National Car Rental at Seattle Tacoma International Airport

Seattle Tacoma International Airport is located in the area of SeaTac, Washington, and is regarded as the sixteenth busiest airport in the United States in terms of passenger traffic. Due to its location, it is also known as the Sea-Tac Airport. The airport serves the cities of Seattle and Tacoma, as well as areas of western Washington, and has been allocated the official IATA code of SEA. Recently, in May 2012, the Seattle Tacoma International Airport car hire companies, such as National, moved to a new car rental facility, a short distance from the terminal buildings. The offices of National and all their vehicles for hire are now found at 3150 South 160th Street.

Seattle and Tacoma’s airport is very busy, handling around 32 million passengers in recent years, and consists of a central terminal, four concourses and two satellite terminals. The concourses are referred to as A, B, C and D, and the satellite terminals are the North and South Terminals. The further terminals are connected to the central terminal by a people mover system, and the South Terminal is where all international flights arrive, apart from those that are from airports with US preclearance facilities. International passengers will first go through immigrations, then collect their luggage, pass through customs and put their baggage onto a high-speed conveyor to baggage claim. Passengers then go to baggage carousel 1 to collect their belongings. Signs from the baggage claim areas can be followed to the various forms of ground transportation available, and to the car rental shuttles that take passengers to the offices of National and the other Seattle Tacoma International Airport car rental companies. They include Avis, Budget, Hertz, Alamo, Thrifty, Enterprise and Auto Europa.

The new Car Rental facility of the airport has plenty of room for all the companies, and large parking areas able to accommodate 5,400 vehicles. Although sometimes passengers prefer the car rental counters to be within the terminals of the airport, the short trip to the centre is not that inconvenient, especially since buses are frequently available twenty-four hours a day. The buses depart from the north and south ends of the main terminal, on the baggage claim level. Passengers should simply exit the sliding glass doors nearby carousels #1 or #15. The buses take luggage, are able to meet the needs of disabled persons and will reach the car rental centre in five to seven minutes.

Passengers arriving at the airport can hire a car from National twenty-four hours a day, and seven days a week. Cars may be arranged directly over the rental counters, or in advance. Advanced online reservations are often preferred, as cheaper car rental rates are then secured. It is also best to reserve additional items of equipment required for travel in advance. National hires satellite navigation systems, child seats and hand controls for disabled drivers, and provides various types of insurance. National hand controls are not available for all vehicles, therefore a reservation is important. From Seattle Tacoma Airport, hand controls are free of charge, and are only hired to disabled persons.

National is a car rental company well known for their business services. The company has mainly focussed their attention on serving the frequent airport business traveller, and therefore has many services that a business traveller will find useful. National helped to pioneer the corporate-account business, and was the first car hire company to offer a comprehensive frequent-renter program. Emerald Club members choose whichever rental car they like from the Aisle and only pay the reserved Midsize rate, they are able to bypass the rental counters altogether and save precious time, and enjoy faster returns as well, as e-receipts and the ‘Drop & Go’ services are used. Members will also earn free rental days, frequent-flyer miles or hotel rewards, enjoy exclusive members-only discounts and will pay no second-driver fees. Emerald Club members will achieve Executive status and enjoy even more benefits if they have completed a minimum of 12 paid rentals or 40 paid rental days in one calendar year, or even the status of Emerald Club Executive Elite, if they have a minimum of 25 paid rentals or 85 paid rental days in one calendar year.

National Seattle Tacoma International Airport offers vehicles that are hired by category. Economy, Compact and Midsize categories have vehicles that are similar to the Chevrolet Aveo, Nissan Versa and Toyota Corolla, and Standard sized vehicles include the Ford Fusion. These cars comfortably seat four or five passengers, and have room for a few luggage items. They also have automatic transmissions, as do most vehicles hired in the United States of America. Passengers in need of a larger car should try a Fullsize, Premium or Luxury car, or even a Minivan or SUV. The larger sedans hired are similar to the Chevrolet Impala, Toyota Avalon and Cadillac DTS, while minivans include the Dodge Grand Caravan for seven passengers and the Toyota Sienna for eight. SUVs can be the ideal choice for many renters as well, and those from National include the Ford Escape, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Suburban, Lincoln Navigator and Hummer H3. Additional cars available are crossovers, pickups, 15-seater passenger vans, cargo vans and convertibles.

To hire a vehicle from National, the primary renter should be at least 21 years of age, and should be in possession of a valid drivers license. A major credit card will also be required, such as Mastercard, Visa, American Express or Diner’s Club Intl. A hold is placed on the credit card for the estimated rental charges, and may be used at the end of the rental period for the final payment. Sometimes passengers do not wish to return their vehicle to Seattle Tacoma Airport. One way hires are then recommended, allowing the car to be returned to a different car rental location. National one way hires may incur additional charges, but are often more convenient. Contact National for all further information required.

Address:
Sea Tac International Airport (SEAT01)
3150 S 160th Street
Suite 507
SeaTac, WA 98188-2619
US

Telephone Number:
(888) 826-6890 ext. MAIN
(206) 433-5501 ext. LOCAL

Fax Number: (206) 433-5507