Samsung Provides JFK Travelers With Mobile Recharging

By Corrie Dosh / January 21, 2007

More than 50 mobile charging stations are to be installed at John F. Kennedy International Airport this month to allow travelers to power up their cell phones, computers and PDAs free of charge, according to a release by Samsung Mobile and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The stations, which are to be installed in every JFK terminal by the end of January, provide four electrical outlets per station.

The initiative was launched by the Port Authority to alleviate increasing demand for electrical outlets during the holiday season. The idea originated with advertising company JCDecaux NA Inc. as a way of generating revenue at Port Authority properties, which then partnered with Samsung for the stations.

"We certainly expect to expand the program as the year goes on," said Port Authority spokesman Pasquale DiFulco. Other Port Authority properties, such as bus and train terminals, are likely targets for expansion.

"It's a service that travelers really can use," DiFulco said. "We heard them and acted upon it and we've heard anecdotally that they're being put to great use already."

Samsung said that it is providing the stations to customers free of charge in celebration of the company's tenth anniversary of U.S. operations.

"Over the past decade, cell phones, laptops and other electronic devices have become a part of everyday life, especially when traveling," said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America.