A REAL EYE-OPENER

I’m flying back to Texas next month and need to rent a car. Here’s the cost summary for an 8-day rental from Houston International Airport (IAH):

One week @ $141.68 /week - $141.68
Plus one day @ $22.99 /day - $22.99

Total? $164.67, a bit over $20 /day. Sounds reasonable, right?

Oh, wait. I forgot to add in the estimated taxes and fees from the booking agency. Here they are, unchanged from the rental confirmation:

4.49 BUS COST REC FEE - $4.49 /rental
24.00 FACILITY CHARGE - $24.00 /rental
11.11 PCT CONCESSN RECOV FEE - $20.70 /rental
3.60 ENERGY RECOVERY FEE - $3.60 /rental
13.52 FLEET RECOVERY FEE - $13.52 /rental
10.00 PCT RENTAL TAX - $23.10 /rental
5.00 PCT COUNTY RENTAL TAX - $11.55 /rental

Total? $100.96, 38% of the total rental charges of $265.63.

The booking company helpfully added that “The taxes and fees are calculated by the rental car company at the time of booking. It is possible that some charges may change by the time you pick up the car.”

The round-trip airfare is less ....