Flight delayed? Here’s what you need to do

It’s a fact of life that flight delays can happen at any airport, including busy arrival points in New Zealand like Auckland Airport, Christchurch Airport and Wellington Airport. If your flight is running late, and you’re concerned that your rental car provider will cancel your booking, or give the vehicle to another customer, this VroomVroomVroom guide explains how delayed or cancelled flights may affect your New Zealand car hire booking—and what you can do to protect your reservation.

Do airport and off-airport rental depots handle delays differently?

The process for managing a late arrival often depends on whether you have booked with a rental provider operating an on-airport or off-airport depot. While on-airport providers are generally better placed to monitor incoming flights, particularly when your airline and flight number details have been added to your booking, off-airport depots might operate to more limited business hours, and may require you to contact them directly if your arrival time changes.

Arriving late for an on-airport rental car pickup

Airport rental providers often ask for your flight number when you make a booking, as this allows them to check your expected arrival time and see whether your flight has been delayed. If you didn’t include your flight details when you booked your hire car, contact your provider as soon as possible to advise them of your updated flight information. Without a flight number or notification from you, the provider may assume that you’re not collecting the vehicle.

Some airport rental bookings include a limited grace period after the scheduled pickup time, but once this period has passed, an uncollected booking may be treated as a no-show, and the reserved vehicle may be released to another customer. Grace periods and late-arrival policies vary between rental providers, so check the Terms and Conditions of your booking rather than assuming the vehicle will be held.

If your flight has been diverted or you’ve been moved to a different service because of severe weather or another disruption, the provider may ask you to amend or cancel your original reservation and make a new booking. Keep in mind that if this happens, the same vehicle category you originally booked may not be available, as airport rental fleets and availability can change throughout the day.

Arriving late at an off-airport rental depot

There are a number of ways off-airport rental providers may operate differently. They may not monitor flight schedules automatically, and they use shuttle services which may operate within reduced hours when compared to on-airport providers.

If your flight is delayed, contact your depot promptly and confirm whether its staff or shuttle will still be available when you arrive. The provider may be able to adjust your collection time, but this will depend on their operating hours and late-pickup policy. If a delay pushes your arrival beyond the depot’s closing time, you may need to collect the vehicle the following day — or arrange a new booking.

What is a rental car no-show?

A no-show occurs when you don’t collect the rental car at the agreed time and haven’t told the provider that you’ll be late. In cases like this, the provider may cancel the booking and release the vehicle to other customers. Whether you are charged for the no-show will depend on the booking conditions and particularly if a cancellation or no-show fee applies. If your booking is cancelled, you may need to reserve another vehicle at the current rate, and  note that availability and pricing may differ from those of your original booking. This is why it is always a good idea to review your provider’s cancellation and no-show terms before making your booking.

Can you collect an airport rental car after hours?

It depends. Not all providers offer after-hours collection, and where available, it needs to be arranged in advance, and may involve an additional fee. It’s important to note that rental depot opening hours can differ from the operating hours of the actual airport — just because the airport is open for flights doesn’t mean rental counters or shuttle services will also be operating.

What to do if your flight is delayed

As soon as you know that you’ll be arriving later than planned, contact your hire car provider and advise them of:

When speaking with the rental provider, confirm if your vehicle can be held, how long the grace period lasts, and whether an after-hours pickup can be arranged. Be sure to keep a record of any instructions or changes agreed with the provider. It’s also a good idea to check to see if your travel insurance offers any cover for additional costs caused by a delayed flight, though individual policies and coverage periods vary.

What happens if your flight is cancelled?

If a cancelled flight prevents you from reaching the rental depot, contact the provider or VroomVroomVroom as soon as possible. Depending on the booking terms, you may be able to cancel or amend your reservation and make another booking for your revised travel dates. In this case, note that changes are subject to availability, and the rental price may differ from the original amount. Importantly, don’t assume that your booking will be cancelled automatically because your flight did not operate.

Managing your booking after a flight disruption

Your booking confirmation email contains important information about your rental, including the provider’s contact details, pickup instructions and booking conditions. If you cannot locate the email, contact the VroomVroomVroom customer care team and request another copy.

You can usually request changes before the rental period begins, although modifying the location, dates, times or vehicle category may affect the final price.

Rebooking at short notice may also cost more, particularly during school holidays, public holidays and other busy travel periods when fewer vehicles are available.

What if you are delayed after landing?

Your flight may arrive on time but you could still be delayed by immigration, biosecurity checks, baggage collection, airport transfers or a missed connection.

A rental provider may still apply its late-pickup or no-show policy if you don’t reach the counter before the grace period ends. When selecting your pickup time, be sure to allow enough time to complete the airport arrival process, particularly after an international flight.

If you think you won’t reach the depot on time, contact the rental provider as soon as possible rather than waiting until you arrive at the counter. Customers who booked through VroomVroomVroom can also contact the customer care team for assistance with updating their pickup arrangements.