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JAX gets holiday Google Wi-Fi
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Google Inc. today said that it is working with seven Florida airports – including Jacksonville International (JAX)– and across the country as well as “Boingo Wireless, “
Advanced Wireless Group, Airport Marketing Income and others to provide free Wi-Fi as a holiday gift now through next January 15.
In all, 47 airports are jointing in, and among the Florida locations, in addition to JAX, are Fort Lauderdale, (FLL), Fort Myers/SW (RSW), Miami (MIA), Orlando (MCO), Panama City (PFN) and West Palm Beach (PBI).
Jacksonville International Airport already has Wi-Fi service, but JAA spokesman Michael Stewart said, “This will be a revenue stream.” JAA has been paying for the service out of its budget until today.
Burbank and Seattle airports will begin offering airport-wide free Wi-Fi indefinitely.
Google, Inc. is headquartered in Mountain View, Calif.
“We’re very happy to extend our Holiday Wi-Fi gift to the millions of people who will spend time in airports over the next few months,” said Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience at Google.
“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,” she added.
The upcoming Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holiday is one of the heaviest travel seasons of the year, and according to FAA estimates, over 100 million people will pass through the participating airports between now and January 15, 2010. Due to bad weather and other extenuating circumstances, travelers often have extra time on their hands in the airport after they pass through security – 70 minutes, on average. Not surprisingly, having an Internet connection during this time can make a difference.
A recent study conducted by the Wi-Fi Alliance reported that half 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 help solve that problem.
“Google gets this year’s Wi-Fi Santa award for sponsoring complimentary access in dozens of airports, both to the traveler’s and airport’s benefit,” said Dave Hagan, president and CEO of Boingo Wireless. “In addition to the obvious bonus holiday travelers will enjoy, sponsored access will increase overall Wi-Fi usage in the participating airports and help supplement the airport’s increasingly important non-airline incremental revenue.”
As another way to pass on the spirit of the season, once they log on to networks in any of the participating airports, travelers will have the option make a donation to Engineers Without Borders, the One Economy Corp. or the Climate Savers Computing Initiative. Google stated it will match the donations made across all the networks up to $250,000, and the airport network that generates the highest amount per passenger by January 1, will receive $15,000 to donate to the local nonprofit of their choice.
In total, the gift will include 47 airports that together handle over 500 million passengers each year, or about 35 percent of the total number of annual passengers in the U.S.
In October, Google and Virgin America announced that all passengers on Virgin America will have free in-flight Wi-Fi during the holiday period. Virgin America flies only to Fort Lauderdale, so far, and that service launches November 18.
Useful website: www.freeholidaywifi.com
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