On arrival, our greeter (you know the deal, they have a card with your name and welcome you to paradise with a lei of flowers around your neck) had long left and we just mutteled our way over to the Avis bus.
Remembering, again, that our reservations were made months ago (and that I am a preferred member with Avis) we were quickly shuffled into a red Pontiac G6... which, we discovered on the drive to the hotel, had only previously been rented by families of chain smokers. Every time we turned on the heater or air conditioner (you'll need both) we were blasted with stale smoke forcing us to roll down the windows to let the heaviest contamination pass.
My profile with Avis tells of my preference for economy cars (the G6 certainly doesn't qualify and, with the island's gas price at nearly $4 a gallon economy cars should be the rule, if not hybrid or electric cars!), non-smoking and, if available (and reasonable) convertibles. I got none of these things. Upon return, the desk clerk assured me that had I put these requested things in when reserving the car, they would be honored. Looking into my profile, she saw that I had indeed done so, and offered me $50 AvisDollars to keep my business. She then totaled out my prepaid bill... and said I owed another $50. The rate I'd pre-paid, she claimed, did not include the local taxes and fees. Had I known this I would have rented elsewhere for $50 takes Avis from a reasonable price for service to several dollars above the most expensive of all the firms I quoted. Checking after the trip, I see that my confirmation from Avis says "All taxes and fees included" so =sigh= looks like another little discussion will be required to keep them from playing fast and loose with tired travelers looking to cash out and head home.
The return of the car was uneventful.
MCI has added a new wrinkle to car rental with a completely superfluous additional terminal just for the rental agencies. Step on the bus with the company logo where you parked and you'll be taken to another rental counter directly the opposite direction from the lot where you're parked. To get to that lot, you'll need to take their bus back to the airport and find the smaller bus with their logo on it - which only comes when called.
We were home inside an hour and looking at the snow, wishing we burning our butts in Kona again right away.
POSTSCRIPT
Avis, chagrinned at the posting of additional charges on my pre-paid rental, sent along ANOTHER $50 ($100 total) to be used against future rentals (but it does expire in six months - so I may be looking to trade them).
This is A WHOLE LOT better than either the HILTON or US Airways did in trying to keep our business.
Go Avis!
(BEWARE personal opinions ARE subject to change!)