 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking at booking on the Swiss side at Geneva, and some companies quote being located 'In Terminal' and some say 'Car Rental Centre'. I know where the In Terminal area is, but where is the car rental centre?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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No idea how this popped in Apres! Thought in was going on The Piste.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@Handy Turnip, from memory I think they're referring to an off airport car rental location in a big covered car park building that is served by a frequent free shuttle bus service that operates from the terminal, I used it a couple of years ago.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks@Alastair Pink, the in terminal companies do something similar so not sure the difference.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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As far as I have recently experienced the “offices” where you deal with the paperwork and are allocated keys is “in terminal” (turn right after arrivals, pass right of the Jazz café, keep going along the corridor.
Once you have your keys head for the car pick up point (ground floor of P51 car park past the World Trade Centre) either on the shuttle bus or a 5 minute walk.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Handy Turnip, as @DJL, says, rental desks are in the terminal then cars are in the shuttle served but walkable car park. But I think I’ve also done some paperwork to collect in the car park too, so might depend on the firm.
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Thanks@DJL, @ster - yes I've
hired from the 'In Terminal' companies before, where you pick the key up in the terminal and then can drive straight off from the car park. So are we saying that the 'Car Rental Centre' companies are they ones where you have to pick the keys up in the actual car park? That would make sense I guess, and is actually no different (time wise) from an In Terminal company.
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@Handy Turnip, pretty much no difference, as you've got to go to the carpark anyway to pick up, its no matter if the office is in the terminal or in the car park area.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks@ster, I've generally only looked at in terminal before, so this opens up some other (hopefully cheaper!) options!!
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You should be able to check where their offices are before you book in case these companies are really off site as there could be some cheapies that are off site further afield than car park P51. Google their address to make sure.
But the mainstream brands or their offshoots are on-site.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The only cars in the terminal are on the French side.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Just resurrecting this existing thread to mention yesterday's (11.12.23) experience returning the hire car to P51. Since I last went, there's been a new exit off the A62 built -
Approaching from the direction of Lausanne on the A9/A62, you come off before the big Palexpo building at the blue «Gd-Sacconex Ferney Palexpo Arena» exit - ignore any green gantry signs saying 'Genève Aéroport'. You then go up a ramp and through the Palexpo building and out the other side.
The rest of the route is as before, which is to say confusing and if you're not familiar with it, means being very careful to select the right lane at the end of the straight road, signposted «Kiss & Fly and Voiture de Location» and keep to the middle lane marked «TOUTES DIRECTIONS» (on the tarmac, not a sign) and then the left «TOUTES DIRECTIONS» lane (the right is «DEPOSE RAPIDE» i.e. 'Kiss & Fly').
Once you're past the single lane «TOUTES DIRECTIONS» bit by Departure drop-off, you're joined by a lane on the right and you need to get into that lane and keep right. You go past an office building on the right and within about 50m it is easy to miss the small white «P51 illimité Car rental WTC II» sign which is where you exit, down to the P51 car park entrance. At the car park entrance, you take the right-hand lane, pick up a ticket, go on 10m to the ground floor rental barrier, put the ticket back in, and you're there. For Hertz, you'll have to snake around the other rental agency areas to the exit, but turn right just before.
Google Maps and Street View haven't yet been updated with the new road layout. But you can see the construction work under way. This is now complete.
If you haven't returned a car to P51 before, then it's not a bad idea to use Google Maps/Street View to run over the route in advance. And if you haven't picked-up from P51 before and are heading NE towards the Swiss resorts, then I've done a guide which can be found here. The first few pages have aerial views of the route by which you escape P51 and get on the autoroute to Lausanne.
Of course, you'll probably have a decent satnav and in our case, setting the destination to 'Geneve Aeroport Parking P51' mainly worked, although it was a bit flaky about the right lane (ie. TOUTES DIRECTIONS) to be in at the end of the straight road from the Palexpo, where it curves left.
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FAQ
