Geneva Airport Car Rental: Save Money on the French Side (With Caveats)

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Geneva Airport Car Rental: Save Money on the French Side (With Caveats)

Geneva Airport is unusual: it sits right on the French-Swiss border, and the rental car companies have counters on both sides. Renting from the French side is often significantly cheaper than the Swiss side - but there are caveats that can bite you if you don’t plan for them. Here’s the full walkthrough, from baggage claim to the motorway.

Why the French side is cheaper

It’s cheaper to rent in France than in Switzerland - the same companies, the same airport, but French-side rates are often substantially lower. That price gap is the whole reason to bother with the French sector. Everything else in this post is about making sure the savings don’t evaporate into fines or wrong turns.

A very confusing airport design

Fair warning: Geneva Airport has a very confusing design. We arrived on a connecting flight from Paris, and even with the signage it’s easy to end up on the wrong side. Keep your boarding pass handy - you’ll need it to navigate between sectors.

Finding the French rental counters

Head for the Sortie Secteur France / French Sector Exit signs. There’s a special baggage carousel closer to the French exit, and that belt is very close to the French rental counters - convenient if your bags cooperate.

Two things to know: customs is on the Swiss side, and oversized bags (e.g. skis) arrive on the Swiss belts, so if you’re traveling with ski gear you’ll be collecting on the Swiss side regardless.

The rental car lot

From the French counters it’s a long, dingy, covered walk to the rental car lot - follow the “Location de voitures / Car rental” signs. The lot itself is a bit chaotic, with all the car companies operating in the same space, so give yourself extra time at pickup.

The caveats

Here’s where the savings can unravel. French rentals won’t have Swiss motorway toll stickers - the vignette required to drive on Swiss motorways. And in winter, French-side cars won’t come with winter tires or chains, which are required in the mountains.

So: after exiting the airport, don’t get on the motorway. Either take local roads to the French border, or stop at a gas station to buy a vignette before touching a Swiss motorway. Driving a Swiss motorway without one risks a fine that wipes out everything you saved.

Practical notes

GVA straddles the border: rental counters exist on both the French and Swiss sides; French prices are often cheaper.
Navigating the airport: follow “Secteur France / French Sector Exit” signs, keep your boarding pass handy, and note that customs and oversized baggage (e.g. skis) are on the Swiss side.
The French-side car: no Swiss motorway vignette, and in winter no snow tires or chains.
After pickup: don’t get on the motorway - take local roads to the French border, or buy a vignette at a gas station first.
Bottom line: real savings on the French side, as long as you handle the vignette before driving Swiss motorways.

Delta One Business Class on a Narrowbody 757: JFK to Keflavik, Iceland — Flight Review and Europcar Car Rental

Sat, 20 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Delta flies a narrowbody 757 to Iceland — a long way in a single-aisle jet, but in lie-flat Delta One up front the cabin is the same premium seat the airline puts on much longer routes. This short trip video covers the whole journey: JFK Terminal 4 and the Delta Sky Club, the Delta One 757 seat and its trade-offs, the night flight across the Atlantic, landing into low clouds and rain at Keflavik, and the Europcar rental pickup — a Tesla Model Y.

JFK Terminal 4 and the Delta Sky Club

The trip starts at JFK Terminal 4, Delta’s home terminal. Before the flight there’s time in the Delta Sky Club — and the lounge is large, with a full bar, plenty of seating, and a buffet spread. It’s a comfortable place to wait out the evening before an overnight crossing.

Boarding the 757

Boarding is through the jet bridge for the narrowbody 757 — Delta One is up front, of course. It’s a striking thing about this route: no widebody, just the 757 stretched across the North Atlantic.

The Delta One seat: lie-flat, but limited storage

The Delta One cabin on this 757 is the lie-flat business seat — proper bed mode for an overnight flight — set up in the usual narrowbody premium layout. The trade-off the video calls out directly: limited storage, and a very basic amenity kit. There’s a side console with power outlets and USB to keep things charged, but cubby space for personal items is tight.

Amenity kit and onboard service

The amenity kit is a Delta-branded pouch with the basics: a Grown Alchemist skincare pouch, a Humble Co. bamboo toothbrush, and an eye mask. Nothing lavish — but it covers the overnight essentials. On the tray table there’s a pre-departure drink and the meal service to follow.

Departure from JFK, on time

Pushback and takeoff happen on time — the caption in the video makes a point of it. The 757 taxis past the lit-up Terminal 4 ramp and climbs out into the night over New York.

Arrival into Keflavik: low clouds and rain

Morning arrival into Keflavik comes with classic Icelandic weather: low clouds hanging over the lava fields and steady rain on the window. The descent shows the wide, empty Keflavik peninsula below — a stark contrast to the New York skyline left behind.

Getting through KEF: immigration, bags, customs

Keflavik is a compact airport and the walk-through is straightforward. The video’s captions walk the sequence: get through immigration, head down to arrivals — note that baggage claim is through the gift shop, a very KEF touch — and then finally cross the border at customs.

Europcar pickup: a Tesla Model Y

For the Iceland road trip, the rental is a Tesla Model Y from Europcar. Iceland is one of the best places in the world to rent an EV — cheap, abundant geothermal electricity and a solid charging network — so an electric crossover is a natural pick for a Ring Road trip.

Verdict

The narrowbody 757 is a smaller jet than you’d expect on a transatlantic, but Delta One up front makes it a genuinely comfortable overnight: a real lie-flat bed, on-time departure, and the lounge start at JFK. The honest downsides are the ones the video flags — limited seat storage and a basic amenity kit. On the ground, Keflavik is easy to navigate and the Europcar Tesla Model Y pickup gets the Iceland road trip started right away.

Car Rental on Visit Karma

Geneva Airport Car Rental: Save Money on the French Side (With Caveats)

Geneva Airport Car Rental: Save Money on the French Side (With Caveats)

Why the French side is cheaper

A very confusing airport design

Finding the French rental counters

The rental car lot

The caveats

Practical notes

Delta One Business Class on a Narrowbody 757: JFK to Keflavik, Iceland — Flight Review and Europcar Car Rental

JFK Terminal 4 and the Delta Sky Club

Boarding the 757

The Delta One seat: lie-flat, but limited storage

Amenity kit and onboard service

Departure from JFK, on time

Arrival into Keflavik: low clouds and rain

Getting through KEF: immigration, bags, customs

Europcar pickup: a Tesla Model Y

Verdict