Major US airport offers new way to speed through security

Flying out of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)? The next time you take public transportation to the airport, you might get to skip the long security lines.

A new concept at BOS plans to trial a form of “presecurity” for users of the greater region’s Logan Express bus service. This would have passengers go through a security checkpoint as they get on the bus rather than at the airport.

The trial would take place at the Logan Express station in Framingham starting in June, according to The Boston Globe, which first reported plans for the presecurity program.

Travelers would go through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint operated out of a temporary trailer in an overflow parking lot for the bus service, which would include screening and labeling of checked bags. The bus would then drop passengers off “airside” at Terminal A — where Delta Air Lines and WestJet operate — as well as Terminal C, which houses JetBlue but also connects to the remaining terminals, B and E.

The Logan Express service is operated by Massport, which runs trips to BOS as well as several smaller regional airports in Massachusetts. It operates from several locations in the greater Boston area with rides every 30 to 60 minutes; tickets cost $3 to $9 when purchased in advance online, depending on the line.

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During the pilot, one bus would leave hourly for a four- or five-hour period each morning, the Globe reported, with up to 35 passengers per bus reserving tickets in advance. Depending on how the trial goes, the service could expand to the rest of the Logan Express lines, including Braintree, Woburn and the Boston Seaport.

A Massport executive told the newspaper that the trial’s goal is to encourage more travelers to use public transit by enticing them with an easier and more relaxed security experience. Traffic to and from BOS can be significant, and any reduction in private vehicles and ride-hailing services could help.

This bus service appears to be unique, but there is a degree of precedent — American Airlines’ Landline bus service from Atlantic City in New Jersey, for example, views the bus ride to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) as the first “flight” of a connecting journey and sees passengers go through security before getting on the bus. Still, that program requires a bus ticket as part of a flight itinerary, whereas the BOS program would operate completely separate from your flight ticket.

A slide from a board presentation shared with TPG by Massport noted that the program still needs approval from the TSA, which would have to staff the new checkpoint.

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