Wi-Fi

A new way to charge up at the airport?

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Here’s an interesting and promising idea for travelers with thirsty gadgets:

Arconas – a company whose chairs and “seating configurations” are already in more than 130 airports around the world – is teaming up with Powermat – the folks who make wireless charging mats – to offer wireless charging stations at airports.

I’m going to assume charging via Powermat will be complimentary – as it is to use to the USB and standard power outlets already attached to much of this type of airport seating.

And if that’s the case – hooray!! Another reason to be happy when you find yourself stuck at the airport.

Free Wi-Fi & cool holiday entertainment at Schiphol Airport

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There are a zillion – yes, a zillion – reasons to love Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, including the casino, the airport branch of the Rijksmuseum, and the world’s first airport library.

Schiphol airport library

Now there are even more!

Starting this week, Schiphol is offering free WiFi access – for one hour – anywhere in the airport terminal, including Schiphol Plaza, the lounges, piers and gates.  Free Wi-Fi is becoming common at U.S. airport, but in Europe it’s still rare.

But, wait, there’s more.

From Friday, December 17 through Sunday, December 26th Schiphol Airport will have holiday entertainment that includes an ice queen, flashmobs, wish-granting fairies, gift-giving Santas, a giant reindeer head lit with 16,200 LED Christmas lights and a miniature version of the Netherlands’ famous elfstedentocht – the 11-city skating marathon in Friesland.

Stay tuned for more photos….

Honolulu Airport gets free Wi-Fi; you may get a free trip.

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The folks at ShakaNet and FreeFi Networks have teamed up to offer free wireless internet access throughout the concourses, lounges and concession areas at Honolulu International Airport.

Hooray!   Let’s hope the signal reaches out to the cultural garden areas as well.

And if you’re not lucky enough to be in Hawaii this time of year, perhaps you’re somewhere where you need to wear a sweater.  A really ugly Christmas sweater.

If your sweater is truly ugly, take a picture of yourself in it and upload the photo to the Air New Zealand Facebook page by December 31st.

The person with the ugliest sweater will receive roundtrip economy class tickets for two from Los Angeles or San Francisco to Auckland on Air New Zealand.

Enter the ugly Christmas sweater contest here and good luck!

North Pole ice santa

Souvenir Sunday: tiny travel items and free in-flight Wi-Fi

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Free Wi-FI at airport

This weekend kicks off a great holiday promotion that provides travelers with a truly useful travel souvenir. Depending on when you travel, you’ll be able to get free in-flight Wi-Fi on four airlines: Air Tran, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Virgin America.

Domestic travelers on Air Tran, Delta and Virgin America will be able to use the Gogo Inflight Internet for free on all Wi-Fi equipped planes from now through January 2, 2011. (Thank-you, Google Chrome). Travelers on Alaska Airlines can log on to Gogo for free from now through December 9, 2010.  (Thank-you, Honda.)

While you’re up there poking around the Internet for free, please take a moment to look at the Passports with Purposes website.

A word-wide team of bloggers has banded together to try to raise $50,000 to build a village in India.

Last time I looked, the heart-shaped thermometer showed we were just $15,000 short of the goal.

The project on its own is quite worthy, but each $10 you donate gets you an entry ticket for one of a boatload of great prizes, everything from plane tickets and hotel stays to upscale travel gear, an iPod, an iPad and swanky vacation packages.

My prize partner for the project is Mimimus.biz, the popular website that stocks pretty much anything you can think of in travel-sized and single-serving sizes.

minimus.biz hummus dip

They’ve donated a surprise box stuffed with essential, curious and luxury travel-sized items that I hope will include the organic Amazonian lip balm that comes packaged in a tree nut, TSA-friendly single servings of hummus and the Duncan Imperial Yo-Yo keychain.

minimus.biz imperial duncan Yo-Yo key chain

Free in-flight Wi-Fi for the holidays

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Yesterday Google Chrome announced that it is partnering with AirTran Airways, Delta, and Virgin America to offer passengers free Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi from November 20, 2010 through January 2, 2011.

That’s great news, of course, but I had a few questions:

What about those folks who’ve already purchased monthly “Gogo Unlimited” packages?

Not to worry, say the folks at AirCell, who have so far installed the Gogo inflight internet on 1033 (and counting) aircraft:

“During the Google promotion, we will work with each individual to meet their upcoming travel needs. We encourage Gogo Unlimited customers to contact our Care team at customercare@gogoinflight.com.”

OK. But what airports?

Last year Google’s Holiday Wi-Fi program sponsored free Wi-Fi at close to 50 airports.  Some of those airports were already offering free Wi-Fi and over the past year a few airports have switched from paid to free Wi-Fi service. But there are still plenty of airports where sending a few emails requires the purchase of a 24-hour Wi-Fi pass.

Earlier this year there was talk of Google partnering with airports to offer not only free Wi-Fi, but free long distance phone calls and other sure-to-be-appreciated perks. Today a Google spokesperson told me that’s not going to happen.

But Santa-Google, we’ve been good. As long as you’re sponsoring all that free in-flight Wi-Fi, why not throw in a bit of free Wi-Fi for travelers who will find themselves stuck at the airport this holiday season?

Free Wi-Fi on Alaska Airlines… on one route in Alaska

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Heading north to Alaska?

If you see Santa, send us an email from your flight.

While Aircell works on completing its Alaska-wide Gogo Inflight internet network for Alaska Airlines, passengers flying between Anchorage and Fairbanks will be able to use the service for free.

So far, Alaska Airlines has installed Wi-Fi equipment on more than 70 percent of its Boeing 737 aircraft and predicts it will have its entire fleet Wi-Fi ready by early 2011.

Coming soon – if you’re lucky – to an airport near you

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My At the Airport column for USAToday.com this month, Coming soon – if you’re lucky – to an airport near you, features some of the new amenities I saw on exhibit in Philadelphia at the recent conference of Airports Council International – North America, or ACI-NA.

Airport chairs

During the conference, workshops were offered on everything from saving energy to dealing with security threats and how to get more passengers to “follow” airports on Twitter.  But the real fun was on the exhibition hall floor. There, vendors displayed everything from the latest in airport seating (cup holders and USB plugs, thankfully, seem to be the next big thing) to new, high-tech machinery for shooing wildlife off runways.  But here are the amenities I found most intriguing.

Napping nooks

Last year, Minute Suites debuted “sleep rooms” at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Concourse B, next to Gate B15).  Each room has a day bed, work desk, complimentary Wi-Fi, a 32” HDTV, and sound masking system tools. The company is opening another branch at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) in March 2011, and is in talks with at least three other airports for more.

Minute Suites

Minute Suites airport sleep room

Unique Retreat, another company making napping nooks, should be opening its first branch at San Francisco International Airport before the end of the year in the International Terminal, Boarding Area A.

Cigar lounges

Bahamas-based Graycliff cigars opened boutiques with specially-ventilated cigar lounges attached at Nassau International Airport last November and at Nashville International Airport in March.

Graycliff cigar lounge at Nashville Airport

Each lounge has an admission fee ($10 in Nassau; $4 in Nashville) and Graycliff reps say they’re exploring setting up this type of smoking lounge at other airports as well.

Eat, buy, play

The Food Network is bidding on several airport locations for themed restaurants that will be called Food Network Kitchens.  And ZoomSystems, which makes those oversized airport vending machines (officially: “automated shops”) to sell products from Best Buy, The Body Shop, Sephora and other retailers will soon be installing airport ZoomShops to dispense apparel associated with a major sport.

