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Shortage of rental cars
Abbie Mandell of Hicksville is planning a family trip to Hawaii. For weeks, she has been trying to book an SUV for when they arrive. But she hasn't found any available.
HICKSVILLE, N.Y. - More than 37 million Americans will be traveling over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend and the majority will do it by car, according to AAA.
"90% of those 34 million will be driving to their destination," AAA Northeast spokesman Robert Sinclair Jr. said.
He said far more people will be hitting the road this year compared to last year but it will still be about 8% below 2019's numbers.
The travel, however, could be a little complicated for those planning to rent a car this summer.
A global microchip shortage has affected car production, leaving car rental parking lots pretty empty.
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Abbie Mandell of Hicksville is planning a family trip to Hawaii. For weeks, she has been trying to book an SUV for when they arrive.
"We can't find anything," she said. "We wound up renting a car, a little car, for five people for over $1,600 for seven days," she said.
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Mandell said that in the past she rented a car for $600 for the same number of days.
Another family told FOX 5 NY they are facing the same problem. They're planning a trip to Las Vegas in August. If they want to rent a car during their stay, it will cost them $500 a day. Usually, it is about $30 a day, they said.
It also has not helped that many rental companies sold off most of their fleet last year when travel crashed due to the pandemic.
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Summer travel challenges
As vaccinations rise, Americans are eager to get out of the house and travel. You may have problems making plans if you wait too long.