Car hire customers at O’Hare International Airport could soon see the price of renting a vehicle increase by between $6 and $8. The increased charges have been requested as one of the ways in which to help pay for airport expansion plans. The additional fees have been requested by Mayor Richard Daley.

Car rental customers already have to pay a flat fee of $2.75 on vehicles hired at O’Hare, on top of an 8 per cent tax. The new charges will be used to fund the building of a brand new consolidated rental centre at the airport. By moving all rental services into one location, the airport will be able to proceed with plans to build two new runways.

Currently, half-a-dozen car rental firms offer their services from different buildings around the airport. The new dedicated rental centre will be built on what is at present Parking Lot F, on the corner of Zemke Road and Manheim Road.

General council for the department of aviation, Jonathan Leach, said that the new fees could be rolled out to customers within the next two months. He defended the fees by saying that other airports around the country, who were also building dedicated rental facilities, were also adding charges.

When the facility is opened, customers will use a single shuttle bus service, rather than the separate services currently run by the individual rental companies. The new facility will cost around $393 million to build, with an additional $70 million needed to improve infrastructure.