By Harriet Baskas, USA TODAY
Airline passengers with electronic devices parched for pre-flight power often get creative about charging up their gadgets.
Outlets and USB plugs await flyers at Oakland Airport in California. Joe Hall / Flickr
“We’ve noticed people sitting on the floor next to an outlet, moving airport seating to be closer to an outlet, or even unplugging things like an ATM to get electricity,” said Chantel Minish, spokeswoman for Alabama’s Huntsville International Airport (HSV).
At Tulsa International Airport (TUL), passengers have also been found powering up “next to a vending machine, in the bathroom or up against a wall in a hallway,” said Alexis Higgins of the Tulsa Airport Authority.
“Not only can these actions create trip hazards by stretching power cords across walkways, it just isn’t the type of environment we want to set for our customers,” said HSV’s Minish.
To address these and other service issues for travelers, airports across the country have been rapidly expanding the number – and type – of accessible power sources. Good thing, because now that the Federal Aviation Administration has given airlines the go-ahead to permit the use of personal electronic devices in more phases of flight, passengers are more power hungry than ever.
Here’s a round-up of what some airports – and airlines – are doing to feed the growing need for power.
When the $907 million expanded Terminal 2 opened at San Diego International Airport this past August, the USB-enhanced power ports (more than 1,600 in total) at every seat were among the new amenities touted. “It’s been tremendously popular,” said airport spokeswoman Katie Jones.
On the recently renovated Concourse B at Tulsa International Airport, there are now an average of 74 power outlets per gate. “That’s one of the highest averages in the country,” said Higgins, who notes that renovations currently underway on the airport’s other concourse include plans for a similar number of outlets.
Just last week, Huntsville International Airport installed a half dozen new charging stations and “within five minutes of the first one being installed, someone was already using it,” said Minish. Beyond expanded customer service, Minish said the airport also expects the new power ports to alleviate some work for custodians and technicians who now often end up putting seats back in place, fixing broken electrical outlet covers and addressing equipment issues caused by machinery getting unplugged.
Milwaukee’s Mitchell International Airport is just finishing up a project to install more than 60 charging stations, each with six power outlets and two USB ports. “Although we started the planning for this project far in advance of the news regarding the FAA’s change in the use of mobile electronics, the timing of our actual install seems to be perfect,” said airport marketing manager Ryan McAdams. “Our electricians have told us that the minute they finish installing one, people are asking them if they can use it.”
Read the full article by Harriet Baskas from USA TODAY.
