Five rental brands sit directly outside CID’s Main Terminal doors
At The Eastern Iowa Airport, the on-airport rental car center sits just across the roadway from the Main Terminal baggage claim, so you walk there in about 2–3 minutes. Counters usually open around the first departures of the day, often by 5:00 a.m., and most follow flight schedules into the late evening. Because everything is on-airport, you skip any 10–15 minute shuttle ride that you’d deal with at bigger hubs.
Most national chains run here, typically including Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, and National, each with counters in the same small rental area beside baggage claim. You return cars to the marked rental lot in front of the Main Terminal, with a short walk back under covered sidewalks. Pricing swings a lot on Hawkeyes home-game weekends in Iowa City and on weekday business traffic into Cedar Rapids, so a compact that’s $45 a day midweek in February can easily double around September–November football dates.
Pick-ups and returns happen on the same ground-level lot, directly opposite the Main Terminal doors 1–2, which keeps arrival-to-keys time under 15 minutes when lines are short. Fuel options sit close: there’s a gas station within about 2 miles along Wright Brothers Blvd E, which helps you avoid the higher airport refill rates that can run $3–4 per gallon over local pump prices. Most counters at CID now push toll road and damage waiver add-ons hard, even though you likely won’t hit toll roads on I-380 or I-80 near Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.
Step-by-step: renting a car at CID
- 1. Deplane into the Main Terminal and walk to baggage claim on the lower level; the walk is under 5 minutes from most gates.
- 2. Collect checked bags from the single baggage carousel area, then follow signs for “Rental Cars” about 50–100 feet away.
- 3. Pick your company counter, present your driver’s license and credit card, and confirm mileage limits and fuel policy before signing.
- 4. Walk across the roadway via the crosswalk to the rental car lot; most spaces are within a 1–2 minute walk from the counters.
- 5. Inspect the car for damage, photograph any scrapes or dents, and check that the fuel level matches the contract before leaving the lot.
- 6. On return, follow airport signs for “Rental Car Return” and park in your company’s marked section in front of the Main Terminal.
- 7. Leave the keys with an attendant or in the drop box, grab your bags, and walk the 2–3 minutes back to the Main Terminal check-in area.
One practical move: take photos of the odometer and fuel gauge when you return the car at CID, which cuts down on any later billing questions from the on-airport rental car center.