I started in Minneapolis where the entire airport has reasonably priced ($10 per day) wi-fi and there are plenty of places where travelers who have time until their next flight can sit down at a desk with an electrical outlet and phone and get work done. Although I have a Northwest Airlines lounge pass so I don't need to use those desks in the MSP airport, I still appreciate that many travelers don't have access to the lounges yet have just as much of a need to get work done as I do.

Onto Cincinnati where I was connecting to another flight but had about 1.5 hours. It is a much smaller airport but their facilities were every bit as good. Different set up, but they've taken care to take care of their customers. They also charge about $10 per day for wireless Internet access but there are plenty of tables and some electrical outlets available for those with laptops.

I then spent the afternoon at the Pittsburgh airport. Like Las Vegas, the Pittsburgh airport provides free wireless access to all travelers throughout the airport. Hmmm. I wonder why. Could it be that they know that business travelers who are on a budget and can choose whether to transfer in Pittsburgh or another city will opt for Pittsburgh because it is more friendly? Good thinking because I'm sure that happens and the airport must easily make more money from the increased landing fees that it collects than it loses from giving away the Internet access. Unlike Las Vegas, of course, there's no gambling in the airport to make the giving away of Internet access even more economical but it still makes a ton of sense for a customer friendly airport like Pittsburgh.

Now to Atlanta, the world's busiest airport. Wireless Internet in the airport? Nope. Abundance of tables with electrical outlets? Nope. I don't get it. Maybe I'm blind in one eye and can't see out the other, but this great city with this great airport needs to awaken and realize that this isn't 1996...it is 2006. Travelers have choices and airports need travelers in order to generate revenues. While Atlanta is king of the hill right now, they won't stay that way forever if they continue to make it difficult for business travelers to get work done while they're waiting for their flights.