Free airport Wi-Fi - Frankfurt offers unlimited free internet access

Fraport AG (the Frankfurt Airport company) is expanding its free airport Wi-Fi access at Germany’s largest airport from 60 minutes to 24-hours.

Frankfurt Airport’s (FRA) round-the-clock free Wi-Fi service is available immediately, just in time for the peak summer travel season.

More than 300 Wi-Fi access points (particularly in the departures areas) facilitate Internet access in the terminals.

To use the free Wi-Fi service, passengers and visitors simply log on via the “HotSpot” Internet portal of Deutsche Telekom. With only a few clicks and data to get online, passengers can check their e-mails and search the Web for travel-relevant and other information. After the first 24 hours, passengers can extend their free Wi-Fi access for a further 24 hours with a just few clicks – ideal for travelers having a longer stopover at Frankfurt Airport.

Peter Schmitz, Fraport AG’s executive board member for operations (COO), emphasized: “Fraport is pleased to enhance the travel experience for our passengers again by expanding free Wi-Fi service at Frankfurt Airport from 60 minutes to 24 hours. We are the first major airport in Germany and one of the first in Europe to offer passengers this level of free Wi-Fi service round-the-clock. Frankfurt Airport is dedicated to meeting the needs of today’s increasingly mobile and networked society.”

Free Wi-Fi at Frankfurt Airport is an important element of the “Great to Have You Here!” service quality program launched several years ago by Fraport AG to introduce a wide range of service enhancements – making FRA more convenient and attractive for passengers and visitors at Germany’s largest aviation hub. FRA served more 58 million passengers in 2013.

Free airport Wi-Fi is inreasingly being seen as an essential by passengers, especially useful when problems occur. So far the airport community seems to prefer to offer 30 or 60 minutes for free and then charge for any more.

Recently PANYNJ announced that it will offer 30 minutes free Wi-Fi access at four of its airport later this year.

UK airports

In the UK it varies quite a bit. Airports with unlimited free Wi-Fi access include Aberdeen (ABZ) and London City(LCY). Airports that offer limited fee Wi-Fi include:

Edinburgh (EDI), free for 120 minutes

Manchester (MAN), free for 60 minutes

Stansted (STN), free for 60 minutes

Gatwick (LGW), free for 45 minutes

Heathrow (LHR), free for 45 minutes (90 for Heathrow Rewards members)

Glasgow (GLA), free for 30 minutes

The somewhat mean allowance at Glasgow is especially disappointing as the airport will be having very large numbers of passengers this summer for the Commonwealth Games.