Hotel chains launch Wi-Fi war

A Wi-Fi war has broken out among the nation’s biggest hotel chains.

Marriott International Inc., the Maryland hospitality giant with more than 4,000 hotels worldwide, threw down the gauntlet last month by announcing it was offering free wireless Internet to guests who join its loyalty rewards program. The offer begins in January.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., the Connecticut company with more than 1,200 properties, matched Marriott’s offer this month. Under Starwood’s deal, guests must be members of the loyalty program and book a room through its website or the SBG app to get free Wi-Fi. It starts in February.

Now Chicago-based Hyatt Hotels Corp. is entering the fray, offering free standard Wi-Fi for all guests — even those who don’t join its loyalty rewards program.

But, if Hyatt guests want to upgrade to a premium Wi-Fi service, they must pay an undetermined fee. Rewards members get the faster Wi-Fi free of charge.

TURBULENCE INJURIES MAY BE ELIMINATED

Luggage and beverage carts crashed and rolled on an American Airlines jet as it hit severe turbulence on a flight from South Korea to Dallas. Four passengers and one crew member were treated at hospitals after the incident in December.

Despite this incident, turbulence injuries on commercial planes are rare and could be nearly eliminated in the future. Aviation experts say a new digital communications system could make it easier for pilots to navigate around patches of rough air.

In 2013, only 11 passengers and 13 crew members were injured because of turbulence on commercial flights, a fraction of the 826 million travelers on domestic and international flights from the U.S., according to federal statistics.

The proposed system is part of a plan to upgrade the nation’s antiquated system to a satellite-based one. When completed, it "will enable air traffic controllers to digitally send reroutes to flight crews when aircraft are a considerable distance from a weather system … ," said Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

However, the system will cost at least $40 billion and won’t be ready for use until about 2019.

Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times