Posts in the category "Wi-Fi":

Two good bits of news on the airport amenities front:

In September, a GoodLife Fitness Club will open in Terminal 1 at Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) offering cardiovascular equipment, strength training equipment and free weights as well as luggage storage, a lounge area with massage chairs, towel service and changing rooms with showers and lockers. No word yet on what it will cost to use the club, but workout clothing will be available for purchase for those who get inspired by the layout.

And fans of fast, free Wi-Fi at airports will soon be much happier when spending time at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW).

Advanced Wireless Group is replacing Boingo at DTW and by September will install a much speedier Wi-Fi system that will be free to use if you’re willing to watch a 30-second advertisement once every 45 minutes.

The current system offers only 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi access to travelers willing to watch a 30-second video ad.

Categories: free Wi-Fi, Layover, Wi-Fi
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Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is having a 50th Anniversary Celebration this week with a wide variety of special theme days, music, activities and – yay – discounts and free stuff for passengers.

Here’s a run-down.

Throughout the week, many concessions will be offering discounts and specials.

Monday, March 25 is Military Appreciation Day. 

Military and cadet bands will perform in all terminals from 2 to 5 p.m and United Service Organizations of Illinois (USO) will staff tables in the domestic terminals to share information about O’Hare’s two USO centers for military personnel and their families.

Tuesday, March 26 is Family Day. 

All terminals will have family-themed entertainment including jugglers, face painters, balloon twisters and clowns from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Children’s activity books will be distributed at food and beverage concessions all week long.

Wednesday, March 27 is O’Hare Employee Day. 

There will be special treats for all the people who work at the airport and, for everyone, performances by Chicago Blues bands in all the terminals from 2 to 5 p.m.

Thursday, March 28 – Business Community Day. 

For everyone who needs to take care of business while passing through the airport, there will be 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi via Boingo’s splash screen.

Jazz bands will perform in all the terminals from 2 to 5 p.m.

Friday, March 29 – Celebrate Chicago Day. 

Choose Chicago reps will be handing out information about Chicago and there will be International music performances in all terminals from 2 to 5 p.m.

Eli’s Cheesecake Café will also roll out an an enormous cheesecake and offer free slices to passengers in Terminal 1 near Gate B9.

Categories: Events, Festivals, Wi-Fi
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Thanks to Storm Nemo, on Thursday evening I was one of the hundreds of thousands of travelers who had to cancel important weekend plans that involved flying to the east coast.

Then I had to sit on the phone for hours trying to work out a new and, it turns out, quite expensive new plan.

For those of you still trying to figure out your options, here’s a link to a list of many of the change-fee waiver policies airlines have posted.

In other news…. Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport announced that it is the latest airport to join the Thanks Again program, which offers travelers frequent flyer miles or points for qualifying purchases made at the airport for things such as parking, food and retail items. Travelers at DFW will also be able to get points or miles for stays at the airport hotels, such as the Grand Hyatt, and at Paradise 4 Paws, the airport’s pet hotel.

170 other airports already participate in the Thanks Again program – which requires a simple sign-up and registration of a credit-card.

And during the month of February passengers at John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA) and Newark Liberty International (EWR) airports – as well as passengers at some New York City subway stations – will be able to get complimentary Boingo Wi-Fi sessions courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Line, which is celebrating a new ship, the Norwegian Breakaway.

That should come in handy if you end up stuck at one of those airports – or in the city – this weekend due to Storm Nemo.

Categories: Advisories, Air Travel, Airline policies, free Wi-Fi, Shopping, Wi-Fi
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Yay! Free Wi-Fi is coming to Houston’s Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental airports.

Currently, travelers at these airports can get 45 minutes of complimentary Wi-Fi via Boingo, but according to this article in the Houston Business Journal, the Houston airport authority, is looking at getting a new Wi-Fi provider and offering free Wi-Fi by the end of the year.

And good news for Bigfoot fans. A StuckatTheAirport.com reader wanted to know if the Bigfoot mugs I wrote about a while back were still for sale at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). According to Jeff Martin, the general manager of the Hudson Group shops at Sea-Tac, the mugs – and some other Bigfoot finds – are for sale at Discover Puget Sound [Central Terminal] and in the Hudson news locations at A-3, B-6, and the North and South Satellites. A line of Bigfoot coffee should also be for sale soon. Martin says “Apparently Bigfoot prefers a dark French Roast…but we’ll also carry a Breakfast Blend.”

No word on how many Bigfoot mugs or bags of my favorite Seattle souvenir, Space Noodles, have been sold, but the airport recently shared some surprising statistics about other items sold on-site.

Anthony’s Restaurant, the main sit-down restaurant in the central terminal, is the highest grossing airport restaurant in North America. During 2012 revenues totaled $12.8 million.

Notable product sales at Sea-Tac airport include:
1.7 million bottles of water
230,000 bags of M&Ms
90,000 neck pillows
20,000 copies of the best-selling book “Fifty Shades of Grey”
And nearly 10,000 “Sleepless in Seattle” nightshirt and pajamas.

Categories: Shopping, Wi-Fi
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Some end-of-the-year tidbits for air travelers:

On Friday, December 28, 2013, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued some new rules designed to “speed the deployment of  Internet services onboard aircraft.”

In its release, the FAA explained that, since 2001, it has been authorizing companies to offer in-flight broadband service on an ad hoc basis. It will now allow airlines to “test systems that meet FCC standards, establish that they do not interfere with aircraft systems, and get FAA approval…up to 50 percent faster, enhancing competition in an important sector of the mobile telecommunications market in the United States and promoting the widespread availability of Internet access to aircraft passengers.”

And, as the TSA winds up the year, the ever-shocking and entertaining TSA Blog reports in its Week in Review that this week “only” sixteen guns (nine of them loaded) were discovered at airport checkpoints. That’s on the low side for the weekly gun finds, but clueless travelers were also nabbed this week for trying to take hand grenades, razors and other weaponry through the checkpoints. And, as the folks at Skift reported earlier this week, this year TSA discovered more than 1,500 guns at airport checkpoints, a new record for the agency.

Are more people traveling armed, or are more armed people traveling and simply “forgetting” that they’ve got loaded guns in their purse or carry-on bag?

Categories: Guns, Wi-Fi
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