Last time I visited Heathrow Airport there was a short time limit on the free WiFi. Now it looks like that limit has been broadened to a more useful chunk of time.
According to the Heathrow website those who register to use the Wi-Fi service will get four free Wi-Fi hours.
Want more – and faster – Wi-Fi at Heathrow? Join their Heathrow Rewards shopping program – it’s free – and you’ll get four more free hours.
There’s good news and bad news for travelers this week.
In Japan, rules have been eased so that airlines may allow passengers to use their personal electronic gadgets from gate to gate.
Free, unlimited Wi-Fi was introduced last week at Amsterdam’s Schiphol.
But as of today Allegiant Air follows the lead of Spirit Airlines in adding a fee to have an agent print out a boarding pass for you.
Here’s a link to my story about that Allegiant fee on USA TODAY, where I’m filling in on the Today in the Sky blog.
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Looks like we won’t have the NY-area airports to kick around – Wi-Fi-wise- for much longer.
The Associated Press reports that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Wednesday approved a plan that -perhaps by the fall – will offer passengers at Newark Liberty International, John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi. After that, passengers will have pay the $7.95 day fee.
While that 30 minutes of free Wi-Fi s good news, of course, 30 minutes is hardly enough time to get anything done. So here’s hoping free unlimited Wi-Fi is in the future for the JFK, EWR and LGA airports.
Harstfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport recently changed its plan and now offers all passengers unlimited free Wi-Fi, with an option to get an upgraded service for a fee.
[Updated: 8/24/12 at noon]
Boingo Wireless and Google Offers are teaming up to offer discounted Wi-Fi access at 16 airports around the country that currently either charge for Wi-Fi services or offer limited free Wi-Fi sessions.
To take advantage of the offer, you may have to sign up for Google Offers (a Groupon-like deal service) and then purchase the discounted Boingo AsYouGo 24-hour deal, which is limited to one per person.
According to Boingo spokesperson Katie O’Neill, the length of the discount offer depends on how many people in the 16 participating airports purchase the passes, so the promotion may be withdrawn before the end of September.
Here are the participating airports:
Before you hit “buy,” keep in mind that some of these airports, such as Denver, Dulles and Ronald Reagan Washington National, already offer a complimentary Wi-Fi service. Others, such as Austin-Bergstrom and Houston’s Hobby and George Bush Intercontinental, offer complimentary sessions of 30 to 45 minutes. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport recently announced that it would be offering complimentary limited sessions as well, beginning in September.
Why would you buy a discounted day pass when you can get Wi-Fi service at an airport for free? Only if you need more time than the free limited-time offers give you and if you want your Wi-Fi signal to be more robust than what others in the airport are getting.
“[M]ost complimentary Wi-Fi sessions have restrictions placed on them — either in terms of duration or bandwidth or both. The 50% offer from Google Offers and Boingo is for half off the premium sessions that are good for 24 hours at the top speeds available,” says O’Neill.
And don’t forget sponsored, 40-minute sessions of complimentary Wi-Fi are also rolling out at Dallas-Fort Worth International in September, courtesy of AT&T. (More details about that here) .
One of the most requested, used and appreciated amenities at airports these days is free wireless internet access.
And, in more and more airports, travelers are finding that Wi-Fi access is indeed free.
But the definition of “free” seems to be changing.
The trend for a while there was for airports to offer passengers unlimited use of Wi-Fi, making it possible to turn an irritating hour or two wait for a flight into productive work time. But then some airports, such as Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental, began offering free Wi-Fi for limited time periods, forcing travelers who needed more time to purchase the service.
I wrote about what seemed to be that emerging trend in June, 2011, in my on-line “At the Airport” column on USA Today. (Should you pay for Wi-Fi? Airports explore tiered service.)
Three recent free Wi-Fi announcements underscore what now seems to be an official “sort-of-free” trend.
Earlier this week, it was announced that when Berlin’s new Brandenburg Airport (finally) opens, next March, passengers will be able to access basic complimentary Wi-Fi service for 30 minutes. (Somewhat troubling, users will only be able to access the service by entering a credit or debit card number.)
Travelers needing more than 30 minutes of Wi-Fi access (and, really, who doesn’t) will have to purchase a premium service – with higher bandwidth – from the contracted service provider, Boingo.
After some controversy over the fast-tracking of an interim Wi-Fi provider contract while what could be a two-year process to find a company to replace T Mobile gets underway, complimentary Wi-Fi should begin at Los Angeles International Airport in July.
