middle console. We got an email during the weekend saying that our car had been rented out by Bob, an approved renter. When we returned to LA, we called FlightCar, and they picked us up from our terminal with the town car.
Bob only drove six miles total on our car, so we didn’t get paid for the rental. In the end, we got some bottled water, free airport parking, transportation to and from the airport, and a car wash for six miles of wear and tear on my car. Not bad! I would try it out again next time we fly out of LAX.
I wonder if eventually they will put restrictions on how short you leave your car (ours was only a total of 2.5 days) and how old your car is. I love the concept, and I hope they are successful.
FLIGHTCAR LOGO VIA FORBES.COM
