How to Make Friends and Influence Air Travelers

So, I'm currently sitting in the Rochester Airport waiting for a 5PM flight. Now, what do I do with my 4 hours of time before I'm ready to board. I could buy a book or a magazine. I could grab a bite to eat. I could people watch (I don't think I'll ever stop doing that in an airport). Or, I could take my laptop out and get some work done or surf around on the internet.

Here's my dilemma. Why do I need to pay $9.99 for 24 hour time slot to get on their network? I'm not paying for the internet at that point. I'm really just paying for the convenience of using their connection to the internet. As a result, I actually found a wireless network called "linksys". More than likely one of the offices or vendors in the airport have a router opened up.

Right now you're probably thinking I'm either really cheap or I'm stealing internet. Well first, I am cheap. I'm going to look for a bargain when I can. If I really wanted to get on the internet, I'd probably pay the $9.99. On the other hand, why isn't their competition? Why should 1 company have the right to charge? Secondly, I'm not stealing anything. Whoever owns the router decided it wasn't important enough to keep the public off of it.

So vendors, want to get on my "companies I like" list while I'm traveling? Open up your network so I can get on the internet. Even better, let travelers know you have free wi-fi and they just might stop in for a bite to eat. And to the airports who think it's a good idea to sign a monopoly contract with these ISP's. Don't. You'll have happier travelers and less complaints. Trust me.