What is Airport Access Fee?


Also known as	Airport concession fee, airport facility fee, airport surcharge
Category	Ground transportation, car rental fees, travel cost
Common in	Airport car rentals, corporate travel programs, business trip expense reports

What Is an Airport Access Fee?

An airport access fee is a fee that car rental companies pay to an airport authority to operate on airport property, usually covering the use of shuttle vehicles, rental lots, and access roads. It often appears as a separate line item on a customer’s rental car bill.

This fee matters because it can significantly increase the total cost of an airport car rental, even if the base daily rate looks low. For example, a traveler might book a car for $50 per day but see an extra $10 to $15 in airport-related fees when the bill arrives.

In the context of business travel and expense management, airport access fees are part of the total trip cost and need to be budgeted, tracked, and coded correctly. They can also influence policy decisions, such as when to allow airport rentals versus off-airport locations.

Understanding Airport Access Fees in Detail

Key Components of an Airport Access Fee

Airport access fees usually include:

Airport Concession Agreement
The contract between the airport authority and the rental car company that allows the company to operate on airport grounds.

Airport facilities can cover:
Shuttle roads and curbsides On-airport rental car centers Signage and kiosks in the terminal Parking or storage areas for rental cars

Airport facilities can cover:

Shuttle roads and curbsides

On-airport rental car centers

Signage and kiosks in the terminal

Parking or storage areas for rental cars

Fee structure airports typically charge rental companies in:
A percentage of gross rental revenue from airport customers A fixed fee per rental transaction A hybrid model (a base fee plus a percentage)

Fee structure airports typically charge rental companies in:

A percentage of gross rental revenue from airport customers

A fixed fee per rental transaction

A hybrid model (a base fee plus a percentage)

Rental companies usually pass these charges through to customers as a separate fee on the rental invoice, labeled with terms such as:
“Airport Access Fee” “Concession Recovery Fee” “Facility Charge” or “Customer Facility Charge (CFC)”

Rental companies usually pass these charges through to customers as a separate fee on the rental invoice, labeled with terms such as:

“Airport Access Fee”

“Concession Recovery Fee”

“Facility Charge” or “Customer Facility Charge (CFC)”

How Airport Access Fees Evolved

Originally, many airports funded rental car facilities through general airport revenues. Over time, as rental operations grew and dedicated rental centers were built, airports began charging targeted fees for a few key reasons:

To fund the construction and maintenance of rental car centers and shuttle systems
To reduce the financial burden on airlines and non-rental travelers
To ensure rental car companies pay for the commercial advantage of being on airport property

As a result, airport rentals are often more expensive than similar rentals at off-airport locations, largely because of these extra facility and concession fees.

Types of Airport-Related Car Rental Fees

When you see an “airport access fee,” it may be one of several fees or a combination of them:

Airport Access/Concession Fee	Customer Facility Charge (CFC)	Transportation Fee	Premium Location Surcharge
A percentage-of-revenue charge passed through as a line item.	A flat per-day or per-rental fee to pay for multilevel garages, consolidated rental centers, or shuttle systems.	A fee for the use of shared shuttle systems from the terminal to the rental car center.	A fee sometimes bundled with access fees to reflect the convenience of on-airport pickup.

Common Misconceptions About Airport Access Fees

“It is a government tax.”
It is often not a tax set by a government but a commercial fee from the airport concession agreement—even if it looks like a tax.

“The rental company invented this fee for profit.”
The fee originates with the airport. While rental companies may add an administrative fee or margin, the base cost comes from the airport authority.

“It is optional and can be removed if I ask.”
If the rental was booked as an airport rental, the fee is usually not optional. The only real way to avoid it is to rent from an off-airport location.

Why Airport Access Fees Matter

Companies that use airport access fee data typically see better cost control and more accurate travel budgeting.

Here is why:

Total Trip Cost Visibility

Airport access fees can add several percentage points to car rental spend. Knowing where these fees appear helps you fairly compare airport versus off-airport options.

Policy Design and Approvals

When you understand that on-airport rentals carry higher fixed fees, you can set rules, such as:

Allowing off-airport rentals for longer trips
Using ride-hail or public transit for short stays

Supplier Negotiations

Detailed visibility into airport fees versus base rates helps you:

Negotiate better overall packages with rental suppliers
Fairly compare different vendors at the same airport

Budgeting and Forecasting

Finance teams can:

Forecast a more accurate cost per trip and cost per traveler
Avoid underestimating car rental budgets due to “hidden” airport charges

Compliance and Traveler Education

When employees understand that these are expected charges—not “gotchas”—they are less likely to dispute them and more likely to book in-policy. Modern platforms like Navan help by surfacing the full, estimated total cost, including airport fees, at the time of booking.

How Airport Access Fees Work in Practice

How the Fee Is Created

1. The airport sets the rules. The airport authority designs a commercial program for rental car companies that includes access to:

Access roads and curb space
An on-site rental car center
Signs and counters in the terminal

2. The rental company signs a concession agreement. This agreement commits the rental company to pay the airport one of the following:

A percentage of airport rental revenue
A per-transaction or per-day fee
Both

3. The rental company builds the fee into its pricing. To recover this cost, the company:

Factors it into its pricing model
Usually lists it as a separate fee on invoices

4. The traveler sees the fee on the rental bill. On the renter’s invoice, it shows up with labels like:

“Airport Access Fee”
“Concession Recovery Fee”
“Customer Facility Charge”

