Airports and recharging batteries..

[Daisy64]

Hi there,

My 4&6yr old and I have a 3hr stopover in San Juan, on the way to Orlando. Can I plug in my laptop and let them watch dvd or will they not allow me to use their plugs? I'm thinking of just hanging in the gate area.
Thanks for any advice....Daisy

 

[NotUrsula]

Depends on the airport, of course, and I can't tell you about San Juan, but many of them have outlets along the outer walls in the gate areas, usually near the floors, or on the support columns. Sometimes there will even be a few sticking up in the area between two back-to-back bench rows.

If the outlets are not near seating, you may have to just sit on the floor, but unless you are blocking a pathway, no one should mind that in the gate areas.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

I have noticed that the electrical plugs at some airports are not the standard plug generally used by most household goods. To prevent unauthorized use of the electrical outlets some airports have installed specialized plugs with one of the prongs oriented horizontally instead of vertically.

Each airport is probably quite different.

Neil

 

[safetymom]

In a lot of airports it is hard to find an outlet. If they have a food court sometimes you can find one there.

How long does the battery last on your laptop? It should last long enough for a movie without power.

 

[jwill]

I echo much of what the others have said. Yes, most places I see people on laptops plugged into the wall sockets near the gates at MCO, PIT, and PHL mostly. They are however in mostly inconvienent places. Most of the time you see people sitting on the floor next to the outlets but at least you can find one.

 

[AKbabe]

jwill, I sent you a PM about the picture in your post!

 

[inkkognito]

We see people using the plugs at Midway Airport all the time, and I have used them for my portable DVD player to conserve the battery for the flight (it only lasts about two hours or less). I've never seen anyone get yelled at for tapping into the power.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[prncess674]

plugs are usually inconvenient places because they need to be scattered about for vacuum cleaners and such. Many airports have them near pay phones for the biz traveller trying to connect laptops. Don't expect to find a convenient one near nice seating but you could get lucky!

 

[NotUrsula]

Outlets you see with a sideways slot in them are special 20 amp outlets, wrong kind of juice for a laptop. (I don't know what airports would use them for; my Dad had a big table saw that needed one of those.) The special-shaped plug is to prevent ordinary 15 amp devices from being plugged into them by mistake.

 

[drogerstn]

Outlets you see with a sideways slot in them are special 20 amp outlets, wrong kind of juice for a laptop. (I don't know what airports would use them for; my Dad had a big table saw that needed one of those.) The special-shaped plug is to prevent ordinary 15 amp devices from being plugged into them by mistake.

The amp rating is the maximum amount of current that the plug and wiring is rated for. Devices requiring less amperage can be used; devices requiring too much current will cause the circuit breaker to pop open (or blow a fuse) so they would need a higher rated circuit.