Keys at the front desk, not a rental counter
At Colorado Plains Regional (KAKO), the courtesy car runs through the FBO on the Main terminal side, not through a national rental brand or public shuttle desk. Pilots mention “fuel and courtesy car available,” with one report saying the keys sit at the front desk if the car is free. Treat it as a local favor tied to Hayes Aviation’s services rather than a product with fixed hours or a fare table.
There’s no posted journey time or rate because the airport is only a short hop from town, and usage is usually 1–3 hours to grab food, supplies, or a motel. Listings for Colorado airport courtesy cars call out KAKO specifically, which hints this setup is highly local and can change without notice. Expect .00 on the meter in terms of stated cost, but confirm fuel or mileage expectations when you sign it out.
The move is simple: walk into the Main terminal FBO, ask the desk if the courtesy transportation is available, and have your tail number and cell ready. One Colorado listing says the car “is available with keys at the front desk,” so the handoff can be quick when staff are on site. Don’t assume 24/7 coverage; this is small-field rhythm, so staff presence and car status set the rules.
What regulars do: keep the trip tight and local, usually straight into Akron and back, instead of treating the car like a full-day rental. Because airport-courtesy-car notes for Colorado are written field by field, many pilots call the FBO at KAKO a day ahead to ask about same-day availability and any time limits, rather than being surprised after shutdown.
Watch out for fees. One user on a Colorado listing reports being billed for 10 hours of overtime after using a courtesy car for only 4 hours, then getting no resolution after calling back. At KAKO, that means you write down the out and back times, ask clearly what the hourly cap is, and get any overtime rate in writing or at least repeated back by staff before you leave the ramp.
Tip: cap your first run at 2 hours, refuel the courtesy car to the level you found it, and grab a photo of the odometer and fuel gauge before and after; it gives you clean numbers if there’s ever a dispute later.