Flight delayed? Here’s what you need to do
By Vroom Team • Reviewed 05 Mar 2026
Sometimes the best laid holiday plans don’t quite work out, and if your flight is running late, there’s some important information you need to know.
Delayed flights are nothing new, whether you’re flying into busy airports like Brisbane Airport, Melbourne Airport, or Sydney Airport, but if you’re worried about losing your car rental booking after getting delayed, that’s understandable. In this VroomVroomVroom guide, we’ll help you understand what happens to your hire car booking if your flight gets delayed.
Airport vs. non-airport depots: how do they handle delayed flights?
On-airport and off-airport rental car providers differ in how they handle delayed flights, including late pickups and cancelled bookings that may result from them. If you’ve booked a rental car pickup at the airport or with an off-airport provider, read on to know their differences.
Late or cancelled airport pickup
To manage on-airport pickups, providers ask for your flight number with your rental car booking. If you failed to provide a flight number when you made your booking, we recommend you contact your provider and let them know as this will allow them to track your arrival schedule and know if your flight is running late.
Airport rental car bookings often have a grace period of 30 minutes, and if you haven’t arrived by then, and the rental provider doesn’t have your flight details, they may mark you as a no-show, meaning your rental booking is forfeited and the reserved vehicle will be offered to walk-in customers.
For rebooked and diverted flights due to storms and other emergencies, providers may recommend cancelling your rental and creating a new booking. Know that new bookings won’t guarantee that you’ll receive the car you initially reserved as car availability on-airport changes daily.
How non-airport rental car depots handle late pickups
Some off-airport providers don’t check flights unless the customer has booked a car pickup prior to their flight. In such cases, we suggest informing them of your scheduled arrival time beforehand or contacting them as soon as your plane touches down. Most off-airport providers tend to have stricter closing times, so once you hear about your flight delay, immediately let your provider know whether your pickup time needs to be changed — or else you may need to make a new booking.
What's a no-show?
When you don’t arrive to collect your rental car and fail to notify the provider of your arrival status, you may be tagged as a no-show. As rentals are paid on pickup, you won't be charged for the booking when you miss your hire car collection schedule — but your booking will be cancelled without refund, meaning you will need to book a new car for a different date (unless a car is available for you on the spot.) Check your Rental Agreement’s policy on no-shows when you book a rental car.
Can you pick up your rental car after hours?
Most rental car providers don’t allow after-hours car rental pickup. In special cases that they do, such as emergency late arrivals, you must have booked your rental car in advance and may be required to pay an additional fee.
Some major airports such as Brisbane Airport are open 24 hours a day, while others including Sydney, Adelaide, and Gold Coast Airport have curfews between 11 pm and 6 am. Consider the following as an example of differing car rental opening hours between providers at Brisbane Airport and those in the city.
| Provider | Brisbane | Brisbane Airport |
| Avis | 08:00–17:00 | 05:30–00:00 & 05:30–22:00 |
| Bargain Car Rentals | 08:00–17:00 & 08:00–14:00 | 07:00–21:00 & 08:00–18:00 |
| Budget | 08:00–14:00 & 08:00–17:00 | 05:00–22:00 & 05:30–00:00 |
| Dollar Car Rental | 08:00–17:00 & 08:00–13:00 | 05:00–00:00 |
| East Coast Car Rentals | 08:00–16:00 | 06:00–19:00 & 06:00–22:00 |
| Europcar | 07:30–17:00 & 08:00–12:00 | 06:00–23:00 |
| Everything Fleet | 08:00–16:00 | 07:00–19:00 |
| Hertz | 08:00–13:00 & 08:00–17:00 | 05:00–24:00 |
| Redspot | 08:00–14:00 & 08:00–15:45 | 06:00–22:00 & 07:00–22:00 |
| Sixt | 07:00–16:00 & 08:00–12:00 | 06:00–21:00 & 06:00–23:00 |
| Thrifty Car Rental | 08:00–13:00 & 08:00–17:00 | 05:00–00:00 |
What to do if your flight is delayed
Immediately contact your rental car provider to inform them of your new arrival time, along with your booking confirmation and other flight details. Here are some suggestions on what to do and ask when you contact your provider:
Keep a record of all your conversations with the customer care personnel handling your booking.
Ask about next steps and whether they allow after-hours pickup if you’re arriving outside of business hours
Grace periods vary, so confirm the exact window with your provider when you make the call.
When you book a rental car with VroomVroomVroom, your insurance may cover late pickups if they fall within your insurance’s coverage period. Confirm your insurance policy with your provider before finalising your rental.
Flight cancellation
When your flight gets cancelled and keeps you from picking up your rental car on time, you can cancel your rental car reservation made through VroomVroomVroom and create a new booking at no extra charge.
Managing your booking after a disruption
When you book a car, a confirmation email will be sent to your email address. If you can’t find it, contact our customer care team and ask them to resend your confirmation.
You can modify your car rental booking anytime before the start of your rental period, however any change to your booking may result in a change to your final rental cost. Always remember that booking a rental car well in advance is the best way to get the vehicle ideal for your trip at a reasonable cost. If you book your rental car close to your rental dates, prices may be higher.
What if you get delayed in the airport?
Failing to collect your rental car before the end of the airport pickup grace period can lead to cancellation, regardless of whether customs and immigration, baggage delays, or a missed connecting flight kept you from reaching the rental counter on time. Factor in time for customs, immigration, and baggage collection when choosing your pickup time. If you booked a car with VroomVroomVroom, our customer care team will help you reschedule your rental car pickup time if needed.
Important InformationRenting a car after your flight?
We recommend including your airline and flight information when placing a rental car booking — and some airport rental car providers may require it as a part of their booking process. Providing your flight information means they can check for any delays to your flight, ultimately resulting in a smoother airport pickup experience for you.
About the author
Vroom Team
VroomVroomVroom’s writing team brings together decades of writing expertise to share their insights into travelling around Australia by rental car. Let our team help you get the most out of your rental car experience.
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