Frequent fliers who take advantage of cheap airplane tickets and cheap vacation packages have for years listed as one of their top amenity requests free Wi-Fi at the airport. Over time many airports have done just that.
Hundreds of U.S. airports now offer travelers complimentary wireless Internet access, including Orlando, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. Washingtons Dulles and National airports started offering free airport Wi-Fi in April of this year.
Although almost any Internet savvy traveler wants airport free Wi-Fi access, during heaving usage times at some airports service often slows down. Some airports free Wi-Fi comes with strings, often in the form of advertising a user must view before gaining online access.
Some of the holdout airports that continue to offer only Wi-Fi for a fee include Atlanta, JFK (except for JetBlues Terminal 5), LaGuardia, Minneapolis, and Newark. Los Angeles International Airport is supposed to provide free Wi-Fi sometime next year.
Select airports, including Austin, Houston, and Oklahoma City, cannot financially afford to offer free Wi-Fi due to contractual limitations have started offering a tiered Wi-Fi service. Complimentary Wi-Fi is often offered for a limited time and usually with limited bandwidth, but for a fee travelers are able to choose more secure, robust and unlimited service. www.cheapfares.com