Computing in Southern California's Airports

Business travelers all know the story. You're sitting in an airport terminal and realize that you have to e-mail a report to the office in half an hour. What if your flight's been delayed and you want to use the time to surf the Web and write e-mail. Do L.A. airports offer the services you need to work or play via the Web on your notebook?

To find out, I visited four of the Southland's biggest airports looking for power outlets, phone jacks, Internet terminals, fax machines, and comfortable workstations. All four airports offered enough services to get online and send e-mail, but beyond that, things were sketchy. None of the airports offered information on their Web sites, and when I called the airports, I was continually routed to people who either didn't know or who gave me bad information. The lesson: If you plan on working in an airport terminal, assume nothing.

Los Angeles International Airport
Since I live on the east end of Los Angeles County, I abhor any trip to LAX: I hate the drive, the traffic, and the parking. Other than that, I went to LAX with a positive attitude.

I began at the Bradley International Terminal. I quickly spotted my first QuickAid Internet Station, which has stations throughout LAX. (LAX offers Internet Stations in Terminal 1, next to Gates 4A and 4B; Terminal 3, near Gate 31A; Terminal 5, near the entrance to the baggage claim area; Terminal 6, opposite Gate 60; Terminal 7, near Gate 70; and in the International Terminal next to the baggage claim area.) These little cubicles let you cruise the Web, but you have to do it while standing up.

At $2.50 for ten minutes, I was expecting fast Web access. But the performance was, at best, equivalent to a 56Kbps dial-up connection. The workstations' Web browsers have prefab links for direct access to Web-based e-mail services such as Yahoo and HotMail, as well as links to AOL and CompuServe. (However, the online connections didn't work when I visited; they were still under construction.) There's a nifty option for sending a fax by typing in a message and supplying a fax number, and a timer at the top of the screen, which tells you how long you've been online. Unfortunately, the computer didn't warn me when I was exceeding my initial ten minutes. And at these prices, I think a warning would be appropriate. When you're done with a session, the computer sends an e-mail message as a receipt to an address you provide.

The Internet stations are open to viewing by passersby, so there's no privacy—which would be nice when you're reading or writing e-mail. The stations accept MasterCard, Visa, and American Express, and because anyone nearby can see your monitor, you'll want to swipe your card instead of typing in your information.

If you'd rather surf the Net on your notebook, LAX offers plenty of RJ-11 dataports—especially near banks of public phones. However, there were no power outlets, and the few shelves I saw were too narrow to support a notebook, so you must stand up and balance everything or rest your notebook on the floor while squinting down at it from above. It's workable, perhaps, but awfully uncomfortable.

Many LAX terminals also provide public fax machines with sheet-fed scanners. Beware of the costs: Local calls run a whopping $3.95 per minute, long-distance calls cost $6.95 per minute, international calls are $9.95 per minute, and receiving a fax costs $3.95 per minute.

There is no end to bad information at LAX. Salespeople in the airport stores had no idea about business services, and each time I asked someone at an information desk where I could find a business center, I was sent on a wild goose chase. By now, I had had enough of LAX.

Ontario International Airport
Of the four airports I visited, the brand-new Ontario International Airport offered the best computing services.

Banks of public pay phones are spread throughout the terminal, and many even have RJ-11 ports for connecting to your notebook's modem. (Don't forget your cable with an RJ-11 jack when you travel.) I was pleased to find the calls are charged as regular phone calls, which start at 35 cents. Unfortunately, none of the airports I visited had power outlets by the pay phones, so make sure your laptop's batteries are fully charged. And while the phone booths at Ontario have places to sit, there aren't any shelves to rest a notebook on. So here again, you're stuck either clumsily balancing the notebook on your lap or resting it on the floor.

If your batteries are low, try the Business Center in the middle of the terminal, to the right of the main metal detectors. It has only four RJ-11 plugs, but it has electrical outlets and even shelves for resting your notebook, although you still need to stand to do your business. The Center isn't a bargain, either. You'll pay a hefty 50 cents per minute for calls within North America. However, you can pay by MasterCard, Discover, Visa, or American Express.

The Business Center does have a public fax machine that can send and receive faxes, but with the same high rates as those at LAX: $3.95 per minute for local calls, $6.95 per minute for long-distance calls, $9.95 per minute for international calls, and $3.95 per minute for incoming faxes. Good thing the fax machine accepts Visa, Discover, MasterCard, Diner's Club, and American Express. Rounding out the center are two stamp vending machines and a postal scale. All in all, Ontario offers a nice range of services.

Burbank Airport
The smaller Burbank Airport was a cinch to cover. There's no business center, other than a small area near the center of the terminal, where you'll also find FedEx and UPS drops. Fax machines and Internet stations are nowhere to be found, but if you want to hook your notebook to the Web, there are a few ports at the AT&T public phones near gates A1 and A8. As usual there aren't any electrical outlets, shelves to hold your notebook, or places to sit.

John Wayne Airport
Like Burbank Airport, John Wayne Airport has only a handful of data ports and no fax machines or Web stations. The best data port is at the bank of phones near Gate 4, where you'll also find an electrical outlet. But you'll have to stand to use the phone, while you try to handle your notebook and other things. There's another data port near Gate 11, but it's even worse: You still have to stand, and there's yet another inadequate shelf, but not a single power outlet. At least the data port near the baggage claim areas 3 and 4 offers a decent shelf.

Join the Club
If you have lots of frequent flier mileage—or lots of money—the best way to work in an airport is to join an airline club, such as American's Admiral's Club, United's Red Carpet Club, or Delta's Royal Crown Club. These clubs provide cushy lounges with comfortable chairs and, best of all, cubicles with power outlets and telephone data ports.

Even better, these clubs often offer laser printers and copy and fax machines. Many clubs also have conference rooms that you can rent, so you could meet clients at the airport, even if they're coming in from New York and will soon be off to Tahiti. Prices vary—even among the same clubs at different airports—but average between $300 and $500 per year, or between 35,000 and 50,000 frequent-flier miles. If you're flying first class, most airlines let you use their clubs before your flight.

Bon Voyage
Two final pieces of advice on Web access and air travel. First, if you travel a lot and need to constantly check e-mail, or you often work in foreign countries, consider buying an acoustic coupler. This little device connects to a phone via the handset. With an acoustic coupler, you can make modem connections through any telephone.

Second, once you're in the air, you may discover your plane has onboard phones with data ports. You'll pay dearly for the convenience, but when you absolutely, positively need to keep in touch, it's nice to know that you can.

909-593-9675 e-mail:wkawamoto@earthlink.net