Business Travel News carries a piece on corporate travel departments pushing travelers to rent cars from off-airport locations in order to save on skyrocketing fees associated with airport rentals (hat tip to Tripso Daily).

While the piece documents the high taxes, some at truly bizarre heights, it mentions only a couple of companies pushing travelers to rent off-airport in a couple of circumstances — which seem to me about as much as convenience than cost savings, or at least both married together.

The trend that bothers me most is airports with ‘on-airport’ car rental facilities that are really off-airport, where you have to take a shuttle bus off the airport facility to a car rental facility. As long as off-airport rental companies pick you up at baggage claim as frequently as on-airport buses, or at least come quickly when you call them, they can be just as convenient and cheaper.

And in some cases you’ll find it quicker to take a shuttle to your hotel and rent a car from there at your leisure.

In any case, there certainly is a limit to the costs that a municipality can impose on airport car rentals.