USAir Shuttle Terminal Offers Public Business Center

LaGuardia Internatinal Airport, long considered the business traveler's airport of choice in New York City, should elicit an extra measure of praise from its corporate travelers now that a free business center is in place at the USAir Shuttle terminal.

The center was developed by USAir in partnership with several technology firms in response to criticism that airports are not user-friendly, particularly for frequent travelers. Smaller centers at Boston's Logan Airport and Washington National opened at the same time.

The center operates on a first-come, first-served basis. "When it opened, people stopped by, disbelieving that it was free, including long-distance faxes," said William Adler, a spokesman for New York Times Custom Publishing, publisher of USAir's in-flight magazine and a participant in the center's opening.

The facility offers a variety of business amenities, including computers, fax machines, copiers and dataports for laptops. In addition, the center offers a wide variety of software and access to the Internet, Adler said.

While it's expected to maximize traveler convenience and productivity on the road, it also serves a commercial purpose for the sponsoring agencies. "For USAir and USAir Shuttle, it will increase traffic and good will," Adler said. "For Unisys and other participating companies, it will raise awareness of their hardware and software products." Equipment was provided by Unisys, IBM, AT&T, Apple and several software firms.

A USAir employee staffs the center to answer questions and to acquaint travelers with what's available.

While elaborate business centers have become common within airport clubs and first- or business-class lounges, open-to-the-public business centers are relatively rare.

Joseph Horak, a spokesman for Air Travel Card, which publishes the "Business Travel Airport Directory," said the centers are "a reflection of travelers having to do more on the road and airports meeting their needs."

But Cindy Perper, travel manager for New York-based Colgate-Palmolive, is unsure of the concept of public business centers. "A lot of business travelers join clubs or use the lounges," she said. "If these public centers offered some kind of privacy, they might work. On the other hand, there might be some hacker who just wants to sit and use it."

Also skeptical is airport consultant Ira Weinstein, president of Airport Interviewing and Research Co. in White Plains, N.Y. He said the centers are "not what people really want. They want desk space so they can spread out, as in the airline clubs. Centers should be extensions of the workplace, places where you might be able to hold a meeting. A machine and a chair are not a big deal."

Nevertheless, he said, airports are "definitely" competitive in marketing to business travelers. "There has been a total upgrade of facilities and amenities.