The rental car facility which is long-awaiting is set to open today at the Big Island’s airport. Moreover, the passenger experience will be improving. Today, a long-awaiting $377 million rental car facility is set to open at the local airport. Moreover, the officials say it did improve the passenger experience.

Rental Car Facility Blessing Ceremony

Attending a blessing ceremony, Governor David Ige, and state officials for the building Tuesday. They touted the new, five-story Consolidated Rental Car Facility which includes 4,600 stalls.

Economic Opportunities

“Modernization such as this CONRAC should be celebrating because it creates economic opportunity for our communities by putting people to work and also by increasing capacity for on-site services and creating more jobs here on the facility,” Ige said, at the ceremony.

The passenger experience of the facility is improving for the approximately 257,000 visitors and residents that come through the airport in just a month of October alone. This is what Ige said.

Rental Vehicle Staging and Storage Area

A rental vehicle staging and storage area at the 1.8 million-square-foot facility. There is also a ground transportation center for airport customers. Also a spot for washing and fueling rental cars.

“Besides the fact it really does provide flexibility. It is a car rental facility. It is downstairs with the availability of having tour companies use it. Therefore, is also a passenger pickup. Moreover, it does really offer a real versatility to this facility. This is what the state Department of Transportation spokesman Jai Cunningham.

There are four to five buses for shuttling customers to and from the facility. Then there is a terminal area.

In 2016, construction when the project began.

However, there have been delays. Those first were causing by a bid protest.

“In fact, we did have some environmental issues as well,” said Ross Higashi. Higashi is the deputy director for the state Department of Transportation’s Airports Division.