We had a pretty positive experience renting a car at Phoenix Sky-Harbor airport this week. The shuttle is now picking up on the airport side of the street, so you don’t have to cross over the busy airport road with you luggage. A bus was waiting with a helpful driver and was only around one-third full. Seems like the travel downturn is helping cut the crowds and improve the service for Phoenix rental cars.

Once on the bus, it was exactly a 15 minute ride with about a 5 minute wait for the bus to push off. The driver gave some good help unloading bags.

For a Hertz compact (booked on Priceline at $19 per day) – Hertz gave us a grey-green Chevy Cobalt four door. It’s a basic car, and matches what they would show for a compact. No upgrades were offered, but they did try to push the insurance scare tactics a bit. The car got great mileage – around 25 mpg, and fit luggage easily. Condition in side the car was average – a few stains needed cleaning. All in all – a great deal for $19 on a good car to get around. Not the most stylish thing however…