The search engine giant Google is
offering free WiFi service to travel-
ers at 47 airports across the coun-
try from now until Dr. Martin Luther
Kings Jr.’s birthday, Jan. 15, 2010.
"We're very happy to extend our
Holiday Wi-Fi gift to the millions of
people who will spend time in air-
ports over the next few months,"
said Marissa Mayer, vice president
of search products and user exper-
ience at Google in a press release.
"We know that this is a very hectic
travel season for people, and we
hope that free Wi-Fi will make both traveling and connecting with friends and family a little bit easier."
The holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is the heaviest traveled of the year. The FAA
estimates that over 100 million passengers will pass through the airport during that time. A benevolent
Google and its partner, Boingo Wireless, will be perceived as Santa and Mrs. Clause by travelers that might
spend a great deal of their travel time in airports due to inclement weather.
A recent study conducted by the Wi-Fi Alliance revealed that 50 percent of business travelers take red-eye
flights in order to be "reachable" during business hours, and an overwhelming 82 percent said that being
connected through Wi-Fi would change that trend.
While the service is free, at log in, users will be solicited for a donation to Engineers Without Borders, whichGoogle will match. Users should exercise caution and ensure that their computers are protected with up-to-
date malware protection and secure log-ins.
Participating Airports:
Austin (AUS) Greensboro (GSO) Nashville (BNA) Seattle (SEA)
Baltimore (BWI) Houston Hobby (HOU) Newport News (PHF) South Bend (SBN)
Billings (BIL) Houston Bush (IAH) Norfolk (ORF) Spokane (GEG)
Boston (BOS) Indianapolis (IND) Oklahoma City (OKC) St. Louis (STL)
Bozeman (BZN) Jacksonville, FL (JAX) Omaha (OMA) State College (SCE)
Buffalo, NY (BUF) Kalamazoo (AZO) Orlando (MCO) Toledo (TOL)
Burbank (BUR) Las Vegas (LAS) Panama City, FL (PFN) Traverse City (TVC)
Central Wisconsin (CWA) Louisville (SDF) Pittsburgh, PA (PIT) West Palm Beach (PBI)
Charlotte, NC (CLT) Madison (MSN) Portland, ME (PWM)
Des Moines (DSM) Memphis (MEM) Sacramento (SMF)
El Paso (ELP) Miami (MIA) San Antonio (SAT)
Fort Lauderdale (FLL) Milwaukee (MKE) San Diego (SAN)
Fort Myers (RSW) Monterey (MRY) San Jose (SJC)
--yvette caslin
