Hertz leaves Juneau airport Sept. 30, and three rental counters stay

Hertz will stop renting cars at Juneau International Airport on Sept. 30. Three of the four rental car counters the airport lists will remain: Alamo/National/Enterprise, Avis and Budget.

Airport Manager Andres Delgado reported the company's notice in his Sept. 4 report to the Juneau International Airport Board. The report does not say why Hertz is leaving, or what happens to existing reservations and employees.

The departure frees rental car counter and concession space in the terminal. Staff plan to seek a new tenant through a competitive request for proposals. The report does not state a solicitation date.

"Staff are preparing to issue an RFP for a new rental car concession and will work to minimize impacts to rental car availability during the transition while returning the space to productive use as quickly as possible," Delgado wrote.

Rental car operators at JNU hold leases under a governance framework run by the Assembly-appointed board, which will set the terms for any successor.

TSA passenger throughput at Juneau fell 1.98% in August, Delgado reported, after July throughput rose 4.5%. His report calls year-to-date throughput "strong" and describes August as a slight decline "as seasonal traffic begins to taper." The cluster of early morning departures, when scheduled flights can exceed checkpoint capacity, remains the primary pressure point.

Capital Transit suspended its Route 6 Airport Connector effective April 20, citing staffing limitations. Riders are now directed to Routes 3 and 4 and a walk of roughly 0.4 miles along Shell Simmons Drive, an added burden for travelers carrying luggage or with mobility limits.

The Hertz departure appears in the airport manager's report, not as an action item, so no vote on the concession is scheduled when the board meets Thursday at 6 p.m.