Travelers flying out of three airports in the New York City area will soon be able to access the Internet for free before boarding their flight.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's new $3.8 million 10-year-agreement with Boingo Wireless gives flyers free wireless Internet access for the first 30 minutes at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark airports, according to The New York Post. Users must pay a $4.95 per hour rate thereafter, or can opt for the $7.95 24-hour period day pass, or $9.95 monthly cost for unlimited access to over 100,000 hotspots around the world.
"The agreement to offer free Wi-Fi at the Port Authority's airports is a win for New York and New Jersey, but most important, it is a win for more than 111 million passengers," the public transportation agency said in a statement.
"Boingo and the Port Authority are working diligently on the amendment to the existing Wi-Fi service contract," said a Boingo's spokeswoman. "We will make an announcement with the specifics of the deal when an agreement is finalized."
"Nevertheless, both Port Authority and out airline partners consider compliment WiFi to be a significant customer service upgrade," added Thomas Bosco, the authority's aviation director.
"We heard our customer's voices loud and clear and have reached an agreement with Boingo to provide the first half at those airports for free," executive Pat Foye said of the initiative highly favored by New York's governor.
"As we prepare to transform JFK and LaGuardia into the internationally renowned airports that New Yorkers deserve, access to free Wi-Fi is one area where we can make quick progress," proclaimed Gov. Andrew Cuomo. "New York's airports have lagged behind their competitors for too long - and my administration simply will not allow our major transit hubs to be anything less than first class."
