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Free WiFi in August at 13 Major Airports

I agree WiFi in airports, or basically anywhere that charges, is too expensive. I only ever do it when I expect to be stuck in an airport for several hours and have absolutely nothing to do. I typically pay in Cleveland where the cost is $4.00 for two hours which while surely a money maker doesn't seem wholly unreasonable. By the way an interesting thing I noticed is that if you connect to a wireless network at an airport, or anywhere else (you need not pay) and open iTunes Bonjour will find the other open laptops with iTunes and connect you to their music libraries. I won't pay however in New York where they charge $8.00 to access the web.

At Midway when connecting to the network it warns you of hackers creating free wifi networks to steal information. While I don't doubt this has occurred, how common is it?
 
I don't believe that Sea-Tac will ever have free wifi. The city might make it free but I really don't think so.

I remeber that Disney World offers wireless for about $10 for 24hrs or $7 for an hour.
 
awatiker said:
At Midway when connecting to the network it warns you of hackers creating free wifi networks to steal information. While I don't doubt this has occurred, how common is it?
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Almost every big meeting or airport I visit, I always see "Free Public Wireless" computer-to-computer networks. Incidentally, there also happen to be lots of PCs around. I've always wondered if this is some sort of Trojan.

Note that the iPhone doesn't distinguish between computer-computer and base station networks.
 
elfin buddy said:
I paid for wifi once and only once. I was on my way out of a hotel, and I suddenly realised that I didn't have the information I needed for my flight. With no time to spare, I whipped out my laptop hoping for a wireless network...there was one, but it charged $15/hour. I paid $15 to use it for two minutes. I was not impressed.
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Been there!

Yeah, it's really inconsistent who chooses to offer free access. In Europe, the land of over-priced and transfer-limited Internet, I often find three star hotels offering not just free unlimited Internet, but WiFi as well.

The four- and five- star joints almost always charge for it, usually through something like swisscom, with limited amount of transfer at exorbitant rates equivalent to 30-40 USD / day. Absurd.

Airports are about the same. CDG of course charges for access and the signal isn't extensive. VIE is free with great signal throughout.

Anymore, I don't stay at a hotel unless they offer "free" unlimited internet. Keep the showercaps and shoe polish. I need internet.
 
Free WiFi in PDX

Boingo offering a free trial? Who cares? Decent airports already offer free WiFi. Some cities are even starting to get on the bandwagon.

Here in Portland, Oregon, our international airport has had free WiFi for years, and now the entire downtown is getting (ad supported) free wireless as well.

I am somewhat surprised that more airports are not on board with this.

:apple:
 
Rochester, NY (ROC) has had free WiFi for a while.

The "market rate" for airport WiFi is way too high.
 
Don't most (if not all) of those airports have free wifi already?
Fort Lauderdale International has it....
Many airports do now.

Maybe they figure that after they've just charged you $350 for that last minute fair they can at least give you some free internet :)
 
Peel said:
:mad:Nothing on the west coast?
I fly up and down the coast all the time for work, but looks like I'm out of luck.
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As someone else mentioned, Portland International already has free WiFi, and a list here shows the following Cali airports with free WiFi:
Meadows Field - Bakersfield
Chico Municipal Airport - Chico
Arcata/Eureka Airport - Eureka
Hayward Airport - Hayward
Livermore Airport - Livermore
Long Beach Airport - Long Beach
Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge - LAX
Modesto City-County Airport - Modesto
Redding Municipal Airport - Redding
BSAir at the Reedley Muni Airport - Reedley
Sacramento International Airport - Sacramento
Santa Maria Airport - Santa Maria
Santa Ynez Airport - Santa Ynez

Yeah, they're mostly small airports, but they are on the West Coast. (A few more small airports in Oregon and Washington also offer free WiFi, but Portland International seems to be the biggest.)

riverfreak said:
Almost every big meeting or airport I visit, I always see "Free Public Wireless" computer-to-computer networks. Incidentally, there also happen to be lots of PCs around. I've always wondered if this is some sort of Trojan.
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Yes, it is usually a trojan. It is also possible that they are people actively trying to collect info. (i.e. the laptop owner knows full well what's going on.)

daschor said:
Here in Portland, Oregon, our international airport has had free WiFi for years, and now the entire downtown is getting (ad supported) free wireless as well.
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It's more than just downtown. By the end of this year, 95% of the city proper should be covered. It already covers all of downtown, plus the nearby residential neighborhoods out more than four miles from downtown in one direction. (For Portlanders, it covers from downtown out to I-205, from about Fremont in the North to Powell in the South; and on the West side from US 26 South to Taylors Ferry Road, out to about 45th. Plus the area around U of P in North Portland.)
 
