User friendly -- or not

I'm in the Atlanta airport waiting for a flight. I got here with plenty of time to spare so I could attend my Monday morning meeting on Skype. I was pretty sure it wouldn't work on the 3G network and I was right - chat works but not voice. No problem, I have a Boingo account which I can use. So I select the Atlanta Airport network, launch the browser and get a login page. There is a list of different ways to connect, including Boingo for $7.95. but there are also two other links for $4.95 so I try one. I click on one and it says this offer has expired. I try the other and now the page is frozen. The only way to get this page back seems to be to go to settings, disconnect from the wireless, reconnect, go back to Safari. This time I click on Boingo, it's a little more expensive at $7.95 but I already have an account there... Or so I thought.

Now I have to download the app. (Guess I should have done that earlier, but this is the first time I've needed it on my iPad.)

The app installs, it's not one made for the iPad so it's got a tiny display. I put in my user name and password, and hit login. Except that by now the wireless connection is gone, back to settings to reconnect to the wireless again. Now back to the Boingo app. I get the login screen again and hit connect. And now I get a message that my Boingo account which I established on my laptop last year is not valid on a mobile device!

Are they kidding? I have to have separate accounts (and pay separately) to connect my laptop and my iPad and/or iPhone?

So now I have to decide, do I want to pull out my laptop and sign in there or start a new account on my iPad? actually, the idea that I'd need both is making me think I don't want to do either! Do I really want TWO accounts for wireless access in addition to the TWO accounts I have for 3G access??

And oh, by the way, it's now 9:15 and my flight will be boarding in 25 minutes or so and I've already missed 15 minutes of the meeting anyway.

So I decide to miss the meeting and wisely spend my time blogging about the experience instead.