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‘Nobody had cars’: Drivers frustrated as car rental chaos ensues at Atlanta airport

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CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Frustrated travelers arriving at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport on Tuesday found it extremely difficult to rent a car.

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“I went to every counter upstairs, and nobody had cars. The last time I saw this before was during (COVID-19) when they sold off car fleets,” said car rental customer James Owen.

At the car rental center, the aisles of many agencies were empty. At other counters, people stood in line, not knowing when or if they would get a car.

“They just said they don’t have cars. I think what they said (is) there’s a truck coming to bring back cars. I’m not sure,” said car rental customer Fulya Patrick.

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Some customers said they were told many travelers had booked one-way rentals following last week’s winter storm that led to the cancelation and delay of flights.

“They gave out a lot of cars, and not a lot of them came back,” said rental car customer Norma Chan.

Many car rental customers had to arrange a ride share to get to their destination.

Channel 2 Action News reached out to major rental car companies, including Hertz, Avis, Enterprise and Alamo for an explanation of the car rental shortage and is waiting to hear back.

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