Boston Logan Airport Launches “Straight to Gate” Off-Site Security Option

Starting on June 1, passengers flying through Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) willhave a way to skip security operations completely at the airport.

Massport has started a program called Straight to Gate Service, which it hopes will save passengers time and headaches. The program, only available to Delta and JetBlue passengers right now, allows travelers to go through airport security away from Boston Logan, one of the busier airports in the country, at a remote terminal in Framingham, Massachusetts, a town about 22 miles away.

Here’s how it works:

Passengers can reserve their spot on the bus online up to 90 days ahead of time. Because availability is limited by the capacity of the bus, reserving ahead is recommended. The cost for the bus service is $9 per passenger, and children under 17 ride for free.

Then, they head to the terminal in Framingham where they can park for $7 per day for longer-term stays, or simply get dropped off. For comparison, parking on-site at Logan can run as high as $46 per day.

At the Framingham terminal, they’ll go through airport security just like they would at Boston Logan, drop their checked bags, board the Logan Express Bus, and get transported directly post-security at Logan Airport. The ride from Framingham to Logan takes between 30 to 45 minutes with normal traffic, but can take up to an hour during peak morning commuting hours.

Aside from limiting the program to JetBlue and Delta flyers, one catch is that the service from Framingham is only available in the morning. The Framingham bus leaves the terminal every hour starting at 4 a.m. local time through 11 a.m. each day. The return from Logan runs much later into the night, operating every 20 minutes from 6:20 a.m. through 1 p.m. each day, and then every half hour through midnight. The last trip from Logan to Framingham takes place at 1:15 a.m.

Another caveat is that passengers with TSA PreCheck or CLEAR will not get dedicated expedited lanes at the Framingham lot—everyone goes through the same security line there. The lines will be shorter than at Logan, but they’ll have to abide by the standard security rules, including taking laptops out of their bags and their shoes off.

Massport CEO Rich Davey said that if the program is successful, it could be expanded outside of just Framingham.

“We’re going to start small to see if we can get folks excited about it. My goal is, if this is successful in Framingham, then we would make it permanent in Framingham, maybe Braintree, for example, Woburn,” he said.