Charlotte, Greensboro airports make Google free Wi-Fi list; RDU, Atlanta don’t
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Local Tech Wire, AP
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Airline travelers through airports in Charlotte and Greensboro will be able to log in for free Wi-Fo access from Google through the holiday season.
However, Raleigh Durham International and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson didn’t make the list announced by the search engine giant on Tuesday.
Google is working with 47 airports for the free offering (click here for the list), which lasts through Jan. 15.
Yahoo, eBay and Microsoft, competitors on the Web with Google, all have the same idea for marketing themselves with other offiers.
Travelers who connect to a wireless "hot spot" at one of the airports will see a browser page that gives them the chance to donate to three charities and have the donation matched by Google.
The 47 airports include some, such as McCarran International in Las Vegas, that already provide free Wi-Fi. Sponsorships help the airport keep the service free.
Google is also providing free Wi-Fi on Virgin America flights for the same period.
EBay Inc., the Web auction powerhouse, will provide free Wi-Fi on some Delta Air Lines Inc. planes during the week of Thanksgiving. Logging on will take users first to eBay's holiday page, but they will be free to roam from there.
Since September, Microsoft Corp. has given away Wi-Fi access at some hotels and airports, encouraging users to make a query on the company's new search engine, Bing.
On Monday, Yahoo Inc. said it is giving away Wi-Fi access in New York's Times Square. One street of the busy area was converted into pedestrian zone with lawn chairs this spring, giving more of a reason to dawdle and perhaps flip open a laptop.
Boingo Wireless Inc., which operates for-pay hot spots in airports and is part of Google's project, said it has been getting good results with free Wi-Fi campaigns sponsored by hotel chains. The campaigns typically offer users 15 to 20 minutes of access after they watch a 30-second video advertisement.
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