Web Access at the Airport
How to get online from major East Coast airports. Hint: It's not easy.James A. Martin
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Feature: Getting Online at the Airport
When traveling by plane, I often seem to spend more time in the airport than in the air. While I try to make that downtime productive with a notebook, trying to find an Internet connection for checking e-mail and Web browsing often makes me feel like a foxhound, sniffing out the trail of my elusive prey.
So here comes the good news/bad news scenario.
The good news: Wired and wireless broadband Internet connections are becoming more common at departure gates, airline membership lounges, business centers, and other airport areas.
The bad news: Those connections can be difficult to find. Most airport Web sites don't make it terribly easy for business travelers to pinpoint the airport's Internet access options.
In October 2002, I reviewed the Web sites for six of the busiest U.S. airports. My goal was to use the sites to find out where the wireless and wired broadband Internet connections were located at these airports. The results were decidedly mixed, with some airports doing an exemplary job and others barely even acknowledging the Internet's existence.
Eighteen months later, I've taken another look at airport Web sites. Surprisingly, despite the growing use of the Internet by business travelers, only one of the airport sites I revisited has noticeably improved its efforts to help you find an Internet access point--and even that improvement was marginal.
Still, if you're heading to an airport on the East Coast, read on. I'll point you toward Wi-Fi hotspots and wired broadband Internet connections, plus provide links that help you sniff out public broadband Internet connections at other airports, too. Next week I'll cover airports in the Midwest, Southwest, and on the West Coast.
Before we get started, a couple of tidbits:
First, Intel recently announced the results of its "Most Unwired Airports" survey. The five U.S. airports with the most wireless Internet access are, in order: Dallas-Fort Worth International, New York's LaGuardia International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; Chicago's O'Hare International; and Baltimore/Washington International.
Second, a tip: Many Wi-Fi airport hotspots are located within members-only airline lounges. However, one airline spokesperson I talked with mentioned that the Wi-Fi signal often extends outside the lounges. So if all else fails, you might try to get a wireless Internet connection just outside the doors of an airline lounge. Keep in mind, though, that most airline lounges provide Wi-Fi access through a subscriber-based service, such as T-Mobile. In short: You'll still have to pay.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
The Web site for this huge airport doesn't make it easy to find the Internet connections. Instead of an easily identifiable link to business services, for instance, you must select Shops & Restaurants from the left-hand menu bar. Then go to the drop-down lists on the right side of the screen. Select your concourse and select Service in the Type drop-down list. Then click Search. If you don't find what you're looking for at one concourse, try the next one. An airport spokesperson said there are no plans to beef up Internet access information on its Web site, as there hasn't been much customer demand for it.
The Atlanta airport currently offers Laptop Lanes in Concourses A, B, and T; these business centers for notebook-toting travelers provides wired Internet access for a fee. An executive conference center in the main terminal also offers wired Internet access.
For wireless access, T-Mobile offers a fee-based service in the American, Delta, and United membership lounges. Adding wireless access to other areas is under consideration, according to the spokesperson.
Miami International Airport
The gateway to South America offers little, if any, gateways to the Internet, judging by the airport's Web site.
Clicking on the Restaurants & Shops link got me to a link for Business Services, but that page yielded no information about Internet access services. The Airline Clubs/Lounges page includes links to information about the services available in the airline lounges--but the descriptions are vague. For the American Airlines Admirals Club in the E concourse, for instance, the airport site description simply states "PC/laptop connectivity." Using the T-Mobile HotSpot locator, however, I discovered that the Admirals Club in the E concourse has Wi-Fi access via T-Mobile.
On the airport's home page, I clicked Passenger Information, then Frequently Asked Questions. According to the information on this page, Internet access in the airport is available on the seventh floor of the Miami International Airport hotel, the entrance to which is in Concourse E; it's also available in an Internet café at the Casa Bacardi restaurant, also in Concourse E.
According to Boingo's online directory of hotspot locations, Boingo Wireless provides Wi-Fi service in Concourse D Gate D4, Concourse E Gate 15, Concourse H Gate 15, and other areas in the airport. The airport's site makes no mention of this. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to confirm my findings with airport officials by press time.
New York: LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International Airports
Both airports (along with the Newark airport) are operated by The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, as are their Web pages. Unfortunately, the Port Authority's site doesn't make it any easier today than it was 18 months ago to figure out where the public Internet connections are.
For instance, at the LaGuardia home page, you must choose Retail Food & Services in the LGA Airport Terminal Services drop-down menu to obtain a static listing of businesses by terminal. Indeed, this section of the Web site apparently hasn't been updated in at least two years, as it lists one business as "coming in Spring 2002." The only evidence of Internet access I could find was a Laptop Lane in the Central Terminal.
The Retail Food & Services page in Kennedy's section of the site listed no Laptop Lane or other business center whatsoever.
A spokesperson for the Port Authority said most terminals at both airports are operated privately by airlines or consortiums. As a result, there hasn't been a concerted effort to provide detailed information about public wireless or wired Internet access locations on the Port Authority Web site. There are pay phones with data ports throughout both airports, the spokesperson added.
