Will Free Airport Wi-Fi Take Flight?

Jan. 28, 2009 — -- Been to Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International lately? Of course you have -- we all have -- which is one of the reasons it just got ranked the busiest airport in the U.S. for the fourth year in a row.

These days, big airports are mini-cities (or as Southwest CEO Gary Kelly put it, somewhat grandiose "monuments" to their communities). In short, airports are more than just a place to hop a plane.

Atlanta is no exception: it features art exhibits (a collection of Zimbabwean sculpture); fine dining showcasing international and regional cuisine (I've been told to try "One Flew South"); and a ton of increasingly high-end stores (look for Brooks Brothers later this year). And of course, there's all that free Wi-Fi.

Oh, wait. They don't have free Wi-Fi. You have to pay for it. And that's got me more than a bit grumpy.

For more travel news and insights visit Rick's blog at: http://farecompare.com

Hartsfield-Jackson is not alone in making you pay for your Internet connection: of the top 20 busiest airports in the nation, I count just five with free Wi-Fi -- Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Charlotte and Orlando (two others, Philadelphia and Seattle-Tacoma, support limited free Wi-Fi). So, out of the top 20, most of us have to pay to go online. Inexplicable!

I suppose some of you are thinking, "oh, simmer down" -- after all, the airlines charge for this amenity on limited flights and shortly, on most of their fleets. Yes, they do -- but a lot of our flights are what, an hour, two hours? And how many times have you been delayed in the airport in the past few years -- for a lot longer?

Besides, the airlines are just now introducing Wi-Fi -- while many airports have had it for some time now. And still they charge.

I'm sure the airports like the money. Over at JFK, a courteous PR rep told us most of the money they make from Wi-Fi fees goes to "cost recovery" -- equipment installation and the like -- but the fees also provide the airport with what he called a minor revenue stream. However, head over to JFK's Terminal 5 and -- what do you know? -- JetBlue provides Wi-Fi for free.