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Someday there will be free wireless Internet access at all airports.

We’re getting there – slowly but surely…

Starting today (Friday, May 30) Mineta San José International Airport(SJC) in California begins offering free wireless Internet access. The secure service has 24-hour customer support and is available in most all public areas of Terminal A and Terminal C, except for the Terminal A baggage claim area.

Categories: Wi-Fi
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US Airways just announced a new cost-saving measure: no more free snacks for coach passengers. Complimentary soft drinks are still on the menu, but probably not for long.

Now more than ever, travelers need a little relief.

In my Well-Mannered Traveler column today, I offer a round-up of some of the gas-rebate offers travelers can take advantage of out on the road this summer. The list includes everything from hotels offering gas rebate checks and free car washes to a car rental agency throwing in a free tank of gas.

One offer I didn’t list in today’s column is Kimpton’s “We Got Your Bag” offer. Through September 9^th, the hotel chain is offering travelers rebates of up to $25 to offset those new charges airlines are charging to check-in second bags. There are, of course, some restrictions, so be sure to read the fine print.

Categories: Food, Well-Mannered Traveler
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According to this Newsday story, pieces of the iconic red, white and sapphire-blue stained glass window by Robert Sowers that once greeted travelers in Terminal 8 at New York’s JFK airport are not up for sale.

Sad.

Categories: Art, History
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The new Acropolis Museum in Athens isn’t expected to open to the public until the end of 2008, but anyone passing through Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” can now get a sneak preview of the project.

A new exhibition, accessible 24-hours in the public area of the airport, opened earlier this week and includes photos, a video about the construction of the new museum building and the transport of the Caryatids of the Erectheion, a cast copy of a section of the west frieze of the Parthenon (C. 440 BC.), and several other intriguing items.

The temporary exhibition is adjacent to a permanent installation that features treasures discovered when the airport was being built.

Categories: Art, Museums
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In today’s Wall Street Journal there’s a review of a novel that will probably appeal to anyone who’s ever found themselves stuck at the airport. And these days, that’s a pretty big audience.

Here’s a link to the review about Dear American Airlines by Jonathan Miles. The book takes the form of a letter written to the airline after a flight cancellation leaves a man stranded at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Reviewer Scott Morris writes: “…Now, we’ve all come to expect being stuck in airports, and we’ve not come to like it. Not a bit. There is a certain rage that results from being treated like truant kindergartners, potential hijackers and dull herds of cattle. But most of us endure the indignities and swallow the rage. Not Benjamin R. Ford.”

I can’t wait to read it!

Categories: Reading
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