Airport to open state's first consolidated rental car facility

Hospitality

Jun 25

Written By Staff

Photo courtesy of Gerald R. Ford International Airport

Gerald R. Ford International Airport is set to open its new $156 million consolidated rent-a-car facility (CONRAC). The new state-of-the-art facility will allow the airport to consolidate its rental car operations into a single location, streamlining operations for rental car partners, enhancing the guest experience, and increasing capacity. Opening to the public on July 8, the CONRAC will have new wayfinding signs to help guests utilizing rental cars understand the new experience.

“As West Michigan grows, having the right infrastructure in place is critical,” said Dan Koorndyk, Ford International Airport Authority Board Chair . “This facility represents a significant step forward in our mission to build new spaces that are efficient, long-lasting and environmentally responsible.”

The CONRAC places all rental car operations under one roof. The spacious and modern customer service center will allow guests seamless access to all rental car partners via a new climate-controlled sky bridge. And a quick-turn-around facility for the rental car operators brings vehicle cleaning and fueling operations directly on-site.

The move will eliminate 600,000 miles per year. More than 90% of the rental car operations will be removed from the airport’s roadway system.

“We are proud to be the first airport in Michigan to have a consolidated rental car facility, showing our commitment to providing the best customer experience we can,” said Tory Richardson, President and CEO, Gerald R. Ford International Airport. “This new facility will support our forecasted passenger demand over the next 20 years, while having an immediate positive impact on both our guests and rental car partners.”

The facility allows the transformation of existing rental car spaces into more covered garage parking for guests. The CONRAC facility received full support from Ford International Airport’s rental car partners, including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, and National.

Turner Construction Co. served as the construction manager for the CONRAC, with locally based Fishbeck serving as the design project manager and architect of record. More than 2,700 people worked on this project.

The CONRAC features an expansion of the Airport Public Art Program, supported by the Frey Foundation. The work of Grand Rapids native Jerry Gretzinger, Jerry’s Map, is at the center of the customer service building, stretching four stories with 2,441 hand-drawn eight-by-ten-inch panels representing an imaginary place that Gretzinger started creating in 1963.

No local taxpayer dollars were used to finance CONRAC, which was funded by a combination of federal and state grants, municipal bonds issued by the airport, and user fees.

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