San Antonio International Airport is going to let people surf the Web for free.

The airport is launching free wireless fidelity service, or Wi-Fi, for people in the terminals. So travelers, who once paid $6.95 per day to connect, will get to do so for free, starting Friday.

“About half of our passengers are traveling on a business trip,” airport spokesman David Hebert said. “That’s a group that absolutely has to remain productive while they’re in the airport, and it’s up to us to make sure that’s possible.”

All public areas in both terminals will be Wi-Fi hot spots. That includes the gate areas, concourses and lobby areas. The city’s aviation department plans to extend the coverage to the cell phone waiting lot at San Antonio International and to Stinson Municipal Airport.

“We’ve worked very hard to make sure that the airport is keeping up with the demands and needs of today’s technology, and this is an example of that commitment,” Hebert said. “We’re seeing free Wi-Fi pop up in more and more places these days, and that’s a trend that we embrace wholeheartedly.”

The service will be provided by the city. Users with a wireless modem will turn it on, and an icon saying “SAIA Wi-Fi” will appear. When the users double-click the link, they’re connected.

Officials considered charging for the service but opted to offer it for free.

“There’s not much expense associated with the maintenance so it makes sense to present it as a free service,” Hebert said. “It’s a well-deserved thank you to all of our customers.”

This article first appeared in The San Antonio Express-News.