Network Access in Airports

ct-scan said:
The EDGE network on the iPhone isn't that bad that I would subscribe or pay for WiFi network access.
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Edge is unbearable anytime there is a concentration of people using it. Airports are especially bad, as the phone system is already taxed, so they don't seem to open up as much bandwidth for data.

AT&T had better figure out some cheap ways to reduce the tax on their networks in this type of location; free wifi is the easiest one, but femtocells might make more sense for them.
 
They should have free wifi in airports regardless. I think that whole paying for it with the cost of air travel today is stupid.
 
ScottW-CO said:
Yes, someone ELSE should be paying for YOUR free data access. It's the American Way!

On top that, someone ELSE should pay for your food, your rent, your car, your gas, your beer, etc. etc...
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Your comparison is dumb and makes no sense. I don't pay for the chair I sit on while waiting for a plane. I don't pay to watch the CNN TV while waiting for a plane. Is someone ELSE paying for these things?

Nope. We travelers do. You see, airports charge the airlines to use the gates, runways, and other infrastructure. Airlines then build this cost into the price of the tickets. You see how this works? In a complex economy, there are direct and indirect costs.

What most people here are saying is that Wifi is currently cheap enough that there is no reason that they should get extra revenue from it. It should be like the CNN TV. I happen to agree with this, but as capitalism is the American way (sort of), people must be paying for it, or it would go away.

If everyone stopped paying for wifi at airports, the pay services would disappear.
 
I am not paying to have wi-fi in a Chicago airport that ALWAYS fails to leave on time b/c other airports will not allow their planes to take off for Chicago being that Chicago airports can NEVER handle traffic congestion in their skies. I refuse to give any extra $ to those airports. I'd like to see a report done on how much money the Chicago airports make on food/gift shop items d/t people spending an extra hour+ in there b/c of all the delays they always have. /end rant :)
If anything all airports should provide free wi-fi since you have to put up with so much just to be in one and use their services and the price of food and gift shop items is ridiculous.
 
Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix has had free wi-fi for quite some time. Since I travel between Phoenix and New York often, it really annoys me that here in Phoenix I can surf for free as much as I want but while I"m waiting at JFK I have to pay for the same access. It's not worth it to me to pay for those 30 minutes or so at JFK. Maybe I'm just spoiled :D, but I believe public transportation areas such as airports should be covered by free wi-fi as a public service because of it's tremendous benefit to all travelers (try checking on flights that are delayed by talking to the counter agent -you'll get very little information from them, but online I can find out much more).
 
Houston Intercontinental

If you're in Houston Intercontinental Airport, get close to the entrance of a Continental President's Club and you should be able to pick up on their free wi-fi signal (better yet, go inside and enjoy the free drinks and snacks if you have an Amex Business Platinum card or access some other way)

et.
 
Jovian9 said:
I am not paying to have wi-fi in a Chicago airport that ALWAYS fails to leave on time b/c other airports will not allow their planes to take off for Chicago being that Chicago airports can NEVER handle traffic congestion in their skies. I refuse to give any extra $ to those airports. I'd like to see a report done on how much money the Chicago airports make on food/gift shop items d/t people spending an extra hour+ in there b/c of all the delays they always have. /end rant :)
If anything all airports should provide free wi-fi since you have to put up with so much just to be in one and use their services and the price of food and gift shop items is ridiculous.
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I'm no fan of Chicago airports, Mid town or O'hare...but don't blame the problems on ATC not being able to handle traffic...Try blaming the horrible weather and greedy airlines who all want a hub in Chitown.
 
slu said:
Your comparison is dumb and makes no sense. I don't pay for the chair I sit on while waiting for a plane. I don't pay to watch the CNN TV while waiting for a plane. Is someone ELSE paying for these things?

Nope. We travelers do. You see, airports charge the airlines to use the gates, runways, and other infrastructure. Airlines then build this cost into the price of the tickets. You see how this works? In a complex economy, there are direct and indirect costs.

What most people here are saying is that Wifi is currently cheap enough that there is no reason that they should get extra revenue from it. It should be like the CNN TV. I happen to agree with this, but as capitalism is the American way (sort of), people must be paying for it, or it would go away.

If everyone stopped paying for wifi at airports, the pay services would disappear.
Click to expand...
I agree with you, if people stop paying for wifi they will probably get it free, probably by the little chain stores and eateries in the terminal. It is just plain naive to think you are sitting on a free chair at the terminal. Nothing is free, costs are hidden in fees and taxes(raising your ticket price, parking etc.) so suckers think they are free.
 
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