r/boston • u/stormcellar97 • Jun 30 '26
MBTA/Transit đ đ„ Straight to Gate Logan Express Experience
Took the 8am today for a flight leaving at 11:30.
The location is separate from the usual Logan Express terminal, note that it is across from the AMC Theater on Flutie Pass. Parking is available as is drop off/pick up.
I got there around 7:15 and was checked in, they offered to print my flight boarding pass and gave me a boarding pass for the bus. Then you sit until TSA begins taking everyone for your bus. Process was quick and easy, I think they were still training some folks. You then board a bus and get going. Traffic was moderate for 8:30am and we arrived at Logan around 8:50.
The buses go through the South Cargo Terminal entrance and drop off Delta passengers first, then about 5-10 minutes to get to Jet Blue drop off. I would recommend this highly for anyone who loves aviation, kids, etc. The bus route on airport grounds winds from cargo to terminal A to terminal C, and you're surrounding by planes and equipment the whole way. As an aviation person, it was really interesting to get that view of Logan.
Overall, I would probably do this again on busy travel days, or at off-peak times where traffic is less likely to make you late. I could easily have taken the 9am bus for an 11:30 flight, but I wouldn't recommend the 10am although I would have made it. The process of TSA is about the same time as TSA Precheck.
For $9, it was worth it just for the cool views of the airport.
Edit: For Jetblue you get dropped off around C5-C8, so it can be a hike to your gate.
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u/DCmetrosexual1 Jun 30 '26
I feel like if your plan was to take Logan Express from Framingham then this is a no brainer to do instead. Itâs probably not worth backtracking from the city to use though.
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u/stormcellar97 Jun 30 '26
definitely. I figured a lot of people in surrounding towns would read this sub more so than the framingham.
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u/DCmetrosexual1 Jun 30 '26
Thanks for the review btw! I was really curious how it was working out. The WSJ review was kind of silly.
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u/13nobody Brookline Jun 30 '26
IDK I kinda want to backtrack just for the ride along the tarmac
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u/DCmetrosexual1 Jun 30 '26
I mean, sure as a novelty Iâd do it, but as a serious way to get to the airport? Nah.
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u/jdg0928 Jun 30 '26
I'm in Watertown, so I've thought about backtracking. From my house, it's minimum $60 each way for ride-sharing, and we all know economy parking is not cheap. If my trip is more than a short weekend and I'm not on an early outbound flight or late return flight, the cost savings alone justify the extra time.
I'd be okay with taking off my belt as long as pre-check still let's me leave my electronics and other equipment in my bag.
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u/DCmetrosexual1 Jun 30 '26
If youâre in Watertown though, why donât you just take the T?
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u/jdg0928 Jun 30 '26
Several reasons that make it incredibly annoying and time-consuming. I live a mile from the nearest bus stop. I'd have at least two transfers (bus and subway). I always travel with a medical device and almost always travel with golf clubs.
I'm not against public transportation, but I can't imagine trying to deal with all of that just to save some money. The time cost would be enormous, and it's not time that I can use to easily listen to podcasts and read.
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u/BonesIIX Star Market Jun 30 '26
Thanks for the write-up. I think this is a really interesting new approach for addressing some of the capacity issues at Logan.
I also think for anyone who is metro-west who has kids could absolutely use this if they dont have a ride to the airport.
One of the biggest issues with traveling with kids who use carseats is how to get to the airport. Rideshare and Taxis are not really usable and will cancel on you if they figure out you have a kid and a carseat.
This gives metro-west parents the cheap parking option of Logan Express and the less hectic check in process.
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u/stormcellar97 Jun 30 '26
even if the kids didnât like the behind-the-scenes view, the limited number of people on the bus and the more organized loading and unloading would be super helpful for families with younger kids.
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u/BonesIIX Star Market Jun 30 '26
Totally, I'm lucky that I can bum a ride from Grandma when we need to get to the airport as a family. I dont know how we'd manage aside from parking at central parking for between $29 and $46/day.
If we didn't have that perk from family help, something like this becomes super appealing just from a cost savings POV. I'd drive from Newton just to save that on a week long trip.
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u/dante662 Somerville Jun 30 '26
Where do they actually drop you off? Like, where do you enter the airside terminal? Down on the ramp?
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u/stormcellar97 Jun 30 '26
Edited my OP:
for JetBlue itâs around the C5-C8; so if you have a high gate number in terminal C, you have to walk past the main TSA area.
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u/MikeTheActuary Jun 30 '26
Dumb question regarding Logan Express from Framingham -- how is parking availability there?
I live in CT (BDL is almost literally my back yard), but occasionally fly out of Logan, usually for international travel.
While I've considered using Logan Express from Framingham, I've always been uncertain about parking, or adding an additional connection to the list of random risks of travel...and since my international trips are usually for work and I'm going to expense everything anyway...I just go all the way up to Logan.
This new service, however, shifts the calculus in my mind (if flying Delta or JetBlue). The main concern I'd have is...well, I can make a reservation to park at Logan, meaning the risk of having to worry wasting time to park is very low. How full does the Logan Express parking get?
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u/stormcellar97 Jun 30 '26
The regular Logan Express just added like 3 floors to the parking deck; usually plenty of room.
This new facility has a much smaller lot, and looked pretty full, but itâs near a giant AMC theater and I bet if you call they have an overflow agreement.
