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Happy holidays! Have some free Wi-Fi on Google unless you’re in O.C.
November 10th, 2009, 7:01 am · 11 Comments · posted by Tamara Chuang, a.k.a. The Gadgetress
Update, 10:13 a.m.: Google responds to why Orange County was overlooked. See bold below.
—————————————
Google Inc. wants to give consumers an early Christmas present and said it will sponsor free Wi-Fi Internet at airports across the country through Jan. 15, 2010. The company has agreements with 47 airports plus the big Wi-Fi provider Boingo Wireless, which typically charges $7.95 a day.
Unfortunately, this freebie doesn’t include the two big ones here, John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana or Los Angeles International Airport. Boingo doesn’t provide service to John Wayne, but it does offer it at LAX. The Long Beach airport, of course, has free Wi-Fi all the time in the JetBlue section. UPDATE: Google says that it didn’t restrict the promotion to certain airports. All airports listed wanted to participate and wanted to make this happen. “If there are other airports who are interested in potentially participating in any future programs, they should contact us at freeholidaywifi@google.com,” said a Google spokesman.
However, if you’re traveling beaucoup this upcoming season, the “free gift” will be available at some local airports, including San Diego and Burbank. More likely, however, travelers will get to take advantage of free Wi-Fi if they’re in San Jose, Boston and Las Vegas.
Here’s a complete list of airports offering free Wi-Fi:
| Airports offering | free Wi-Fi ’till | Jan. 15, 2010 |
|---|---|---|
| Austin (AUS) | Houston Bush (IAH) | Orlando (MCO) |
| Baltimore (BWI) | Indianapolis (IND) | Panama City (PFN) |
| Billings (BIL) | Jacksonville (JIA) | Pittsburgh (PIT) |
| Boston (BOS) | Kalamazoo (AZO) | Portland (PWM) |
| Bozeman (BZN) | Las Vegas (LAS) | Sacramento (SMF) |
| Buffalo (BUF) | Louisville (SDF) | San Antonio (SAT) |
| Burbank (BUR) | Madison (MSN) | San Diego (SAN) |
| Central Wisconsin (CWA) | Memphis (MEM) | San Jose (SJC) |
| Charlotte (CLT) | Miami (MIA) | Seattle (SEA) |
| Des Moines (DSM) | Milwaukee (MKE) | South Bend (SBN) |
| El Paso (ELP) | Monterey (MRY) | Spokane (GEG) |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | Nashville (BNA) | St. Louis (STL) |
| Fort Myers/SW (RSW) | Newport News (PHF) | State College (SCE) |
| Greensboro (GSO) | Norfolk (ORF) | Toledo (TOL) |
| Houston (HOU) | Oklahoma City (OKC) | Traverse City (TVC) |
| Omaha (OMA) | West Palm Beach (PBI) |
Google is working not only with the airports but Wi-Fi providers, such as Boingo Wireless, Advanced Wireless Group and Airport Marketing. Additionally, Google is working with Virgin America airlines to offer free Wi-Fi to passengers traveling in Boston, Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego and Fort Lauderdale through the same period. More details at www.freeholidaywifi.com.
Coincidentally, Boingo announced this morning that teaming with hotel chains to offer “sponsored access” has increased revenue up to 35 percent at select airports, and generated click-through rates of up to 39 percent for sponsors. Typically, such campaigns have offered travelers 15 to 20 minutes of free Internet in exchange for watching a 30-second video.
Google did not say whether it will make users watch a commercial in exchange for free access.
Did you miss these earlier stories on Gadgetress?
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Here's a list of TV/mobile companies helping consumers one tweet at a time. 
even the dc area airports didn’t make the list such as DCA & IAD!!!
Christmas is everyday in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We offer free wireless access to everyone in our terminal. No agreements, no need to be on Santa’s good list. Just free wireless internet. Oh, and just in case the Santa in your household needs cookies — we’ve got that covered as well. All departing passengers receive a free cookie at FWA.
The cookie helps you forget that you were ever in Fort Wayne.
Wonder if this is a precursor to free wi-fi from Google if you have an Android phone? Interesting thought, nonetheless.
Good question — let me ask. I bet though since the Wi-Fi is controlled by a non-Google company, it would be a billing mess for Google to interfere to give Android users a break.
It’s not just here. Almost all of the major hubs are missing: New York/Newark, Philly, DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/FW, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco, as well as LA metro. Not even Phoenix is on the list.
So there’s almost no ability to use free WiFi while in a lay-over between flights, which is the main place I’d use it. And I don’t foresee many people using much free WiFi at their destination airports.
Am I being cynical in thinking that it’s no accident that the only people likely to get any use out of this are the ones departing from those particular airports, and that their use will probably be limited to half an hour or less because they’ll be boarding their flights?
Apparently, a big deciding factor was the airport itself so yes, if you’re not a hub airport and Google is offering to sponsor this, why not? Good for marketing your own airport.
LAX didn’t make the list either. So why are you picking on only SNA?
Oh, I guess I should remind readers that I write for the Orange County Register. So even though readers come from everywhere, I also like to get some extra linking love from my paper’s homepage. Without the O.C. angle, many relevant stories get overlooked by that page.
Come to think of it, looks like Ontario isn’t on the list either…….
It’s probably worth noting that several airports on the list, including San Diego and Las Vegas, already offered free wifi before this promotion. As does Phoenix, which Doug mentioned above and isn’t participating.