Why is it so difficult for airports to put power outlets near the gates? It seems that each gate has at most one power outlet and it’s always located in a very inconvenient place – near the floor, by a garbage can, or something similar. A decade ago this may not have been a big deal, but today’s travelers bring all sorts of portable electronics with them from cell phones to laptops to tablets, and they all require charging after a few hours of use.
Delta, in their continued quest to improve customer service with their passengers, has announced that they will be installing two “re-charging stations” at each gate in nineteen airports across the United States. Each station will provide six standard 110 volt outlets as well as two USB ports to keep your electronics juiced. In addition, there will be recharging pads in the Delta Sky Club locations.
Gate area re-charging stations will be installed in the following cities: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and Salt Lake City as well as Boston, Columbus, OH; Hartford, CT; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Nashville; Norfolk, VA; Omaha, NE; Pittsburgh, Portland, OR; Seattle and St. Louis.
Earlier this year Delta announced in-flight Wi-Fi service through Gogo for only $9.95 and then partnered with Google Chrome to give the service away for free through the holidays. They are also allowing customers to book flights using Facebook and have started installing scanners that allow you to use your phone as a boarding pass.
Now if only Delta could find a way to improve the security checkpoints….