Seattle car rental pick up downtown return at airport

Hello everyone,

For our post cruise in June, we are planning to stay in Seattle for a few days. We plan to rent a car when disembark from Pier 91. We looking into Alamo car rental for mini-van for 4 days picking up at the downtown location. The total cost of the car rental difference between dropping off at same location downtown versus at the airport is $125 more.

At first we are thinking of returning the van at the same location to save $125 and take a taxi to the airport.

On that day returning the car is on a Tuesday in June. Our plane depart 10:20 am. Being on that Tuesday morning is the rush hour during a working day, there would be traffic from downtown to the airport, we could miss our flight and also the taxi rate we are not sure how much it cost, but from what I heard taxi rate is based on how long it takes to drive there especially during traffic, the cost could be above $50?, therefore the savings would not be that great vs. the risk of missing our flight.

I also heard that Avis does not charge for the one way drop off fee, but when i do a mock booking on the same vehicle at Avis it is only $20 cheaper than Alamo (airport drop off rate).

Right now I'm leaning toward on returning the vehicle at the airport.

Any comments and advices are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

I assume you're staying downtown? If so, your hotel cost and parking expense will be very high. While there's traffic in Seattle in the morning, you'd be going against the flow. However, you'd have to be sure you don't need to fill the tank, plus car returns at the airport are to a central return facility, followed by taking a shuttle bus to the main terminal. With a 10:30 flight I'd want to be at the airport by 8:30 or 9 at the very latest to get through security, so you'd have to work backwards. Drive time from downtown to the car rental center at the airport is around 20-30 minutes, and there are HOV lanes on I-5.

Taxi fare from the downtown area, including almost all downtown hotels to the airport is a flat $40. Even if you needed two cabs (because of your party's size?) you'd still be ahead of the rental car. http://www.seattleyellowcab.com/rates/ (scroll down.)

Thank you very much for the information. We are staying at a hotel in Bothell just wife, daughter and I. I'll filled up gas the night before returning the car. The car return in the downtown center (1601 3rd Ave Seattle, WA 98101) opens at 7:00 am. When returning the car at 7:00am, booking a cab at 7:30 am hopefully they arrive on time.

Thank you very much for the information. We are staying at a hotel in Bothell just wife, daughter and I. I'll filled up gas the night before returning the car. The car return in the downtown center (1601 3rd Ave Seattle, WA 98101) opens at 7:00 am. When returning the car at 7:00am, booking a cab at 7:30 am hopefully they arrive on time.

Staying in Bothell is a whole 'nother matter. Traffic from Bothell into Seattle in the morning is about as bad as it gets. If you're spending the night in Bothell you'll need to allow yourselves at least an hour to get to downtown Seattle to drop the car, and probably 90 min. if you decide to drop it at the airport. If it were me I'd probably bite the bullet and go for the airport drop-off in that case; any cost savings would be erased in nerves.

If you decide on the airport option, be advised that the State has put tolls on the HOV lanes on the I-405 freeway between Lynnwood and Bellevue; this would apply from Bothell. The chances are your rental car company won't have vehicles equipped with the required sensors/transponders, in which case the State will take a photo of the vehicle and send the invoice to the rental car company, who in turn will send it on to you, plus a service fee. The tolls can be as high as $10, so I wouldn't be surprised if your credit card gets hit for $20 or more by the time it's all said and done. Of course you can stay in the general traffic lanes, in which case the time required will double or more.

For the downtown drop off option, if we leave the hotel in Bothell at 6:00am heading into downtown to drop off the car, would the traffic be that bad in the early morning hour ?

For the airport drop off option, the hotel we are staying inn Bothell is near access to freeway 405. Would 405 be the best route to the airport? Avoiding I-5 would be the best because that one is heading to downtown?

Thank you

For the downtown drop off option, if we leave the hotel in Bothell at 6:00am heading into downtown to drop off the car, would the traffic be that bad in the early morning hour ?

 

For the airport drop off option, the hotel we are staying inn Bothell is near access to freeway 405. Would 405 be the best route to the airport? Avoiding I-5 would be the best because that one is heading to downtown?

 

Thank you

I-405 is every bit as congested as I-5, and rush hour around here starts even before 6. I-5 has more lanes and I-405 carries a lot of Boeing traffic heading in both directions (plants in Everett and Renton) as well as people who work on the eastside at the likes of the Microsoft, Expedia, Costco HQs, the Paccar truck factory in Renton, Bellevue offices and so on. I-405 is often gridlocked between Bothell and downtown Bellevue, and again from south Bellevue through Renton to the airport. It's NOT a pleasant drive.

Could I suggest you investigate a hotel near the airport rather than Bothell for that night? Even if you have evening activities in Bothell, you could stage yourselves near the airport, drop off the vehicle and possibly save some money (the airport hotels all have shuttles) and just make the morning easier on yourselves all around?

Thank your for all the information and suggestions. I made changes on the hotel for the post cruise and booked a different hotel closer to the airport.

I-405 is every bit as congested as I-5, and rush hour around here starts even before 6. I-5 has more lanes and I-405 carries a lot of Boeing traffic heading in both directions (plants in Everett and Renton) as well as people who work on the eastside at the likes of the Microsoft, Expedia, Costco HQs, the Paccar truck factory in Renton, Bellevue offices and so on. I-405 is often gridlocked between Bothell and downtown Bellevue, and again from south Bellevue through Renton to the airport. It's NOT a pleasant drive.

 

Could I suggest you investigate a hotel near the airport rather than Bothell for that night? Even if you have evening activities in Bothell, you could stage yourselves near the airport, drop off the vehicle and possibly save some money (the airport hotels all have shuttles) and just make the morning easier on yourselves all around?

When does morning rush hour end? I want to drive into downtown Seattle on a Thursday morning.

When does morning rush hour end? I want to drive into downtown Seattle on a Thursday morning.

Generally things are cooling off northbound on I-5 by 9 AM and southbound by 9:30; from the east on I-90 9 AM is fine, on SR 520 9 is also okay but you'll still be in peak toll time. On SR 509/99 from the south things will be easy by 8:30 or so.

HOV lanes will be available from the south and the reversible I-5 express lanes will be available from the north all morning.

From where? How many will be in the car?

 

Generally things are cooling off northbound on I-5 by 9 AM and southbound by 9:30; from the east on I-90 9 AM is fine, on SR 520 9 is also okay but you'll still be in peak toll time. On SR 509/99 from the south things will be easy by 8:30 or so.

 

HOV lanes will be available from the south and the reversible I-5 express lanes will be available from the north all morning.

We (2 of us) will be taking I-5 from the South (airport). Likely around 9 AM but we could make it a bit later.

Is I-5 a toll road? Or just the HOV lanes?

Is I-5 a toll road? Or just the HOV lanes?

Neither.

Thanks