A blessing and a curse for travelers to and from Boston is that the city’s international airport is pretty much smack-dab in the middle of the action. Buttressed against the Atlantic Ocean, the entirety of downtown and the greater metropolitan area radiates in a circle from Boston Logan.
Not coincidentally, the city has some of the worst traffic congestion in the country—and even the world, according to a study released this summer by INRIX and reported by Boston.com.
“Being basically a downtown airport, we’re right in the center of that [gridlock],” says Chris Grillo, assistant director for transportation business administration with the Massachusetts Port Authority, aka Massport.
But travelers have a unique and affordable option for getting to the airport without driving—and those who do so are rewarded with priority access at TSA security checkpoints.
How Public Transit Riders Can Skip Security Lines at Boston’s Airport
Introduced in 2019, Massport’s “Ticket to Skip” program incentivizes travelers to reduce tunnel traffic by riding clean, luggage rack–equipped, regularly scheduled shuttle buses from Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood to Logan airport or, if you prefer, to circumvent auto traffic entirely by using water transportation, including ferries, water buses, and water taxis.
At the time of boarding, shuttle drivers offer Back Bay Logan Express riders a paper Ticket to Skip voucher. Present that slip to frontline TSA staffers at security checkpoints once you arrive at the airport. TSA workers will then escort voucher holders to a priority line or the front of the general queue. You do not need to be enrolled in TSA PreCheck to qualify for the service (though if you don’t have PreCheck you’ll have to go through the regular line—i.e., the one where you have to take off your shoes).
Massport’s Grillo describes the program as “one of our strategies … to try to get people out of their cars before they get to the tunnel system.”
The Back Bay shuttle to Logan runs 7 days a week, picking up passengers every half hour from 5am to 9pm. Buses stop at two places in the Back Bay: 800 Boylston St., and the Dartmouth St. entrance to Copley Place, directly across the street from Back Bay Station.
The ride to the airport costs only $3. There’s no charge for taking the bus from Logan to the Back Bay.
Water transportation prices vary based on vessel and location. MBTA ferries are the most affordable option, ranging from $2.40 to $9.75. For all modes of water transit, pick up your Ticket to Skip from the airport shuttle driver on the bus you’ll board at the Water Transportation Dock. (In other words, don’t bother the boat captain about getting your line-skipping voucher.)
You can find water transportation pickup locations at Massport’s website.
So far, Massport estimates that around 63,000 passengers have taken advantage of the Ticket to Skip offer.
Of the ways U.S. travelers can cut or skip TSA lines, this is easily one of the cheapest and most appealing. Unlike CLEAR or TSA PreCheck, Boston’s Ticket to Skip program requires no paid membership or preapproval, and the plan encourages riders to use high-occupancy vehicles instead of private cars.
How to Save Money on Airport Parking in Boston
In addition to forcing you to sit in traffic, driving could also set you back $32–$41 a day for airport parking.
True, you could cash in friend points for a ride to catch your flight, but, when you think about it, that actually makes overall traffic worse. “If you’re picked up or dropped off by a friend or family member, that generates twice as many vehicular trips,” Grillo notes.
Travelers who absolutely have to drive to the airport should consider using the Logan Express park-and-ride suburban satellite locations from Braintree, Framingham, Woburn, or now Danvers. Those places offer a far more affordable parking rate of $7 per day, along with a $9 ticket for the ride to the airport (when purchased online). Note, however, that those locations aren’t currently eligible for the Ticket to Skip program.
For more information on the Logan Express from Back Bay and the Ticket to Skip program, or to purchase a ride in advance, go to Massport.com.