Touch Down & Log On.

• Author: Beers, Heather
• Position: Brief Article

Airport offers travelers latest in Internet and business technology

Testing perfumes tucked in the folds of magazine ads. Browsing for the next great novel. Worrying about unanswered e-mails back at the office. Shouldn't that extra hour at the airport be more productive?

It can be -- for travelers at Salt Lake City International Airport. Salt Lakes airport is among the first in the nation to offer Internet connectivity and a full array of business services through concessionaire Laptop Lane, an international provider of business centers. And Delta Air Lines is considering making Salt Lake City Airport one of its first hubs in which to introduce wireless Internet service in its Crown Room.

"It's about turning downtime into uptime," says Robert Taylor, manager of Salt Lake City International's Laptop Lane. He explains that for many business travelers, time is money, and to maximize a two-hour layover or even a 10-minute break between flights is advantageous.

The folks at Salt Lake City's Department of Airports agree. "It's really important for the airport to make the kinds of resources that (Laptop Lane has) available to our travelers," says John Buckner, the department's commercial manager.

Laptop Lane's resources include T-1 Internet connections; color printing services; individual cubicles with fax machines, copiers, scanners; also local, long distance and conference calling. The company also offers PCs, a "cyberconcierge" that offers technological expertise and administrative services, and high-tech retail products. A flat fee based on time spent in the center covers most services.

Although food and beverage concessions tend to be more lucrative for the airport, the decision to dedicate prime airport real estate to Internet and business services was based on customer surveys, says...