Skift Take
If you are feeling like you live out of a suitcase and that airports are your second home you need this essential list of 32 popular event destination airports with free WiFi.
With competitive prices and frequent flights, planning and managing events in other countries has become a reality for many eventprofs. Travelling to meetings and attending worldwide events is no longer reserved for the privileged few so learning to travel like an eventprof can be essential.
Even though the flights themselves are often short-haul, once you incorporate baggage collection, delays, check-in and travel to and from the airports, this can often mean an entire day of work is wasted, putting you behind before you even start. However, the amount of airports providing WiFi is on the rise, meaning you can take your laptop or tablet with you as hand luggage and work from anywhere. Start your planning, proposals or research before you have even boarded the plane.
Many airports still charge for internet usage, however here are some of the top event destinations in the US and Europe with free unlimited or free but restricted WiFi access to keep you going throughout your journey. Plan ahead so you never have to stop working or miss a deadline.
Free and Unlimited WiFi
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Denver International Airport, Colorado
At the top of the list with completely free and unlimited internet access, Denver International Airport also boasts the fastest WiFi speeds according to the latest data by Speedtest.net, putting Denver miles ahead of its other US counterparts.
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McCarran International, Las Vegas
You can stay completely connected through all public areas of the McCarran international with their free and unlimited WiFi in all terminals.
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Birmingham Airport, England
BHM provide free and unlimited WiFi 24/7 throughout the airport and terminals, as well as charging stations in most of the gates and concourse areas.
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Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Atlanta
In 2014 this Atlanta based airport upgraded its WiFi to allow a free, unlimited service that is one of the fastest available and can accommodate around 15,000 users simultaneously to avoid slow loading issues.
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Keflavik Airport, Iceland
Offering free WiFi throughout the airport, Keflavik tends to also stay pretty quick due to its smaller size.
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Dallas Fort Worth Airport, Texas
One of the highest services for upload rate provided in US airports because it is not only free and unlimited but has been upgraded to support 55,000 users and provide an impressive 8mbps and 75 Mb upload rate. They also provide free power outlets and charging stations at various terminals in the airport.
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San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco
San Francisco International provides free unlimited WiFi throughout all terminals and even provides step-by-step guides to setting up most Apple and Android products and connecting via a laptop.
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Vaclav Havel Airport, Prague
This high speed, free and unlimited service is available throughout terminals 1 and 2 with a large amount of access points and relatively uninterrupted service.
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John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York
Free, unlimited WiFi is available at all terminals throughout the day, as well as a toll free customer service help number that you can call if you experience any problems with wireless access.
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Orlando International, Orlando
This fully wireless and free, unlimited service has many access points, however the airport recommends avoiding crowded areas so you can get higher speeds with minimal interruptions.
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Dulles International, Washington
Free and unlimited WiFi is available in the concourse areas as well as the main terminal. There is also a technical support service to report weaker signal areas and get assistance if necessary.
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Seattle Tacoma Airport, Washington
A free and unlimited service is available at SeaTac airport in all public areas. Some hotspots are stronger than others but it is high on the Speedtest.net list for WiFi speed. If you ask a member of staff they will be able to let you know where the stronger services are.
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Frankfurt Airport, Germany
The first German airport to allow free and unlimited WiFi to its users throughout the terminals. There are over 300 access points on offer to avoid service disruptions.
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Dublin Airport, Ireland
With one of the fastest speeds in Europe, Dublin offers free and unlimited WiFi that doesn’t require a login, which makes the transition smooth and easy. They also offer paid wireless printing facilities and internet kiosks to rent if you need them.
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Brussels Airport, Belgium
Free, unlimited WiFi access is available throughout the Brussels airport and they also offer PC’s to rent at 5 different communication centers on site if you need a computer quickly.
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Vienna International Airport, Austria
Unlimited and free WiFi at the Vienna International Airport is as standard and the seating areas for gates B and C also offer USB charging stations and power outlets.
