The problem with airport Wi-Fi: it’s not consistent
Just about every airport I end up in has at least one or two Wi-Fi networks available in the concourse. They usually cost between $5 and $7 dollars for 24 hours of access (I’m there for 30-45 minutes), and $20/month for unlimited access. About half the time it’s some sort of T-mobile hotspot, which is pretty good, but at least half the time the network is provided by a company named after some sort of exotic fruit.
Free Wi-Fi is what we all want. I’m sure that eventually that’s where we’ll end up. It’ll just be expected airport infrastructure.
But in the meantime, I don’t have a problem with paying for Wi-Fi access. It’s a service provided by a company, and I don’t want some weird frame in my window shoving ads down my face just so they can cover their costs. I’d pay somewhere between $10 and $20 a month if it meant I could get online at any airport in the country.
The problem is that nothing is everywhere. If I wanted to have Wi-Fi at every airport I might end up in (which I do), I’d probably have to subscribe to three or four different providers, at the least, and several of them would overlap in places. Boy does that sound like wasted money.
Someone should really make an effort to be everywhere. Because the value just isn’t there if you cover 60% of the airports.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Jason I agree it’s so frustrating, as my company nearly exclusively uses Qantas/Oneworld, I am ok in Australia, (Qantas has free Wi-Fi in all Qantas club lounges in Aust) the trouble is where there are no QC lounges or when flying.
I totally agree, that’s what I’m looking for too!
I’m hoping that it’s really only a matter of time before one of the providers figures this out. That or I get a cell phone I can hook up to my laptop and get hi-speed internet through…
If you’re primarily based in the US, do yourself a favor, commit to $60/month, and go for wireless broadband with either Sprint or Verizon. I did a few months ago and it has dramatically improved my traveling life — no more hunting for hot spots, no more dealing with badly-designed or inoperative sign-in pages, none of it. I just open up my laptop, put in the card, click Connect, and I’m on.
You’d have to be at a very, very small airport in the middle of nowhere to be out of coverage.
I agree, it’s a pain. I’ve had reasonably good luck with a Boingo monthly account. It works in the major U.S. airports — or at least the ones I frequent: LGA, MSP, DEN, ORD, DFW, and a host of smaller locations. It also works in Barnes and Noble, but not (sadly) in standalone Starbucks.
Given the amount of fees that we already pay which are piled onto our ticket, I think WiFi should be free at all airports. Moreover, given that more and more airlines provide “email-alerts” on flight status info, internet access is no longer just a luxury, but almost a required communication tool. The primary cost would be the revenue loss.
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