A new bundle of data published via Ookla on Wednesday, May 18, highlights the ten airports utilizing the fastest free wifi capabilities globally in the first quarter of 2022. Ookla's report, contextualized with help via Speedtest Intelligence, mainly targets solely mobile connections utilizing free wifi within main airport terminals, as well as specific airport lounges, thus best attempting to cross the gamut in data collation.
The analysis proved effective, as Ookla noted free airport lounge wifi as far stronger than the base component, but most intriguing of all is the report's top four airports with the fastest free wifi being US-based complexes. At the zenith of the chart is San Francisco International Airport, which boasts a median upload speed of a little over 200 Mbps, whereas downloads sat at a relatively remarkable 176.25 Mbps.
Coming in second was Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which features for its Q1 2022 wifi speed analysis 171.01 Mbps download speeds. The third and fourth on Ookla's list were Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago O'Hare at 113.64 Mbps and 85.49 Mbps, respectively. Not only did the top four on the list mark the US as dominant in the free and fast airport wifi scene, but an additional three across the list (four if we're counting Denver's additional wifi band) prove airport wifi in the country is at a record pace.
Additional notable countries that cut are the United Arab Emirates with Dubai International Airport at fifth place, as well as the Netherlands' Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Turkey's Istanbul Airport, the Madrid Barajas Airport of Spain, France's Charles de Gaulle Airport, which like Denver features two different wifi band capacities, and various China-based complexes.
Mexico City International Airport leads the rear with, as Ookla puts it, "the slowest median download and upload speeds over free airport Wi-Fi of any airport on the list." Although the report gives no real numerical data on its speed capabilities, the chart proves that Mexico's airport speeds sit at nearly zero in Mbps.
In regards to both Denver and France having dual WiFi bands amid the report, Ookla explains that these are "two different SSIDs that serve different spectrum bands." As one may assume automatically, the 5G option is remarkably faster in both cases, yet Charles de Gaulle refers to its 2.4 option as "Wifi-Airport-Standard," as opposed to its numerical representation.
As mentioned previously, Ookla likewise reported that airport lounges serve far better and faster WiFi. The analysis notes that "the United Club in Chicago and San Francisco...boasted median download speeds of 246.17 Mbps and 244.37 Mbps, respectively." It also highlights the Los Angeles-based LAX's Alaska Lounge as "the fastest club WiFi download speed" at 238.59 Mbps.
In locations beyond the US, airport lounges were reportedly more volatile. The report showcases a variety of airport lounges that "showed faster median download speeds than the free WiFi at their respective airports during Q1 2022," of which include Dubai's Plaza Premium Lounge at 148.96 Mbps, Charles de Gaulle's Emirates Lounge at 93.31 Mbps, Privium in Amsterdam's Schiphol at 121.05 Mbps, and even Mexico City's Grand Lounge Elite at 125.12 Mbps.
