Posts in the category "Cell Phones":

For years, a nice perk at Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) has been free 30-minute short-term parking. It meant you could drive someone to the airport and, instead of rushing them out of the car at the curb, you could park, help carry in their suitcase, and walk your friend or family member to the terminal.  The perk also worked in your favor if you were picking someone up at the airport, if their flight was on-time.

You can still do that, of course. But those first 30 minutes of parking at BWI airport are no longer free. Now it will cost you $2.

Why the change? With the downturn in travel, airports everywhere are looking around for new ways to earn money.  BWI figures it can make $500,000 a year from charging for the short term parking. (There’s more information about BWI’s decision in the Baltimore Sun.)

While some small airports still offer free short term parking (and a few really small airports offer free parking all the time), most large airports don’t offer any sort of free short term parking anymore.

Unless you count the cell-phone lots where, for now, the parking does seem to be free.  But who wants to lay odds on which airport will be the first to start charging for that?

Do you know of an airport that still offers free short term parking?  If so, please leave a comment below.

Categories: Cell Phones, Free Stuff
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Air France gave it a test run last year and now Ryanair is going full speed ahead with in-flight cell-phone service.

Here’s a report from CNN about one of the first (press-heavy) flights.  Wish I’d been there just to see the cell-phone costume in person.

Categories: Cell Phones, Wi-Fi
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Earlier this week, Southwest Airlines announced that it was finally testing in-flight Wi-Fi on two planes and plans to being testing the service on four planes in just a few weeks.

The service is provided by Row 44, which provides Wi-Fi via aircraft-to-satellite technology.  The service will be free during an initial testing phase and will allow passengers to access the Internet via laptops, iPhone, and Wi-Fi enabled smart phones.

Cellular phone service won’t work with Southwest’s in-flight Wi-Fi service. And while VOIP will be blocked for passengers, it will be available for the cockpit and cabin crew.

That opens a lot of possibilities.   Good and bad.

Also, while Southwest is heavily touting the fact that it’s wrapped one of its airplanes with a decal featuring the cover model from the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, according to Row 44′s president and co-founder Gregg Fialcowitz, Southwest Airlines will be filtering on-board Wi-Fi to block sites that might contain pornography.

Sort of a mixed message there, don’t ya think?

Categories: Cell Phones, Wi-Fi
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My Well Mannered Traveler column on MSNBC.com this week is all about courtesy – and the efforts to encourage it – on buses, subways, and trains. Many of the strategies public transit agencies are trying out could help air travelers get along with each other inside airports and on airplanes as well.

For example, wouldn’t you like to be able to point at this poster from NJ Transit next time there’s a loudmouth on their cell phone sitting next to you in an airport gate area?

One strategy I didn’t get to include in the column this week comes from Jodi R.R. Smith, of Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting, who created her own subway courtesy campaign:

“…. Since I boarded the train at an early stop, there were almost always seats. I would sit, until I saw someone who needed the seat more than I did. Then in a firm tone, I would offer my seat… It was interesting to notice that on the days that I offered my seat, those around me, at subsequent stops, would also offer their seats to those in need. However, on days when I sat with my nose in a book, rarely would any seats be offered. Remember, your good example can set off a positive chain reaction.”

Categories: Cell Phones, Etiquette
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Goods news for gadget-toting travelers:

There are now 50 free 4-outlet charging stations scattered through Terminals A, B, and C at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).

The charging stations are courtesy of Samsung Mobile, which sponsors similar power charging stations at five other major airports (so far): John F. Kennedy International Airport (54), Los Angeles International Airport (51) LaGuardia International Airport (12), Orlando International Airport (18), and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (22). In addition, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has eight Samsung Mobile Travel Centers, which also offer couches and other amenities.

Power charging stations (both free and pay-per-charge), desks with working power outlets, and banks of seats with built in outlets seem to be popping up at more and more airports these days. But don’t leave your extension cord home just yet: during high traffic times a spot at the charging station is harder to get than a seat in the sports bar during a playoff game.

Categories: Cell Phones, Power Outlets
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