Will Free Airport Wi-Fi Take Flight?

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.

In this file photo, Jeff Dean of Ottawa, Canada, works on his laptop while waiting for his flight...

In this file photo, Jeff Dean of Ottawa, Canada, works on his laptop while waiting for his flight home from Logan Airport in Boston, Mass. According to Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare, out of the top 20 busiest airports in the nation, just five offer free Wi-Fi -- Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Charlotte and Orlando.

(Reynolds/AP Photo)

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

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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.