ORLANDO, Fla. — Ra Brave arrived last week with his wife and son at the Orlando International Airport for a five-day stay. But after a year with most Americans avoiding long-distance travel, the real estate agent from Baltimore discovered a new challenge: getting around in the city.
“There are no cars available at all,” Brave said after being turned away at rental car desk after rental car desk at the airport. Agents at desks for Enterprise and National confirmed that every available vehicle they had that day was already reserved.
Battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, rental car companies are facing a national car shortage, causing availability for travelers to plummet and daily rental rates to spike to as high as nearly $500 a day in Tampa.