Faro airport has crawled into the modern age and now offers free unlimited Wi-Fi.
Long a complaint from travellers using the Algarve’s airport, free Wi-Fi also will be offered in the other nine airports managed by French-owned ANA, including those in Madeira and the Azores.
"To facilitate access to this service, Vinci Airports, which owns ANA Airports, decided to implement a simple Wi-Fi connection system with no software download needed,’ read a long-overdue statement from the operator.
The user will have access to free internet "from arrival at the airport until leaving the departure lounge."
Using the free Wi-Fi network, users can access additional services to find they way around the airport and to access discounts in the shopping areas.
The WIFI_aeroportoO service is operated in partnership with Nomosphere which, not surprisingly to read, specialises in wireless networks.
A not-so-popular new service introduced last week is costing certain classes of driver a small fortune to drop off and pick up passengers at faro airport as the new ’10 minutes free’ system is not as benign as it made out when launched amid a host of worthy reasons including 'saving the environment.'
Drivers that transport tourists are now complaining bitterly about the new Kiss & Fly system as a fee is payable by those who park for longer than 10 minutes, but those that come back again and again to the airport to drop off or collect tourists are stung with huge fees, as much as €60 a day, the equivalent of €420 a week or €21k a year.
At Faro airport it now is mandatory to go through a gate at which point the vehicle number plate is logged. One drop off per day is allowed, any drop offs or collections later the same day are charged for.
One tourist transport driver commented that after seven trips in one day he had to stump up €63.
Some transfer companies pay €300 a year to take place in designated car park but this is 200-300 metres from the terminal which is hardly the sort of service that customers have paid for.
Oporto’s airport is next on the list for the same charging scheme, then Lisbon in 2016.
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You can even pay for parking there via the Via Verde gadget, so it seems at the time quite a good deal.