A new app is connecting travelers who want to rent cars while away from home without bothering themselves with traditional rental locations. The program, called FlightCar, takes automobiles from travelers and lets others rent them out while the owner is away. Owners are compensated if their car is used, allowing them to bypass expensive long-term parking and even earn a profit while they're on a trip.
FlightCar allows travelers to drop off their vehicles at a location before departing, and the company then provides transportation to and from the airport terminal. Travelers who don't mind offering their vehicle to FlightCar are paid based on the age of their automobile and how much it gets driven during the rental period. Even if no one takes advantage of the ride, the owner still gets free parking and a car wash.
"We pay them to park their car," parking valet Steven King told ABC 7 News. "... They think, 'They're not going to rent my car, you know, it's too dirty,' and then they come back [and] their car's all clean and they have a $30 to $40 check."
Drivers may want to bring their car in for a tune up, regardless of whether or not someone will be driving their car while they're away. The last thing you want is a vehicle to fail to start as you're on your way to or from the airport, and investing in professional vehicle maintenance can prevent that from happening.