Quick Summary:
- Check line items labelled Customer Facility Charge, CFC, or Facility Fee.
- Look for Airport Concession Fee or Concession Recovery within taxes.
- Compare pay-now amounts against pay-at-counter totals shown on vouchers.
- Confirm whether fees are per day, per rental, or capped.
When you arrange car hire in Orlando, the headline price can look very different from the final total once airport-related fees are added. Two of the most common are the Customer Facility Charge (often shortened to CFC) and airport concession fees (sometimes described as concession recovery fees). They are not the same as standard sales tax, and they can appear in different places depending on the supplier, broker, or the document you are reading.
This guide breaks down where these airport fees usually appear on quotes and vouchers, what the labels mean, and how to compare like-for-like before you commit to a booking. If you are collecting at Orlando International Airport, using an Orlando MCO page such as car hire at Orlando Airport (MCO) can help you focus on airport collection terms and totals that commonly include these charges.
What is a Customer Facility Charge (CFC)?
A Customer Facility Charge is a fee many airports levy to fund transport and rental facilities. In Orlando, it is typically associated with the rental car centre and the systems and infrastructure that support it. The key point for travellers is not the politics of the fee, but how it is calculated and where it appears.
CFCs are often charged on a per-day basis, sometimes with a cap after a certain number of days. That matters because a seven-day quote can look close to a five-day quote until you notice the CFC accumulating daily. When you compare offers, scan for phrases like “Customer Facility Charge”, “CFC”, “Facility Charge”, or “Customer Facility Fee”.
CFCs may be collected at the counter even when you have prepaid the rental itself, so it is essential to identify whether the amount is already included in your upfront total or is due on arrival.
What is an airport concession fee?
An airport concession fee is typically the rental company passing on part of what it pays the airport for the right to operate on airport property. It may be described as “Airport Concession Fee”, “Concession Fee”, “Concession Recovery Fee”, or “Airport Access Fee” depending on the supplier and the paperwork format.
This fee is often calculated as a percentage of the rental charges, and sometimes certain extras. That means it can vary more than a flat daily fee. If you add optional items like an extra driver or a higher vehicle class, a percentage-based concession fee might increase too. This is why two quotes with similar base rates can diverge at checkout.
Where airport fees hide on quotes, step-by-step
To spot CFCs and concession fees, treat your quote like a mini audit. The aim is to find the full “payable total” for your exact pickup location and understand whether any part is due later.
1) Start with the pickup location line. Airport fees are linked to airport pickup. If the pickup is “Orlando International Airport (MCO)”, expect airport-related line items. If the pickup is off-airport, those specific fees may be different, reduced, or not present. A general listing like car hire Orlando MCO can be a useful reference point because it is explicitly tied to airport collection.
2) Find the price breakdown or taxes section. Many websites show a headline “Total” first, then a collapsible section called “Taxes and fees”, “Local fees”, or “Estimated charges”. Expand everything. CFC and concession fees commonly sit in these sections, not beside the base rate.
3) Search for abbreviations. If your voucher or quote is dense, scan for “CFC” and “CONC”. Some suppliers use internal labels that look like codes. If you cannot find the fee name, look for any line item that is clearly airport-related and has either a per-day multiplier or a percentage.
4) Identify what is included in “Pay now” vs “Pay at counter”. Brokers often separate what you pay in advance from what you pay locally. Airport charges frequently land in “Pay at counter”, even when your rental days are prepaid. Your comparison should always be total cost, not just the prepaid portion.
5) Check the units. CFC is frequently shown as “X.XX per day”. Concession fees may be “Y% of time and mileage” or similar wording. If the quote does not state the basis, assume it may change with rental length or optional extras and read the terms.
How these fees appear on vouchers and rental agreements
Once you have booked, your voucher is the next place to verify the numbers. Vouchers commonly include three relevant areas: inclusions, exclusions, and “pay on arrival” items. Airport-related charges are often listed under exclusions or payable locally.
On the rental agreement at the counter, the same fees may appear under a heading like “Surcharges”, “Concession”, “Facility”, or “Airport fees”. If you want to check you are being charged what you expected, compare the label and calculation method, for example per day or percentage, with what you saw earlier.
Vehicle choice can also influence how noticeable these fees are. With larger vehicles, the base rate may be higher, so a percentage-based concession fee can be higher too. If you are comparing people carriers, reviewing a specific category page like minivan rental Orlando MCO helps you keep the vehicle class consistent while you compare fee structures across suppliers.
How to compare totals like-for-like before booking
The simplest way to compare car hire offers fairly is to build one consistent checklist and use it for every quote.
Compare the same pickup and return points. Airport vs city centre is often the biggest driver of fee differences. Even within the airport area, ensure the quote clearly states MCO pickup.
Compare the same payment structure. If one quote includes all taxes and fees in a prepaid total and another has a cheaper prepaid total but adds airport fees at the counter, the second can look better than it is. Always add the “pay at counter” items into your comparison total.
Compare on the same rental length and timings. A per-day CFC changes with each day. Also, some rentals count partial days differently depending on grace periods and exact pickup times.
Keep extras constant. If you add extras to one quote but not another, percentage-based concession fees can move. Even when you do not plan to add extras, check how the quote handles optional items because it can hint at how other surcharges are computed.
Look for clarity in the fee list. Transparent breakdowns make it easier to verify totals. If you are comparing specific suppliers, viewing a supplier landing page such as Alamo car hire Orlando MCO can help you keep supplier terms consistent while you check how airport charges are presented across documents.
FAQ
Are Customer Facility Charges the same as airport concession fees? No. A CFC is usually a facility funding charge, often per day. Concession fees are typically a recovery of airport operating costs, often percentage-based.
Will I always pay these fees when collecting at Orlando MCO? If your pickup is at Orlando International Airport, airport-related surcharges are common. Whether they are prepaid or paid locally depends on the deal and how the quote is structured.
Where should I look first on a voucher to find airport fees? Check the sections labelled exclusions, local charges, or pay at counter. Then confirm whether any “taxes and fees” are included in the prepaid total.
Can the CFC or concession fee change at the counter? It can if the fee is calculated per day and your rental length changes, or if a percentage-based fee applies to items added locally. Keeping times, days, and extras consistent reduces surprises.
How do I compare two Orlando car hire quotes fairly? Compare the same pickup location, rental length, vehicle class, and payment structure. Add any pay-at-counter airport charges to the prepaid amount to create a true total.
