Here is a brief summary of some recent airport proposals to move their car rental facilities away from the terminal:
* San Francisco International. With the construction of a new international terminal under way, the five on-airport car rental companies are operating temporarily at a remote site half a mile away. A new, multileveled shared facility, located a mile from the terminal, is scheduled to open in August 1998. It will accommodate eight companies and be accessed by an airport shuttle bus, which will be replaced by a light-rail system in 2001.
* Albuquerque International Sunport. The airport authority plans to build a second terminal on the site currently operated by the car rental agencies. If the project is approved by the city of Albuquerque, a car rental facility would be erected a mile from the present terminal, accessible by buses fueled by compressed natural gas. No timetable has been set for the project.
* Dallas/Fort Worth International. There are plans to replace the two current remote car rental facilities with a single structure, located two miles from the terminal just south of the airport's southern entrance. The structure would provide more space, allowing for more on-airport firms than the current four. An airport bus, similar to the one that operates today, would serve the site. The building could be operational within two years, according to an airport spokesperson.
* Logan International. Massport, the agency that oversees the Boston airport's operations, is considering a proposal to consolidate the car rental companies into a remote, multilevel garage. The agency hasn't decided whether an airport bus or vans operated by the car rental companies would convey renters to the site.
* Phoenix Sky Harbor International. The airport authority is considering the construction of a remote car rental facility, but it wouldn't be operational until after 2005. A spokesperson said it would take a few years just to acquire the property.
* Minneapolis/St. Paul International. The airport authority plans to extend the concourse and gates onto the site that is now occupied by the car rental companies. It is considering two options: building a shared car rental facility a half mile from the terminal, accessible by airport shuttle buses, or constructing a facility that's closer and reached by a people mover directly from the terminal.
* Detroit Metropolitan. With a $1.6 billion terminal plan in the works, Detroit hasn't yet resolved how it would handle car rental. The plan probably won't be implemented until at least the end of 2000, so it will be years before there is a change.