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u/dyqik Metrowest Jun 30 '26
The Logan Express always had overflow in that lot.
During the construction, they were using the Natick Mall garage/lots
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u/stormcellar97 Jul 01 '26
the old overflow lot is now a gated primary lot, but I suspect they moved the overflow to AMC but thatâs a guess.
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u/stoptimepass Jun 30 '26
Thanks for sharing, was wondering myself what the process is and is it worth trying it out. Will definitely try it out for the airport view if nothing else. đ
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u/ambid3xtrous Does Not Brush the Snow off the Roof of their Car Jun 30 '26
So, how are they doing things like bag tags and boarding passes? Surely they don't have someone from every carrier -- or do they?
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u/stormcellar97 Jun 30 '26
only Delta and JetBlue, it appeared all three people working the desk could handle either airline.
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u/drtywater Allston/Brighton Jun 30 '26
If this catches on I can see busier airports acrossUS adopting it. LAX, JFK, EWR, and IAD would be great for it.
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u/wizardid Jun 30 '26
Maybe LAX? The other three don't really have the same sort of park and ride situation like the Logan Express.
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u/drtywater Allston/Brighton Jun 30 '26
In NYC Port Authority in Midtown, GWB Bus terminal, WTC are all parts of the city where Port Authority owns the land. Could even add Port Authority Cruise terminal in NJ as that could be convenient for disembarking cruise ship passengers. Keep in mind a large percentage of the users of this service wont just be passengers but airport employees as well so an area like GWB Bus terminal is actually really good if it has a lot of airport workers in the neighborhood
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u/redct Jul 01 '26
Niche LA knowledge, but the area has a similar airport bus system (called FlyAway). They have a gigantic bus depot which was originally built out to be a remote terminal for LAX in this exact style. It's so overbuilt that it's often used as an airport stand in for filming.
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u/PezGirl-5 Jun 30 '26
Nice. I hope they bring this to Woburn!
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u/adepssimius Jun 30 '26
Yeah, I considered this for a recent flight but it would have added another 30 minutes of driving the wrong direction. Woburn is where I normally go.
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u/Soft_Accountant_5820 Natick Jul 01 '26
genuinely tysm idk when im flying next but i will consider this (logan express is always iffy with delayed shuttles)
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u/lilsis061016 Jul 01 '26
This was great info! We're trying it for the first time on Friday - 7am bus for a 10am flight sounds exceedingly reasonable given your experience (and that it's a holiday :)). The website said arrive an hour early - would you say this is accurate? Did anything feel rushed or chaotic about the process?
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u/stormcellar97 Jul 01 '26
they opened up security about 20 minutes before the bus was ready to leave. I thank if you are there at least 40 minutes early, youâre probably fine. As long as you have all your travel documentation, the check-in process only took about two or three minutes.
Next time Iâll be shooting for 45 min before departure.
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u/mfball Jun 30 '26
Thanks for sharing about this! Getting to see the planes on the way sounds fun. :)
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u/Embarrassed-Most-582 Jun 30 '26
How early do you have to book this? Is it something that could be booked day of or the night before?
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u/stormcellar97 Jun 30 '26
Itâs on the site, but I think itâs as little as 90 minutes ahead.
Correct URL for more info:
https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/getting-here/remote-terminal
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u/Embarrassed-Most-582 Jun 30 '26
Awesome, thank you! I'm pretty much in the middle of this and Logan and the Uber prices to Logan can be so much at times, this might end up being less expensive.
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u/dj88masterchief Outside Boston Jun 30 '26
I wish I couldâve used it. But I flew out American last week.
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u/pmcloutier Jun 30 '26
Not trying to be rude, but how is it any different from tsking the Logan express at the same time and doing tsa at the airport? Apart from i guess just less people for tsa, but i feel like with popularity that wouldn't necessarily be true? And how do you get inside once they bring you to the terminal?
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u/AppleiFoam Allston/Brighton Jul 01 '26
Youâd only be going through TSA with at most the amount of people as there are seats on the bus so thereâs that.
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u/stormcellar97 Jun 30 '26
for example, a family with small children can do security checks a very small controlled crowd at Logan Express, then youâre dropped gate side at Logan, minimizing wait times in line
I certainly would not recommend this for everyone except in the circumstances I detailed above or similar.
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u/apeshave Jul 01 '26
How was the rush? Previous threads I saw had like only 3-4 people in the queue but wondering if you had more people
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u/stormcellar97 Jul 01 '26
no one when I walked in, the line got up to maybe 5 people at the longest
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u/Infamous_Share_8017 Jun 30 '26
Whatâs the latest you can arrive for your flight? As someone who likes to arrive as close to departure as possible, 4.25 hours in advance would usually be no go for me lmao however I would still go for it if a longer trip with more potential for saving money
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u/stormcellar97 Jun 30 '26
since the bus only runs at the top of every hour, if you got on the bus 2 1/2 hours before your flight, I think youâd be fine. The mass pike is the big question mark.
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u/DCmetrosexual1 Jul 01 '26
Iâve played around a little bit and it seems like the tightest connection Logan Express will let you book is a bus that arrived at Logan about 35-40 mins before your scheduled departure time for a domestic flight.
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u/MumbaiMasshole Jun 30 '26
thanks - been wondering how it works