Renting a car at San Diego International Airport is about to get easier. A $316 million rental car center is set to open its doors to the traveling public next week.
Visitors who fly into Lindbergh Field will soon find 14 rental car companies under one roof.
Construction workers on Tuesday were putting the finishing touches on the 2 million-square-foot facility on the north side of the airport along Pacific Highway. The four-level sustainable facility holds 5,400 rental cars and 72 gas pump stations.
"This is improving the customer experience here at San Diego International Airport," said Robert Gleason, board chairman of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. "It’s a great and convenient way for our customers to access their rental cars."
Gleason said the airport averages 1 million car rentals per year and the consolidation will reduce the number of shuttle buses circulating around the airport. Rental car companies will now share a fleet of alternative fuel buses.
"We’re going from more than 80 buses that are currently out on Pacific Highway and Harbor Drive to a fleet of about 20 buses that will operate on a route that’s largely on the airport property," Gleason said.
The project, which features several public art displays, began construction in fall of 2013. It has provided more than 4,500 local jobs. It will be paid for through a fee added to rental car transactions.
The center opens on Jan. 20.
