Travelers flying through Boston Logan International Airport will soon be able to skip security, at least in the airport itself. Next month, Massport officially launches a first-in-the-nation remote terminal in Framingham.
As part of a pilot program, Delta and JetBlue passengers with flights departing between 5:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. will be able to check bags and clear security at the Framingham terminal before being driven to Logan on a secure bus. Travelers will then be dropped off near their gate in the secure area past the TSA security checkpoints.
The program, which officially launches June 1, aims to ease the stress of traveling, cut security wait times at Logan and reduce traffic and emissions by decreasing the number of private vehicles driven to the airport.
“It’s going to be a seamless experience,” said Peter Howe, Massport’s Deputy Director of Roadway Management.
The facility, located near the existing Logan Express station off Route 9, closely resembles a traditional airport terminal. Upon entering, passengers will find two counters manned by JetBlue and Delta representatives where they can check in and check bags before entering a TSA security line equipped like those at any regular airport.
“Everything has been approved by our partners at TSA,” Howe said. “We will be going through all federal protocols.”
The cost to use the remote terminal is the same as using the existing Logan Express service. Tickets — now on sale on Massport’s website — cost $9 each way for adults and are free for kids 17-years-old and under. Rides can be booked from 90 days to 90 minutes before scheduled departure.
Secure buses to and from Logan will run every hour on the hour from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The site has 400 parking spaces and will also accommodate ride-share drop-offs. Daily parking is $7 per day, a fraction of what it costs to park at Logan itself.
The idea of remote terminals has been around for more than half a century, Matthew Coogan, a transportation consultant who formerly served as the director of the New England Transportation Institute, told GBH News in 2025.
“The first one was in Brussels for the World’s Fair in 1958,” he said. “I went to check my bags there in 1959, when I was 12, and I’ve been studying it ever since.”
Coogan said that several other airports have built remote terminals in the years since, including London, Hong Kong and Vienna. In the 1980s, when Coogan served as undersecretary of transportation for Gov. Michael Dukakis, he proposed one in Boston.
The idea didn’t pan out then, but Coogan said he’s thrilled to hear that Massport is now planning to give it a try, arguing the new program will give travelers a more streamlined — and less stressful — experience than the traditional check-in process.
Massport’s pilot program is set to last for three months, through the end of August. At that point, airport officials will assess the program and consider whether to keep it or even add remote terminals to other Logan Express locations, including Braintree, Danvers and Woburn.
According to an agency spokesperson, the pilot will cost Massport $2.5 million, using funds from the ground access fees charged to taxis, limousines and ride-hailing services at Logan Airport.
