The Top 12 Airports for Social Media Power Users
It always feels great when you can book cheap tickets for your next trip, but the whipped cream on top is finding out that you will be flying in and out of airports that are designed to accommodate people traveling with laptops, smart phones and tablets. Some of them even offer free Wi-Fi.
Below are our picks of airports with great reputations for taking care of tech-savvy fliers. The table is based on information from Macworld’s 20 Best Airports for Tech Travelers, as well as each airport’s reputation on Twitter. Numbers for Twitter hits were obtained by searching Twitter.com by the airport name, city code and the “:)” symbol, indicating favorable Tweet mentions.
| City | Airport Code | Twitter Hits | Outlets per Gate | Other Amenities |
| Atlanta | ATL | 14.7 million |
8.1 |
Charging stations, work desks |
| Baltimore | BWI | 7.92 million |
7.3 |
Charging stations |
| Dallas | DFW | 2.7 million |
7.2 |
Charging stations, work desks |
| Detroit | DTW | 3.4 million |
6.7 |
Charging stations, Boingo data ports |
| Fort Lauderdale* | FLL | 120,000 |
2.65 |
Fast, free Wi-Fi |
| Los Angeles | LAX | 153 million |
5.3 |
Charging stations, internet kiosks |
| Minneapolis | MSP | 2.11 million | Varies by terminal | Charging stations, iPad kiosks coming 2012-13 |
| New York City | JFK | 8.45 million | Varies; Terminals 2, 3, and 5 have the most | Charging stations, work desks, iPad kiosks |
| New York LaGuardia | LGA | 1.05 million |
7.2 |
Charging stations, iPad kiosks |
| Salt Lake City* | SLC | 8.97 million |
5.4 |
Charging stations, work desks |
| San Francisco* | SFO | 110 million |
13.6 |
Charging Stations, lounge areas, work desks |
| Seattle | SEA | 6.68 million |
2.7 |
Charging Stations, fast Wi-Fi |
* Airport has free Wi-Fi
The following airports, all among the 50 busiest airports in the U.S., receive Honorable Mentions for Providing Free Wi-Fi (alphabetically):
- Boston (BOS)
- Charlotte (CLT)
- Cincinnati (CVG)
- Denver (DEN)
- Fort Myers (RSW)
- Honolulu (HNL)
- Indianapolis (IND)
- Kansas City (MCI)
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Oakland (OAK)
- Orange County (SNA)
- Orlando (MCO)
- Palm Beach (PBI)
- Phoenix (PHX)
- Pittsburgh (PIT)
- Portland (PDX)
- Sacramento (SMF)
- San Antonio (SAT)
- San Diego (SAN)
- San José (SJC)
- Tampa (TPA)
- Washington Dulles (IAD)
- Washington Reagan (DCA)
When all these factors are taken into account, one airport stands out from the rest: San Francisco International. With a generous supply of electrical outlets, free Wi-Fi, and plenty of lounges and work spaces, SFO is a favorite of travelers who like their cheap flights with a generous side dish of tech-friendliness.
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