In case you haven’t learned the hard way, dropping off your rental car at the airport with an empty tank can cost you more in gas than your airfare. The default rate for Avis at Newark Liberty International Airport, for example, is about $8 a gallon — that’s $96 for a 12-gallon tank, $10 more than a one-way flight from Newark to Richmond, Va., on U.S. Airways.

But starting next month, motorists rushing to drop off their rentals — or anyone else, for that matter — will be able buy gas at the airport for the first time since 2005.

On Aug. 2, a Long Island company will open a station along Express Road at Newark Liberty, just inside the airport entrance from Routes 1&9. The site will include a convenience store, a car wash, service bay for oil and tire changes, arrival and departure boards, 62 parking spaces and, of course, gasoline and other fuels.

For some motorists picking up passengers, the site can serve as a free alternative to short-term parking or laps around the airport loop road. Motorists will be able to wait for up to 10 minutes at the site for a cell phone call from in-laws, bosses or spouses telling them they’re out in front of the terminal ready to be picked up.

(Source: NJ Star Ledger)