Feb 22 2007
Have Dollar, Will Power
Well I knew something like this would come about eventually. It appears that despite all the frustrations that air travelers have to deal with, they now have to pay to use electricity while waiting so they can use laptops and such. Apparently someone else didn’t like that either since they created something called the Air Power Wiki. It’s a special series of web pages designed to point out good spots at airports where you can power up without having to pay.
I don’t doubt that running an airport can be an expensive. The utilities alone would be burden enough as you essentially have to have them running all the time. Is it really fair to saddle air travelers with the burden of paying for electricity while there? If all someone is going to do is use a laptop or other small electronic device, I don’t see how the small amount of power consumed is going to make all that much difference in the overall costs of electricity there. They probably get a large discount on their power bill to boot (don’t know that for fact but it would be interesting to find out).
So if they want to charge for electric usage, what’s next in line? Will I need to feed a $5 bill into the bathroom door so I can relieve myself? Will I have to swipe my credit card if I want a comfy seat to wait in while my delayed flight makes its way in? I’m surprised they don’t offer discounts for people willing to stand outside vs. inside. To me, an airport charging for power use would be like making someone who visits my house doing the same thing. You treat people like guests, not a burden.