Survey Finds Airport Wi-Fi More Important Than Food

Ninjakicks writes "For the business traveler (and the traveler in general, really), Wi-Fi is important — crucial, even. But more important than sustenance? That's exactly what was found in a recent survey by American Airlines and HP, where some 47% of business travelers responded that Wi-Fi was the most important airport amenity, outscoring basic travels needs such as food by nearly 30 percent."

Depends

[SolarStorm]

If I answered the survey while on a business trip, my answer would have been WiFi. If I was on vacation, that last thing that I want is WiFi, (A good supply of beer would be a better choice) The fact that we now live in a connected world cannot be ignored. Ask people if they would prefer WiFi or power stations to charge thier DVD's and see what answer you get. Most of the people using their computer (that I see are using it to watch a movie). Wifi is simply there for entertainment for a number of people. But as far as expenses go, it would probably be expensive for the airports, and more and more people are getting their own connection through their Cell phone etc. If my company requires I need internet away from the office, there are too many solutions now available. I would rather see airports spend money on efficiency, ease of travel, REAL security, maintenance.

Who doesnt have a tethering phone by now?

[LibertineR]

I stopped caring about airport wi-fi the day I gave up the iphone for the Blackberry Storm. I know a lot of people dont like the Storm, but it tethers like nobodys business.

My next toy will be to setup Microsoft's Direct Access replacement for VPN's and I will never be disconnected from my network. When more people become aware of Direct Access, that is going to put a dent in those who say they cant innovate in Redmond. This is some bad-ass technology.

Wifi should be 100% free in airports.

[Jason Quinn]

I absolutely hate how many US airports don't provide free Wifi for travelers (free Wifi seems to be more common abroad). For a minuscule fraction of their budget, airports could provide an invaluable service. It must change.

Re:Not surprising

[ArsenneLupin]

It cost $10 a day for bandwidth that was none too awesome.

Wifi at airports is free. If you are paying for it, you're doing it wrong.

Here's how to do it:

1. Start tcpdump -en
2. Carefully note Ip addresses and corresponding mac addresses that fly by
3. ifconfig wlan0 hw ether macAddress
4. ifconfig wlan0 ip netmask netmask
5. route add default gw router (router's ip can usually be guessed from IP)
6. enjoy your free connectivity!

Re:Electrical outlets

[eggman9713]

That's not as bad as the last time I was in the Las Vegas airport a couple of years ago, but I actually found that most if not all of the outlets in the passenger gate areas did not function. I guess they turn off the breakers except when needed to keep people from stealing their power.