Travelers flying with Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways out of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) have a new way to avoid the dreaded Transportation Security Administration lines.
Starting June 1, mobility company Landline and BOS operator Massport will open a new remote terminal in Framingham, Massachusetts, a suburb west of Boston, with hourly buses to the airport. Delta and JetBlue travelers will be able to check in, drop off their bags and clear TSA at the new terminal, which is located in a former park-and-ride parking lot, before boarding a Landline bus for the 45- to 60-minute ride to BOS.
The bus will drop off travelers within security at gate A18 in Terminal A for Delta or C8 in Terminal C for JetBlue. Checked bags will be transferred directly between planes and buses.
The new remote BOS terminal service is the latest evolution of Fixed. Founded on the idea that buses could replace short-haul flights at a lower cost and connect smaller communities to major hubs, Landline has grown into an airport ground transportation network that operates independently and as a partner to airports and airlines such as Air CanadaAmerican Airlines and Sun Country Airlines. Its mission is to reduce some of the friction in traveling to and through a major airport.
David Sunde, CEO and co-founder of Landline, is excited about what the company’s new offering could mean in busy metropolitan areas across the country.
“The story here is that the big airports have run out of space,” Sunde said in an interview. “Construction at large airports is really difficult and very expensive. Now we have a counterpoint: We can build, in six months, a facility in a parking lot, in a suburb of one of the largest metropolitan areas and busiest airports in the U.S. and have people tested almost immediately.”
While the speed is impressive, only Massport plans revealed for a remote TSA screening facility in Framingham last year – the implications of the partnership for airport access and screening are significant.
Few, if any, places in the world allow travelers to pass through security remotely and travel by bus or train to the airport. Many places have, or have tested, “in-town” terminals for check-in and bag drop; however, travelers must still go through security checks once they arrive at the airport. He city check-in service Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) is one of the best-known contemporary examples.
The landline operated for years to transport travelers safely from one airport to another by bus. It took four years from its launch to implement the first “asphalt-to-asphalt” bus connection, linking Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) in New Jersey and Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) near Allentown, Pennsylvania, with Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) in partnership with American and the TSA.
Reward your inbox with TPG’s daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers to receive breaking news, in-depth guides, and exclusive offers from TPG experts.
BOS is the third largest airport, after Chicago. O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and PHL, where Landline takes travelers who have been screened elsewhere within security. The company’s other operations at Denver International Airport (DEN), Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in Toronto arrive by land (or out of security).
Landline’s new BOS service is different. The company is partnering with Massport rather than an airline, meaning riders don’t earn loyalty points for the fixed-bus portion of their trips, nor do they have connection guarantees if the bus or their flight is delayed.
“The airlines know where you are and that’s certainly a step beyond driving to Logan,” Sunde said. Landline will contact Delta and JetBlue regarding who was tested in Framingham and made the trip to BOS.
The new Landline Telephone service is marketed and sold under the existing regime logan express brand and not as a new route for an airline. Seats are just $9 each way. Children under 17 years old travel free.
Richard Davey, CEO of Massport, told the Boston Globe in September that the agency hopes to encourage more people to take public transportation to BOS instead of driving with the remote terminal.
“Part of the intention is to reduce people’s anxiety when arriving at the airport,” he said. “We’re going to start small to see if we can get people excited.”
Charlie Schewe, Delta’s director of eastern sales, described the new remote terminal as “the kind of innovation we want to be a part of: elevating the journey and getting people to their destination seamlessly.”
“We’re excited to test new ways to improve our customers’ journey by thinking outside the box and collaborating with our airport partners,” said Daniel Blake, vice president of airport experience at JetBlue.
Delta and JetBlue, the initial airline partners for remote terminal bus service, will together fly 51% of all seats from BOS in June, scheduling data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.
Massport is planning a new Logan Express facility in the south Boston suburb of Braintree, which, if the new Landline Framingham bus is successful, could include a TSA checkpoint and serve as another remote terminal for the airport.
Sunde did not say what they consider a “success” of the new service, which replicates an existing Logan Express line.
Related reading:
