Wi-Fi

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG): good news/bad news

Wi-Fi

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It’s been a good news/bad news year for Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).

For years, the airport topped the list for most expensive air fares.

But then, some good news: in an effort to keep travelers from driving to nearby cities to catch cheaper flights, Delta Air Lines announced in February that it was significantly reducing all domestic fares to and from the city.

But now: some bad news: as part of Delta’s system-wide capacity reduction, two international flights from CVG to Frankfurt and London will be cut starting in September.

The airport still offers service to Paris, Montreal, Toronto, Cancun, Punta Cana, Nassau and Amsterdam, but losing those routes has got to hurt.

It’s really too bad. Because, amenity-wise, CVG is a pretty great airport. It’s got:

  • Free wireless internet in Terminals 2 & 3 and in the Cell Phone Lot;
  • Carvel ice-cream and Gold Star Chili;
  • An Equestrian Program that gives horse owners access to several miles of riding trails on airport property;
  • And fourteen, priceless 20-by-20-foot Art Deco mosaics by Winold Reiss. The murals were originally in the city’s Union Terminal train station, but were moved to the airport to save them from being demolished. You can take a virtual tour of the murals here.
  • And someone at that airport has a sense of humor.  Check out this video they found and posted on their Web site.cvg-mural-2

Burning Man exhibit, free Wi-Fi and free local calls at Reno Airport

Art, Exhibits, Free Stuff, Wi-Fi,

Reno-Tahoe International Airport is working its way up the “cool airport” list.  The airport has slot machines, free Wi-Fi, and complimentary “productivity centers” (thank-you Reno-Gazette Journal) complete with electrical outlets and work tables. The airport also offers free local and toll-free calls from phones in the three Productivity Centers (the Main Lobby by Brew Brothers; Gate C1 and in the Gate B2 area) and on several cylinders in the Baggage Claim area.

phone5And through September 14, 2009, the airport is hosting an exhibit featuring artwork from the Burning Man art event and celebration that takes place in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada each summer.

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FROM PLAYA TO RUNWAY: THE ART OF BURNING MAN – includes photos from 2000-2008, a wall devoted to the festival’s non-profit outreach groups, and artifacts from the event.

Look for it in the 2nd floor Concourse Gallery, between Concourse B and C, until September 14, 2009.

burning-man-display-courtesy-weststudio

(Photo courtesy Flickr user weststudio)

Travelers seem to be enjoying this exhibit; in the Burning Blog comment section, an airport employee wrote that she’d overheard a traveler leaving a voice message for a friend, “that went something like this: ‘Hey, I’m in Reno and I am looking at a Burning Man exhibit in the airport. I’m sure that I’ll find you in one of these photos…yep, there you are. You look like you’re having a great time. Call me.”

Free Wi-Fi and Free Fun at London City Airport

Free Stuff, Fun Stuff, Wi-Fi

According to a short article in the Business Traveller blog, London City Airport in the city’s Royal Docks area, has joined the ranks of airports offering complimentary wireless Internet service. Hooray!

A good time to use that free amenity might be during the airport’s 13th annual Fun Day, coming up on July 4th. There will be a British Airways “village” offering visitors a chance to tour airplane cockpits, dress up in BA uniforms and ride in a mobile simulator, and a sports area where would-be gold-medal winners can try out some of the sports that will be played during the 2010 Olympic Games, which will be held nearby. Not gold-medal minded? Consider entering the non-Olympics sports (so far..) of egg and spoon, sack and three-legged racing.

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(Photo courtesy Alethe, Creative Commons)

Colin Salmon (who plays Charles Robinson in James Bond films) will be a celebrity guest and, oh yeah, there’s also be an air show, with all manner of breathtaking airplane stunts. For more information see the London City Airport Fun Day and Air Show Web site.

Not familiar with London City Airport? You can learn more about it from this handy airport guide.

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Power to the people: free power poles at Hong Kong International Airport

Power Outlets, Wi-Fi,

Hong Kong International Airport offers travelers free wireless Internet access.

Now, with the installation of five free power poles, everyone can recharge all their gadgets for free and access the Internet even they don’t have a laptop with them.

hong-kong-power-poleAccording to this article, each pole is equipped with a 22-inch LCD monitor and a computer unit and outfitted with two power socket outlets and four USB ports.

