Out of the kindness of its ginormous heart, Google (GOOG) is giving holiday travelers a bit of cheer this season, providing free Wi-Fi in 47 U.S. airports starting today and running through January 15. As a bonus to Virgin America passengers traveling within the continental U.S., Google is providing in-flight Wi-Fi as well.
Of course, the Web search giant has an ulterior motive. In a statement, a Google spokesperson said: "This is one of our holiday gifts to our users, and when you connect, we also hope you'll take the opportunity to try some of the latest Google products."
Travelers taking advantage of the services will be given the option of setting Google as their homepage or trying out the Google Chrome browser. So it's sort of like that friend giving you a pair of concert tickets for a present but expecting to be invited along.
Google is also running a photo contest for users who upload a picture of themselves in the midst of enjoying the service on their wireless-enabled device. So far, the company has been mum on what the prizes will be. Finally, Google is hoping its generosity will pay it forward: Wi-Fi users will be asked if they would like to donate to one of three charities using Google Checkout. The three charities are Climate Savers Computing, One Economy Corporation, and Engineers Without Borders, and Google will match all donations up to $250,000.
Participating cities include Boston, Houston, St. Louis, San Diego, Miami, and Seattle, but left out of the equation are some pretty major airports, such as Chicago's O'Hare, LAX in L.A., and all three New York area airports.
Beth works for The Options News Network (www.ONN.tv), which provides daily stock and options commentary. The above comments are not intended as trading advice.
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