Though there's no mention of this on the Port Authority Web site, Sprint PCS offers wireless Internet access at various locations in LaGuardia Central Terminal. T-Mobile offers Wi-Fi access in the American Airlines Admirals Clubs at both airports.
Washington: Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Both D.C. airports share a common Web site, operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
Nothing on the home page points to services of any kind for business travelers, so I clicked on the Shopping & Dining links for each airport. A "Business Service Center" was listed for National Airport, but not for Dulles. However, no further information--beyond a phone number--was offered for the business center. The phone number is apparently incorrect; I dialed it three times, only to receive a recording advising me to check the number.
I found some basic information about Internet kiosks at a FAQ page for both airports. According to the FAQ, Ronald Reagan Washington National has about 150 pay phones with data ports for dial-up Internet access. "These phones are scattered throughout the airport for your convenience," the site explains. The service costs the same as a local pay-phone call (50 cents), provided you have a toll-free number for your ISP. There are six Internet kiosks throughout Dulles, according to the site. The access fee is $3.50 at each kiosk, plus a $4 charge per 10 minutes.
As for wireless access, T-Mobile operates hotspots at the American, Delta, and United Airlines lounges in Ronald Reagan and the American and United Airlines lounges in Dulles. Both airports plan to offer wireless Internet access in public areas, too, though a spokesperson couldn't say exactly when.
Online Resources
Here are hotspot locators for specific providers:
Here are a few resources that help you locate Internet connections at airports and other public places:
Your Feedback
Do you have any tips or suggestions for finding or using a wired or wireless broadband Internet connection at the airport? If so, write to me.
Notebooks & Accessories
News: Toshiba's Latest Multimedia Notebooks
Toshiba recently announced two new notebook models, each serving a different type of consumer.
The Satellite P25-S670 ($2699) is a desktop replacement with the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system and a 17-inch widescreen display for digital media aficionados. It includes a 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of DDR SDRAM, an 80GB hard drive, and a DVD-RAM/-RW/CD-RW multifunction optical drive. But there's a back brace alert: The P25-S670 weighs a big fat 9.9 pounds.
The Satellite M25-S320 ($1799) weighs only 6.2 pounds. It's designed for consumers and students who want a lighter notebook, but still want to watch movies and burn CDs. The model has a 15.4-inch widescreen display, and it includes a 1.5-GHz Pentium M processor, 512MB of DDR SDRAM, a 60GB hard drive, and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive.
For details on these notebooks, and other new Satellites, read "Toshiba Updates Multimedia Notebooks."
News: HP Notebooks for Outdoorsy Types
To paraphrase the old song "MacArthur Park," someone left the notebook out in the rain. Or dropped it on the floor. Or exposed it to extreme temperatures. And according to Hewlett-Packard, that's just fine and dandy--its new ruggedized notebook and Tablet PC can withstand all of the above.
The HP Rugged Notebook Nr3600 ($4099) and the HP Rugged Tablet PC Tr3000 ($3449) are designed with appliance technicians, police officers, utility workers, and other mobile workers in mind. Among the portables' features: You can simultaneously use Bluetooth, 802.11 wireless LAN technology, and cellular technologies.
News: Logitech's Portable Mouse
The new Notebook Optical Mouse Plus ($30) from Logitech is designed for travel. The mouse features a built-in cable that you can pull out and connect to a USB port or quickly retract for easy storage. For more information about this and other new Logitech products, read "Logitech Shows Slick Mice, Keyboards."
Gadgets & Services
Review: Altec Lansing's InMotion
As an Apple IPod buff, I've been looking for a decent pair of portable speakers to work with the MP3 player. And I've found what I need: Altec Lansing's InMotion ($150). The slickly designed speaker set folds flat for convenient packing, weighs only 15 ounces, and measures 8 by 5.4 by 1.2 inches. The white look suits the IPod well and the built-in IPod stand also recharges the player. (The new IPod Minis aren't compatible, by the way.) How's it sound? Above average for a tiny set of portable speakers, thanks to an amplifier with four full-range micro drivers and MaxxBass technology that provides deep bass.
For the latest prices, go to the PC World Product Finder.
Review: GPS Cell Phones
Mobile phones with built-in Global Positioning System navigation--which lets you view and listen to turn-by-turn directions from your handset--are finding their way into a store near you.
At the moment, Nextel is the only nationwide carrier to offer GPS navigation, and it does so via Televigation's TeleNav and Motorola's ViaMoto subscription services. PC World mobile phone guru Grace Aquino put the services to the test and found that they kept her on track. For instance, both services automatically know when you've wandered off a prescribed route and then calculate a new route to put you back on track. You can use the services only in Nextel network coverage areas, however. Also, you have to subscribe to Nextel's voice and data plans and buy one of its cell phones. GPS service fees are extra, ranging from $6 to $25 per month.
News: Swiss Army Knife Does Even More
Swiss Army Knives--which famously include every tool you'll ever need, except perhaps a chain saw--now come with a flash memory drive. In May, two new versions of the knives will include a 64MB flash drive (about $73) and two will offer a 128MB flash drive (about $88)--along with their knives, ballpoint pens, files with screwdriver tips, scissors, and such.
Suggestion Box
Is there a particularly cool mobile computing product or service I've missed? Got a spare story idea in your back pocket? Tell me about it.