TPA Car Rental: Rental Car Center and SkyConnect Train

The rental companies are not in the terminal. They share one Rental Car Center, and you reach it on the SkyConnect train from the Main Terminal. The train runs before security.

Have bags? Collect them at baggage claim first. Then take an elevator or the large escalator to the Boarding Level of the Main Terminal SkyConnect station. Follow the signs for Rental Cars. The train takes you straight to your company's counter.

No bags? Walk from your airside to the Main Terminal SkyConnect station. The entrance is between P.F. Chang's and Hard Rock Cafe. Go up one level to the Boarding Level and board.

The station is open to Levels 1 through 3 of the Main Terminal. Follow the signs for Rental Cars, Public Bus or SkyConnect.

Trains reach each station about every two minutes, and the trip between the Main Terminal and the Rental Car Center takes less than five minutes, including the stop at the Economy Garage. The train runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Between 12:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. it runs less often for overnight maintenance. Expect to wait about 10 minutes. Bag carts are allowed on board.

The airport lists 14 on-airport brands with phone numbers: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Thrifty, Ace, American, Fox, Payless, Sixt and Zipcar. Phone numbers are on the airport's ground transportation page.

The airport's Rental Car Center map lists a slightly different set of 15 counters: it adds Advantage Rent-a-Car and Executive Car Rental, and has no American. Confirm with your company which counter holds your reservation.

Counters sit in two clusters. Near the north core: Ace, Advantage, Executive, Fox, Sixt, Zipcar, Dollar, Hertz and Thrifty. Near the south core: Alamo, Enterprise, National, Avis, Budget and Payless.

Phone numbers from the airport's ground transportation page: Alamo (888) 826-6893, Avis (800) 831-2847, Budget (800) 527-0700, Dollar (800) 800-4000, Enterprise (800) 736-8222, Hertz (800) 654-3131, National (888) 826-6890, Thrifty (800) 847-4389, Ace (813) 636-8999, American (734) 494-2444, Fox (855) 849-4215, Payless (813) 289-6554, Sixt (813) 666-8606 and Zipcar (866) 494-7227.

Off-airport companies send courtesy vehicles. Pick-up and drop-off are at the remote curb in front of the Rental Car Center, and you get there from the Main Terminal on the SkyConnect train, the same as the on-airport brands.

The airport lists these off-airport companies: America, Carl's Van, Carwiz, DFG, Florida Van, Easirent, Economy, GreenMotion Tampa, OC, One Switch, Priceless, U-Save and Via. Phone numbers: America (866) 577-1342, Carl's Van (800) 565-5211, Carwiz (954) 998-7441, DFG (800) 890-5801, Florida Van (800) 308-2503, Easirent (888) 901-5121, Economy (786) 975-2222, GreenMotion Tampa (877) 342-0999, OC (813) 916-3538, One Switch (866) 436-9044, Priceless (813) 820-4141, U-Save (877) 813-7008 and Via (321) 441-0111. Call your company for the exact address.

Peer-to-peer car sharing, such as Turo, is allowed only in the Economy Parking Garage. Take SkyConnect from the Main Terminal to the Economy Garage station.

For a quick pick-up or drop-off, the remote curb at the Rental Car Center can be used. Look for the "Customer Drop Off" signs. You cannot wait there.

Rental companies operate from the Rental Car Center, and SkyConnect links it to the Main Terminal. TPA publishes no company-by-company return instructions. Follow the Rental Car Center signs from the airport roads and your company's return signs once you reach it, and check your rental agreement for the return time and any grace period.

After you return the car, ride SkyConnect to the Main Terminal. If you fly the same day, you can check bags at the Remote Bag Check at the south end of the center. If you drop off a friend, use the "Customer Drop Off" remote curb at the center. Waiting there is not allowed. Wait at the free Cell Phone Lot nearby instead.

Most domestic passengers can check bags at the Rental Car Center before riding to the terminal. It is open 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. every day, and you must check in at least 90 minutes before departure. It costs nothing extra, but airline bag fees still apply.

Participating airlines are American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and United. If you are flying with a firearm in your checked bag, you must take it to the airline ticket counter in person. Common-use kiosks at the center print boarding passes.

TPA does not publish rental taxes, surcharges or airport fees. Read the total in your company's quote before you book.

The Rental Car Center has a Beach Market for snacks, drinks and grab-and-go food at the north end. The airport map lists its hours as 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.

Locals can meet arriving passengers at the Rental Car Center instead of the terminal. After bag claim, your passenger follows the signs to the train, then exits at the Rental Car Center and heads to the remote curb. The public bus stop is there too: HART routes 10, 30 and 32 serve the airport seven days a week and stop near the Rental Car Center, and PSTA buses stop there as well.