( CNN ) -- Mobile technology is critical at the airport . Yet , a new survey shows that most travelers ( 58 % ) are not satisfied with airport Wi-Fi . And beyond that , airports are missing opportunities to offer vital mobile services that could vastly improve travelers ' experiences while they 're in transit . This 2,700-person survey was conducted earlier this year by FlightView , which makes a popular app that provides flight and airport information . The survey shows mobile devices frequently accompany travelers : Four out of five airport travelers use a smartphone , one-third use tablets and one-fifth use e-readers . Surprisingly , fewer than one in five travelers reported using a laptop computer at the airport . FlightView predicts that by next year tablets will outnumber laptops at the airport . As a frequent traveler , I 'm often frustrated by how little my smartphone and Macbook Air can help me at the airport . Sometimes it seems like the airports and airlines want to thwart me . Some airports charge fees through third-party providers ( like Boingo.com or AT & T ) simply to get Wi-Fi access -- and entering my credit card number over an open Wi-Fi network makes me shudder . Citing a recent New York Times story , FlightView reports : `` Many airports , including Denver , Las Vegas and San Francisco , are actually choosing customer satisfaction over ancillary revenue opportunities -- by providing airport visitors with free Wi-Fi access . '' Once you manage to get on the airport Wi-Fi , access is often spotty and slow . Many airports force travelers to sit through a video commercial or other ads before they will let you access the Internet . Worse , some airports insist on placing a `` frame '' around your Web browser window with airport-related ads , limiting valuable screen real estate . That 's annoying on a laptop ; it 's intolerable on a small cell phone screen . Speaking of cell phones , airports are huge facilities that , I 've found , often have cell phone `` dead zones '' -- even for major carriers like Verizon . I 'm surprised that wireless carriers do n't seem to be making a concerted effort to ensure good data network coverage at airports , especially at airports with lousy , unreliable , or paid Wi-Fi access . Imagine the effectiveness of their ads displayed in those locations ! One of the main things travelers want information about is the airport itself . Unfortunately , FlightView estimates that only half of U.S. airports currently have mobile-friendly websites . When your plane 's about to board and you 're trying desperately to find which gate your flight was switched to ( because the announcement over the public address system was , of course , unintelligible ) , that 's not when you want to be pinching , zooming , and scrolling on your phone . What do mobile users want at the airport ? According to Flightview , the overwhelming majority ( 94 % ) want flight status and gate information pushed promptly to their phones . Also , nearly three-fourths want boarding alerts sent to their mobile device . Nearly 40 % would like mobile coupons for restaurants and shops on the terminal and concourses , and about 30 % would like information on easily accessible food and beverages . More than one-third of travelers also want to be able to book ground transportation via mobile , and nearly as many would like to use their mobile devices to share flight information easily via social media , text and e-mail , the survey found . Nearly two-thirds of travelers told FlightView that they would value mobile access to walking directions from to their departure gate , especially when changing planes on a connecting flight . Demand for this service is highest among leisure travelers ( 71 % ) , who are often less familiar with the layout of the airport . Personally , I 'd also appreciate estimates on the time it will take to walk to my next gate . At Chicago O'Hare , especially , I 've ended up jogging for the better part of a mile , carry-on bag in tow , on more than one occasion . The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of Amy Gahran .
Survey finds traveler dissatisfaction with mobile services at airports . Many airports do not offer free Wi-Fi ; mobile signals are sometimes spotty . Author : Airports should create mobile-friendly websites . Travelers surveyed also want push alerts for gate changes .