Skip the cellphone lot; park at the plaza

“Cell phone lots on steroids” is how the folks at Airport Plazas are marketing the service centers they’re planning to build  on airport properties but separate from the terminals. Patterned after highway plazas offering fuel and food, these 24-hour service centers might have amenities ranging from a gas station, a food court, a car wash and a convenience store to free Wi-Fi, a pet hotel, a pharmacy and a bank.

The company opened its first airport plaza recently at Newark Liberty International Airport. There, amenities include an environmentally-friendly gas station, a dual-bay car wash, a service station bay and a 7-Eleven convenience store.

Future airport plazas are planned for New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers) and Utah’s, St. George Municipal Airport.

Sound promising?  What should they work on next?

Flying phone calls, free B&B stay, and free ice-skating

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Veterans Day

This is a truly great endeavor by some inns and B&Bs across the country.

On November 10th, in observance of Veterans Day (November 11th), more than 300 B&Bs and Inns in more than 40 states around the country will be offering a free night’s stay to active and retired U.S. military members.  Here’s the list of participating properties.

Each property is committing to offer at least one room, and many properties are already full. But the program is getting a lot of attention, so check back to see if other properties join the list.

Telephone

Here’s something sure to be controversial: Singapore Airlines has partnered with OnAir to offer passengers Wi-Fi Internet and mobile services – including the option to make and receive phone calls. The service will begin being rolled out in the first half of 2011.

What do you think?

Ice-skating gal

Get ready: winter is coming and for outdoor fans Southwest Airlines will be hosting free ice-skating in downtown Denver.

The Southwest Rink at Skyline Park will be next to the historic Daniels and Fisher Clocktower, right next to the recently opened Southwest Porch.

Free skating starts November 26th. You can bring your own skates or rent some there.

Tidbits for travelers: Free Wi-Fi in Nashville; haiku contest on EL AL

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Free Wi-Fi coming to Nashville International Airport (BNA). Sort of.

Free Wi-FI

Sometime before the end of the year, Nashville International Airport (BNA) will install two of what will eventually be 14 complimentary charging stations.

The airport will also begin offering travelers free wireless internet access in the food courts, the meeter/greeter waiting areas and in some restaurants.

But only the first twenty minutes will be free.

Airport spokesperson Emily Richard says 20 minutes is based on “expert assessment of actual usage reports.” Meaning, I suppose, that most people log on, send a few emails and are on their way. For everyone else: “The pay model remains,” says Richard, for those needing more time or “requiring the security features of a virtual private network.”

But here’s an interesting twist: according to a memo sent out by the airport, members of BNA’s Frequent Parker Program and valet parking customers will get 15 minutes of free Wi-Fi to use access anywhere in the terminal.

Not sure if that’s instead of the complimentary 20 minutes or in addition to it, but it’s all a step in the right direction.

Want to go to Israel?

Their joke contest is over. Now EL AL is running a haiku contest on Facebook. The most creative haiku will get a pair of free roundtrip tickets to Israel.  The deadline is October 22nd.

Here’s where to find more information on EL AL’s Haiku Contest.

Good luck!

Five reasons to appreciate Pittsburgh International Airport

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Chocolate hockey puck from PIT

Despite the van driver’s assurance that we’d get stuck in rush hour traffic, I arrived at Pittsburgh International Airport yesterday with plenty of time to poke around before my flight.

Good thing. Because in addition to the free internet access, there really are plenty of reasons to appreciate spending time at this airport.

Here are just five of them:

The dinosaur

Dinosaur at PIT

The shopping.  Plenty of it – and a shoe store. Enough said

Nine West shore store at PIT

The mobile by Alexander Calder in the center core.  This is a great art treasure to have at the airport.

Alexander Calder mobile at PIT

The shrine to Mr. Rogers, who filmed his long-running running TV show in Pittsburgh.

Mr Rogers shrine at Pittsburgh Airport

And, just across the way, a wall covered in Andy Warhol self-portrait wallpaper, along with several pieces of his artwork.

Andy Warhol Wallpaper at PIT