ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Maybe it's just me, but I never travel for business and have no elite status...and still I rarely if ever have a line at the car counter. At most I might wait 5 minutes. And depending on the company (I use Alamo and budget usually) some just tell you to go pick out whatever car you want in the size category. We are usually driving from the airport in less than 30 minutes from touch down. Maybe we've just been lucky.
You are not that unusual in your experiences, It really depends on time of day/year for lines at the counter early morning or early evening can be brutal as that's when the bulk of the business travelers arrive.
I'm usually out of MCO from the gate in 20-25 minutes and that includes a stop at Starbucks or Au Bon Pain for coffee
for the record my preference is National, As long as you are a member you can just pick any car from the Emerald Aisle and go as long as you specify midsize, If you are Executive/Executive elite there is a better selection of cars usually including SUV/Crossovers.