Airport frees up wireless access
DIA cancels fee to log on; usage rises tenfold
By Chris Walsh, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published November 30, 2007 at 12:05 a.m.
Updated November 30, 2007 at 7:28 a.m.
Sending an e-mail to your sweetie or changing your fantasy football lineup from a laptop at Denver International Airport will no longer set you back $7.95.
DIA recently dropped the fee it charged passengers to use the airport's wireless Internet access.
Travelers have welcomed the move: DIA says use of its wireless system has risen tenfold since it began offering free access.
"I thank them for it," said Darryl Jenkins, a Virginia-based aviation consultant. "It's becoming a bigger deal, and it's now considered something you should do amongst polite society. Airports take you in so many other places, so it's not like they're starving for revenue. It's OK to let a passenger go through and leave with a buck or two."
Most airports offer wireless Internet access, but they differ on whether or not to charge passengers.
DIA, which offered 24-hour and monthly access plans, decided to drop the charge in an effort to provide better service and "stay a leading-edge airport," spokesman Jeff Green said.
But it doesn't come without a cost, as DIA received nearly $259,000 in revenue last year from its wireless service.
The airport also purchased and installed servers to ensure it has enough bandwidth to meet increased use, which cost in the six figures, Green said. FreeFi Networks out of Woodland Hills, Calif., is providing the service, replacing AT&T, Green said.
The move primarily benefits leisure travelers, who typically aren't willing to fork over more money on vacations that already are costing them hundreds or thousands of dollars, observers said.
Business travelers tend to use the service even if it costs money.
"It's an economic model issue," said Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition, a lobbying group based in Pennsylvania. "Just having access is a tremendous benefit, so if they have to charge for it that's fine."
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