Free Wi-Fi and free charging poles are great.  But the airport also has a nine-hole golf course, an aviation discovery center, a game zone with sports simulators, and lots of other entertaining ways to spend your time when you’re stuck at the airport.

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AirTran Airways promises Wi-Fi on every flight

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AirTran Airways is announcing today that it plans to have its entire fleet of 136 airplanes equipped with GoGo in-flight Internet service by mid-summer.

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As on other airlines that are offering this service, the fee will be $9.95 for flights under three hours and $12.95 for longer flights if you access the service with your laptop.  The fee will be $7.95 if you’re accessing the service on a smartphone.

In-flight Wi-Fi service is a great new amenity, but I’m looking forward to  sifting through the pile of 29,000 other ideas for in-flight amenities that were submitted to the airline during its recent Every Flight campaign.  Because while Wi-Fi is nice, wouldn’t it be fun to have ballroom dancing,  pretzels and mustard, sofas, neck pillows, and Mel Torme on your next flight too?

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In-flight Wi-Fi on Alaska Airlines: free. For now.

Free Stuff, Wi-Fi

Alaska Airlines has been testing Row 44’s inflight Wi-Fi since late February on one Boeing 737-700 and plans to add the service on additional aircraft in the coming months.

In the meantime, travelers can use the in-flight Wi-Fi for free in exchange for answering a few survey questions about what they think of the service and how much they might be willing to pay.

So far, more than 2,100 passengers have used the service and completed a survey.  The findings? In a press release the airline says folks like having in-flight Wi-Fi.

No big surprise there.

Now comes the hard part: deciding what to charge for the service.

The airline says it plans to set a final price for the service later this year.  For now, they’re still testing the service, so enjoy it free while you can.

To find out which routes the Wi-Fi plane is flying each day, sign up for the airline’s Twitter feed.  And if you use the Wi-Fi, be sure to answer the “What would you pay?” question as honestly as you can.

And for an update on what’s going on with in-flight Wi-Fi in other parts of the airline system, please see my most recent  “Flying the Wi-Fi Skies” story on MSNBC.com.

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What would/should you pay for in-flight Wi-Fi?

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Air travel used to be so easy:  Pick a destination, call a travel agent, buy your ticket, pack, get dressed up, go to the airport, fly.

Now? It’s much more complicated:  Choose a destination. Scour the Internet for tickets. Decide: pack a carry-on or pay to check a bag?  Dress for success at the security checkpoint. Stock up on food and water.  Then, settle in and elbow your seatmate for a piece of the armrest.

Soon: All of the above; plus deciding if you’ll pay for in-flight Wi-Fi and, if so, which plan to buy.

Find out what airlines are charging for sky-high Wi-Fi and if those prices are likely to stick in my Flying the Wi-Fi Skies story posted on MSNBC.com today.

And let me know: what WOULD you be willing to pay for in-flight Wi-Fi?

Free Wi-Fi coming to Oakland Airport next week (not SEA)

Free Stuff, Wi-Fi, ,

At last night’s charter meeting of SCOOT (Seattle Consortium of Online Travel) Seattle folks were jumping with joy when an Alaska Airlines’ rep announced that the airline would be picking up the Wi-Fi tab at Sea-Tac airport for the next few months.

Seems she may have just been swept up in the excitement of the moment, because today Tech Flash is reporting that, no, there will not be free Wi-Fi at SEA  for the next few months.  Instead, Alaska will be sponsoring free Wi-Fi at Oakland International Airport from April 13th through July 5, 2009.

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Delta’s Wi-Fi-enabled planes: 50 and counting..

Wi-Fi

Delta Air Lines now has 50 planes equipped with Wi-Fi, courtesy of Gogo inflight internet.   That’s a smidge over 15% of the airline’s domestic fleet.

The count so far:

MD88 – 44 aircraft
MD90 – 1 aircraft
B757-200 – 5 aircraft

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Strange: While they’re go-go about the Wi-Fi march forward at the Delta blog, click on the in-flight entertainment tab on Delta’s main Web site and they’re all hush-hush.  Not a word about it.

Like maybe the price???