The newly opened, $210 million facility offers easier access to rental cars and more public parking – and in the future it will also provide improved access to public transit.
“With the introduction of the ground transportation center, we have created a more efficient and overall better and more welcoming passenger experience,” said Kevin A. Dillon, A.A.E., Executive Director of the Connecticut Airport Authority. “At the core of this major improvement is user-friendly rental car access, more general parking, a friendlier environmental footprint, and plans for better access to public transportation in the future. After five years of planning and construction, we are thrilled to showcase this new amenity to our travelers.”
The ground transportation center is located adjacent to the airport’s main terminal, Terminal A, and spans across 13.4 acres. It has five floors and is comprised of dedicated space for rental cars, public parking and future, improved access to public transit. The majority of the facility space is allocated for rental car operations, which include a customer service building, a dedicated area for vehicle drop off and pick-up called “ready return,” and a “quick turnaround facility” which houses fueling and car washing services.
Nine rental car brands, including Avis, Enterprise and Hertz, along with their affiliate brands, have relocated to the facility, occupying all but the ground floor. Their operations are now fully streamlined under one roof and include nearly 2,800 rental car spaces, nine car washes, 36 fueling positions, and more than 50 electric vehicle charging stations. Since all brands are now located within walking distance from Terminal A, more than a quarter million estimated shuttle bus operations will be eliminated annually.
“Avis Budget Group is excited to offer BDL customers innovative opportunities to simplify and enhance the rental car experience,” said Anne Morrison, Avis Head of Airports NA. “Enhanced mobile application, counter by-pass, automated exit gates, and electric vehicle opportunities are just some of the benefits customers see. Kudos to airport leadership for the vision and commitment to making this state-of- the- art facility a reality.”
“Providing the highest level of customer service is ingrained in everything we do as a company,” said John Byrne, Vice President and General Manager at Enterprise Holdings. “The opening of this state-of-the-art facility will allow us to better service our customers and improve access to the brands they know and love including Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car.”
“The new Bradley Airport consolidated rental car facility will save travelers time and offer a wide range of vehicles to choose from,” said Steve Blum, Hertz Senior VP Real Estate & Facilities. “As more customers seek to rent electric vehicles, Hertz will offer a variety of cars from Tesla, Polestar, GM and Hyundai and look to have 30% of our entire fleet be electric by the end of 2024.”
In addition to improved access to rental cars and reduction in carbon dioxide emissions due to fewer shuttle bus operations, the new facility has also increased the airport’s overall parking availability by ten percent with the addition of 830 new general parking spots. More than half of those are covered and all are within a short walking distance to/from Terminal A.
The airport has also relocated charter bus operations from the arrivals roadway to the new ground transportation center, further reducing traffic congestion. In the future, there will be also a dedicated area that will be used to receive high-frequency buses connecting the airport to the CTRail line, as well as regional bus services.
The facility was constructed in partnership with ConRac Solutions, WSP USA, Inc., Austin Commercial, KBE Building Corporation and PGAL.
No taxpayer funds have been used to pay for the facility; it is financed solely by customer facility charge revenues.