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Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, Louisiana
This free and unlimited WiFi is available in around 85% of the airport buildings including the main terminals, food courts, gates and sitting areas. They also offer charging stations for your device and a rentable cube that can charge multiple devices at once.
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Helsinki Airport, Finland
Free and unlimited WiFi that is available throughout the airport via a short sign in process. The best results are via tablet or smartphone rather than a laptop.
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Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania
With free and unlimited access to users throughout the airport at all times, Philadelphia International Airport provides an excellent service and is one of the fastest airport WiFi speeds according to Speedtest.net this year!
Free But Restricted WiFi
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Nashville International Airport, Tennessee
Free, ad-supported WiFi is available in most of the public areas such as the gates, food courts, baggage areas and transportation pick-ups. 30 minute sessions, followed by an advert is how the free service is supported however there is an unlimited subscription service available (for those travelling using North America airports frequently, the provider offers monthly subscriptions that allow you to use 30,000 hotspots in participating airports for $10 per month.)
Montreal Trudeau Airport, Montreal
This service is free and provides 60 minute sessions and then will automatically log you out. There are no paid-for alternatives but you can simply log back in for another free session repeatedly.
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Schiphol, Amsterdam
Their free service available throughout the airport is available in 4 hour sessions before you are automatically logged out. Simply log back in for another session or alternatively pay to upgrade to the premium service. Schiphol also offers an internet lounge if you are without your laptop with secure, WiFi enabled laptops available to rent.
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Barcelona Airport, Spain
This is a free, ad-supported service that has minimal speeds suitable for browsing, however you can opt to buy the faster, premium and ad free service for around $5 for 24 hours.
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Leonardo da Vinci International Airport Fiumicino, Rome
Only 30 minute sessions are provided at this Rome airport before having to re-log, as well as being ad-supported. You can easily sign up for the premium version which will allow you unlimited access.
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Gatwick Airport, London
Gatwick offers free charging points and a 90 minute free WiFi session before prompting to upgrade to a premium service. This is not usually restricted to devices but you could use a separate login for your phone and tablet to get two sessions. Additionally, wireless printing and internet kiosks are available to rent at the airport as well.
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Budapest Airport, Hungary
2 hours of free, unlimited WiFi is available at Budapest Airport throughout the terminals before automatically disconnecting you and prompting you to log back in.
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Logan International, Boston
Free and unlimited WiFi is available throughout the airport for basic and restricted speeds that are suitable for browsing and social media. To use a higher speed or premium service you need to sign up and pay. Free charging stations are also available in many of the seating areas of the airport.
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Madrid Barajas Airport, Spain
The airport allows a basic free WiFi service throughout but this has limited download speeds and contains ads. This is fine for browsing and light work but for streaming, video chatting or any heavy duty options then you need to pay for the premium service.
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Edinburgh Airport, Scotland
This service offers free WiFi throughout the airport with a fast service for two hours per day, per device. With planning you could spread this out to use 2 hours per device; on your phone, tablet and laptop.
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Charles de Gaulle, Paris
This airport provides a 24/7 free and unlimited service that has a basic connection suitable for browsing but does contain ads. There are two paid for sign up options available; faster (4X faster than the basic) and stronger (10X faster than the basic) which are available for around $5-$10.
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Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Arizona
You can expect a free, unlimited WiFi service that was upgraded in 2014 to provide faster speeds and bigger capacity, however it is ad-supported and this can restrict viewing and interrupt usage. For those who have high download needs you can upgrade to a premium service.
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Lisbon Airport, Lisbon
Lisbon airport provides free, unlimited internet for local connections where you can search flight and airport information. However, when connecting to the external sources you need to use the local hotspots for either: Vodafone, Vex, Novaspot or PT WiFi where the first hour is free.
In Conclusion
We know how essential the internet is to any event professional and these 32 airports can provide you with the WiFi you need to work on the go and never miss a deadline while travelling. Whether they offer unlimited connectivity or ad-supported services you can still get plenty done ahead of your flight or meeting.
As a bonus and to save you even more time, here is a handy WiFi password map to bookmark, to speed up the login process and boost your productivity.
