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Free Wi-Fi Airports
I don't know about you, but I think that wi-fi costs are absurd. I have given up spending time working in most
Starbucks because they have contracted with T-Mobile to provide wi-fi connectivity to customers, and T-mobile, in my
honest and absolutely correct opinion, is a rip off. If you spend hours and hours in
Starbucks, you might find purchasing wi-fi connectivity by the month (at a
hefty $29.99) to be a good deal, but more often we drop into a Starbucks to have a coffee, check email and maybe surf
the Web for an hour, and for this T-Mobile charges $6. Of course, depending on where you are, and if you're lucky, you
can ride someone's hot spot for free, but I have found this to be rare.
The same goes with some airports. In
Burbank, I tried to get online just to check email and they wanted to charge me $8 for the service. Come on!
Provide a $2-3 quick connect fee and I'm up for it, but $8, forget it. Maybe if you can expense the cost this is for
you, but us lowly freelancers don't have that kind of coin to throw around.
Here is a resource that folks who share my opinion might find
very useful. It lists the airports around the country that provide free wi-fi access, some of which are terminal
specific (like Jet Blue at JFK and Long Beach) and others that cover the entire airport.
Portland is one airport that provides free wi-fi (good for them!).
Still, hopeless romantic and dreamer that I am, I dream of the day when wi-fi access will be free most everywhere. Yes,
it's a pipe dream, but a good one.
Filed under: Business
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim L. Dec 18th 2005 5:08PM
Eric,
What I think is even more annoying is that the more expensive the hotel, the more likely they are to charge you for this. I stayed in some roadside Budget Inn last month and wi-fi was free. I stayed in a Sheraton last week and web access was $9.99--and not even wireless!
Panera Bread rules--free wi-fi and better food than Starbucks. Also, local coffee shops (and bars even) are more likely to offer free wi-fi than the corporate behemoths. It's good for business.
Thanks for linking to the Backcountry article on the Inca Trail.
Willy Volk Dec 18th 2005 5:08PM
Agreed. $4 for a sissy mocha latte PLUS paying for wi-fi is LAME. Starbucks has TOTALLY missed the boat on this one.
Tim L. Dec 18th 2005 5:08PM
Eric,
What I think is even more annoying is that the more expensive the hotel, the more likely they are to charge you for this. I stayed in some roadside Budget Inn last month and wi-fi was free. I stayed in a Sheraton last week and web access was $9.99--and not even wireless!
Panera Bread rules--free wi-fi and better food than Starbucks. Also, local coffee shops (and bars even) are more likely to offer free wi-fi than the corporate behemoths. It's good for business.
Thanks for linking to the Backcountry article on the Inca Trail.
Kim L. Dec 18th 2005 5:08PM
Hey Eric. It may not be such a pipe dream after all -- I've heard that some entire cities (including San Francisco and Philadelphia) are planning to offer free wi-fi soon. That oughta put a ding in the Starbucks/T-Mobile business plan. In the meantime, there are few sites out there that list free hotspots at airports, hotels and coffee houses. The one I use most is www.jiwire.com (input city or airport, select "Free Hotspots").
Cheers,
Kim
Willy Volk Dec 18th 2005 5:08PM
BTW -- Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson isn't on the list you linked to, but it provides free wi-fi, too.