Manual vs. Automated: Navigating Rental Costs & Policy Compliance

Feature	Traditional / Manual Approach	Modern / Automated (e.g., Navan)
Booking Visibility	Hidden costs: Only shows base rates; airport/facility fees are often excluded from initial search results.	Full transparency: Displays estimated total price, including all mandatory airport fees, at the time of search.
Vendor Comparison	Fragmented: Hard to compare airport vs. off-airport locations without multiple searches.	Integrated: Side-by-side comparisons of airport and off-airport options.
Policy Compliance	Manual enforcement: Managers must manually check if a rental was the most cost-effective choice after the fact.	Real-time guidance: Automatically highlights in-policy options based on cost thresholds (e.g., 15% savings rule).
Expense Filing	Prone to error: Manual entry; travelers may hide or misclassify fees to avoid rejection.	Automated: Invoices are imported and categorized (Base vs. Fees) without manual data entry.
Finance Review	Confusion: Extra line items cause friction between travelers and the finance team.	Streamlined: Clearly categorized data allows for faster, "no-touch" approvals.
Data Analytics	Limited: Fees are often lumped into a generic "Taxes" bucket, obscuring the real cost of premiums.	Granular: Detailed reporting on total fees by location, vendor, and potential savings from policy shifts.

The shift from manual to automated processes moves the company from reactive policing (questioning receipts after the money is spent) to proactive management (guiding travelers to the best choice before they book).

Common Challenges and Solutions

Challenge 1: Travelers See Airport Access Fees as “Hidden Charges”

This happens when booking tools show low base rates without clear fee breakdowns.

Solution:

Use platforms that show the total estimated cost up front, including airport fees.
Educate travelers with short FAQs or onboarding materials. Modern platforms like Navan address this by surfacing full-cost comparisons during a search.

Challenge 2: Difficulty Comparing Airport Versus Off-Airport Rentals

The root cause is that fees show only at checkout or on receipts, making up-front comparisons hard.

Solution:

Standardize internal comparisons on the total cost per day, not just the base rate.
Use tools that calculate and display all known taxes and fees at the time of the search.

Challenge 3: Miscategorized Expenses in Finance Systems

This happens when all extra line items get coded as “miscellaneous fees” or “taxes.”

Solution:

Define clear expense categories: base rental, insurance, fuel, airport fees, and taxes.
Configure your expense tool to automatically map common fee labels (e.g., “CFC” or “concession fee”) into the right buckets.

Challenge 4: Employees Disputing or Trying to Remove Fees

The root cause is a lack of clarity on whether these fees are allowed and non-negotiable.

Solution:

Add a short note in your travel policy confirming that airport access fees are expected and reimbursable when rentals are in-policy.
Provide an example receipt in training materials to show what “normal” looks like.

Challenge 5: Overspending at Airports With Very High Fees

Some airports charge much higher access and facility fees than others.

Solution:

Use reporting to identify high-fee locations.
Adjust policy to consider ride-hail, public transit, or off-airport rentals where safe and practical.
Work with rental partners or TMCs to find better-structured options.

Aspect	Airport Access Fee	Customer Facility Charge (CFC)	Taxes (e.g., Sales Tax)
Who Charges It	Airport authority (via the rental company)	Airport authority or a local body	Government (state, city, or federal)
Purpose	To pay for the right to operate and access airport roads and facilities	To fund specific facilities, like rental car centers, garages, or shuttles	To raise public revenue
How It Appears	A percentage or flat fee on the rental bill	A flat per-day or per-rental fee on the bill	A percentage of the taxable amount
Negotiable in Contracts?	Sometimes indirectly via rate packages	Rarely	No, it is set by law
Can Travelers Avoid It?	By renting off-airport	By renting off-airport or using other transport	Only by avoiding the taxable transaction

When to care about each:

Focus on airport access fees when you are:	Focus on CFCs when:	Focus on taxes when:
Comparing on-airport versus off-airport rentals. Negotiating with rental vendors at specific airports.	You see large flat daily charges even on low base rates. You analyze the cost of multiday rentals at airports with big rental centers.	You design budgets or compare locations across states and countries

Focus on airport access fees when you are:

Focus on CFCs when:

Focus on taxes when:

Comparing on-airport versus off-airport rentals.

Negotiating with rental vendors at specific airports.

You see large flat daily charges even on low base rates.

You analyze the cost of multiday rentals at airports with big rental centers.

You design budgets or compare locations across states and countries

Understanding airport access fees is easier when you know these related concepts:

Car Rental Surcharge: Any extra fee added to the base rental rate, including airport access fees, energy recovery fees, and licensing fees. An airport access fee is one specific type of surcharge tied to airport operations.
Customer Facility Charge (CFC): A per-day or per-rental fee used to pay for rental car centers, garages, or shuttle systems at airports. It often appears next to airport access fees on an invoice.
Concession Recovery Fee: A fee that rental car companies charge to recover what they pay the airport for the right to operate there. In many cases, this is effectively the same as an airport access fee but is just labeled differently.
Travel Policy: Your company’s rules for booking and paying for travel. Clear policies can state when airport rentals are allowed and whether off-airport options are preferred to reduce airport access fees.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of a Trip: The full cost of a business trip, including base fares, taxes, and all fees (like airport access fees). A TCO analysis helps you make smarter decisions about whether airport rentals are worth the extra cost.
Per Diem: A daily allowance for meals and incidentals. While a per diem usually excludes transportation costs like rental cars, understanding both helps you see the full cost picture for each traveler per day.
Ground Transportation: All ways of getting from the airport to a destination, including rental cars, taxis, ride-hail, shuttles, and public transit. Airport access fees are one of the reasons that rental cars can be more expensive than other ground transport options.
Expense Management Platform: Software used to submit, approve, and analyze expenses. Modern platforms like Navan Expense help you automatically capture and categorize airport access fees so that finance teams do not have to parse each receipt manually.