Passengers will get access to 45 minutes of Internet service provided by Advanced Wireless after watching a 15- to 30-second advertisement.
And on Wednesday, Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) announced that, in September, Boingo would begin offering a limited complimentary Wi-Fi access service as well.
At DTW, access to the airport’s wireless network for 30 minutes will be offered for no cost after viewing a 30-second video advertisement. “Users who require an extended or high-speed connection will continue to have the option to connect via one of Boingo’s existing service plans,” the airport said in a statement.
What’s up?
Some say that airports are taking a page from airlines, which now charge for services – such as checked baggage and seat assignments – that were once considered part of the ticket package. Boingo corporate communications director Christian Gunning says that the trend of airports offering tiered wireless access (free for s short time; then access to premium service for a fee) allows airports to generate revenue from both casual and more serious users.
Via e-mail he said, “Some of the airports really need every extra bit of revenue they can muster since they’re operating under big budgetary deficits and some manage to generate healthy revenues from alternate concessions (think slot machines in Las Vegas). … It’s pretty complicated overall, and the final outcome is slightly different for each airport we work with.”
Complicated? Sure.
Irritating? You bet.
What travelers might soon encounter at more airports?
Probably, but I hope not.
Free Wi-Fi at the airport is one of those amenities travelers have all but come to expect. Still, there are some airports that remain hold-outs in this department.
Los Angeles International Airport has been one of those hold-outs. Although Wi-Fi is complimentary in some airline lounges (and outside some of those lounges… if you know where to go….), but most passengers who need to get on-line must pay to use the T-Mobile service.
With T-Mobile’s contract for LAX Wi-Fi ending, airport officials announced that they’d be seeking a new service that would offer Wi-Fi for free. In the meantime, the Board of Airport Commissioners went ahead and awarded a two-year contract to Miami-based Advanced Wireless Group, which would make WiFi at LAX free – for 45 minutes sessions – starting sometime this summer.
“The service LAX passengers request most is free Wi-Fi,” said Los Angeles World Airports Executive Director Gina Marie Lindsey.
But the Los Angeles City City Council has nixed the deal because of concerns that other internet providers – most notably Los Angeles-based Boingo, which provides WiFi at more than 50 airports (and many hotels) – didn’t get a chance to bid on the interim contract.
Let’s hope they work it out. Because if we have to wait for the competitive bid process to play out, it could take 18 months to two years to check email for free at LAX.
In the meantime, another Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – another hold-out on the free Wi-Fi front – plans to offer free Wi-Fi by year’s end.
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!
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 at Nashville International Airport
Someday there will be free Wi-Fi at all airports.
In the meantime, we keep score and take what we can get.
Here’s one to add to the list: “Soon,” says the October 2010 newsletter from Nashville International Airport, passengers will be able to get 20 minutes of free Wi-Fi access in the food courts, meeter-greeter waiting areas and in some restaurants. The airport is also planning to add charging stations for electronic devices. If you’re a member of BNA’s Frequent Parker Program or a valet parking customer, however, you can get free Wi-Fi anywhere in the terminal – for 15 minutes.
Add that to the 20 minutes of free Wi-Fi everyone gets and you’re getting somewhere…
New photography exhibits at Hartsfield Atlanta and John Wayne airports
A new exhibit at John Wayne airport on display through January 2011 features images of classic architecture around Orange County, California. The images are taken from architect Richard Dodd’s book “Architectural Styles – Orange County”, and display historical homes and buildings from Mission San Juan Capistrano to the famed Witches House in Laguna Beach, which is pictured above.
For more photos from the exhibit, see the slide show on the John Wayne Airport‘s website.
The Airport Show at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
In honor of Atlanta Celebrates Photography Month, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s Art Program has teamed up with the Atlanta Photography Group for The Airport Art Show, an exhibit of traditional, documentary-style and modern photographs in the airport atrium.
Want to see more photos? In addition to the exhibit at the airport, there are more than 150 photographic exhibitions and events showcasing the work of more than 400 photographers taking place this October throughout metro Atlanta.
“The Airport Show” is in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atrium Gallery through November 17.
See airport guides for these airports and 47 others on StuckatTheAirport.com.
Well this is a nice way to kick off the July 4th weekend:
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) now offers free Wi-Fi access to all travelers.
This is especially great news because PHL has long had a somewhat wacky Wi-Fi set-up. The service was free for students all the time and free for everyone else only on the weekends.
So free Wi-Fi for everyone traveling through PHL is a great leap forward!
