March 31, 2024 - Happy Easter! Easter Sunday (today!) marks the arrival of the Easter Bunny, an event that easily overshadows any other significance of the day - at least for five year olds, if no one else. 

THE END OF THE BUSY WINTER TRAVEL SEASON

For Maui, Easter also marks the unofficial end of the busy winter season, and the start of the spring "shoulder season." Many of our snowbird customers, who winter here, have taken flight to head back home in just the last few days, and the spring breakers will be headed back over the next week or so. Looking forward, we expect to see the normal shoulder season lull taking shape over the coming period.

WHAT IS THE SHOULDER SEASON FOR MAUI TRAVEL?

What exactly is "shoulder season?" Well just as the human body has a shoulder on each side of the head, the travel season has a peak with periods of lower activity on either side. The peak for Maui is January, February, and March. The months on either side of that are the shoulder season. For those in the know, it's a great time to visit Maui, with lower prices and lower crowds. And you can look for airfares to dip lower during those periods too. So if you've been on the fence, right now is a great time to plan that (relatively) low-cost leisurely getaway to our beautiful island destination.

Things will be going quiet between now and Memorial Day (May 31). Visitor levels (and car rental rates) should pick up again slightly in mid-June, ahead of the July 4 Independence Day Holiday - but it's a much smaller peak than the main winter peak.

We expect Maui's car rental rates for the shoulder season (April and May) to be very soft this year. On top of the normal seasonal decline in rates, there are still lasting effects from the devastating Lahaina wildfires of last summer, and a long-term decline in visitor numbers. 

THIS WEEK'S LOWEST ADVERTISED RATES FOR MAUI CAR RENTAL

Maui car rental rates are in their third consecutive week of decline from a peak four weeks ago - a definite pull-back. This week's lowest advertised rates for a one-week rental from Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG), beginning Monday 4/1:
Off-airport (with shuttle) $229.07 (down ~$10).
Airport Rentacar Center $301.02 (down ~$70).
Source: Rentalcars.com

WHICH MAUI CAR RENTAL COMPANIES DOES THIS SURVEY COVER?

This survey covers companies that operate from the airport and are included in the popular travel aggregator websites like Travelocity, Expedia, Kayak, and Rentalcars.com. This includes the major car rental companies like Hertz, Alamo, Enterprise, Budget, Avis, and so on - they all meet the requirements for the aggregator websites. It does not include locally-owned and operated companies. If you want to "go local," check our blog post of April 21, 2024 - Cheapest Rates from Local Maui Car Rental Companies - April 2024.