East Midlands Airport introduces certified ‘Friendly WiFi’
- WiFi scheme ensures content is appropriate for all ages at East Midlands Airport
- MAG is the first airport group to sign-up to the Government-backed scheme
MAG, owner of East Midlands Airport (EMA), has become the first UK airport operator to be certified as offering safe, child-friendly WiFi to its passengers.
Passengers at EMA now have the ultimate reassurance that the airport’s free WiFi network will filter out inappropriate content, so they can be confident that it is safe for children to use.
The certification has been carried out by Friendly WiFi - the government-initiated standard for public WiFi. It was launched in 2014 to ensure public Wi-Fi meets minimum filtering standards, particularly in those areas where children are present.
Venues displaying the Friendly WiFi symbol have WiFi filters which deny access to inappropriate content, including indecent images and advertisements or links to such content.
Tim Hawkins, Chief Strategy Officer at MAG, said: “More and more of the 62 million passengers we welcome to our airports every year choose to connect to the free WiFi we offer, whether that’s to check flight details, catch up on emails or chat to friends and family before they fly.
“As I’m sure many parents know, children also want to use their connected devices when they are at the airport and, as a Group, we know that is our duty to keep them safe online. Friendly WiFi provides further reassurance to parents, and all our passengers, that they can browse safely.”
In May 2018 EMA extended its free wi-fi access for passengers from one hour to four. The service is available in all the main passenger areas including the check-in hall, in the bars and restaurants, at the gates and at arrivals.