Boston Folks: How much time do you spend at Logan

[zillow]

I guess what I'm really asking is how many hours in advance should we plan on being there. We're traveling on a Sunday and flying with Song - have there been long lines for security lately?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Jillpie]

To be safe, we allow ourselves two hours prior to boarding. The time at this airport flies. We've always taken the 7:00 am flight (no longer available) out of Logan, so we're there at 5:00 am, and sure enough there's a long line to check in. It goes very quickly, but then you gotta get in the security line. Give yourself plenty of time. Better early, get your seat assignments, grab some coffee and sit. We'll be doing the same thing in January with Song.

 

[goofy4tink]

We use Logan also. Flew Song last month. We normally get to the airport about 2 hrs. early. We used Song's kiosk check-in, both ways. It was really fast. Security took a little bit longer but no big deal. I figure I don't care how long they take, as long as they do a good job!! We usually end up just sitting around for an hour or so but it is relaxing and stress-free.

 

[beattyfamily]

I always allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours before my flight but it's always been a breeze and we end up waiting to board for about an hour.

We usually have the 7:00a flight.

 

[plutosmyfav]

ANSWER: TOO MUCH!!!! (I hate logan)

But seriously, I allow 2 hours and am always there way too early. But you just never know, so I'm sure I'll get there 2 hours early again this trip! They have a nice play area for small children (my salvation).

 

[zillow]

Plutosmyfave, where is the children's play area? That would be a great thing. Right now I only have an hour planned so maybe I'd better get an earlier move on just to be safe.

 

[mcnuss]

I've never gotten to Logan more than 1.5 hours in advance, and have always had time to spare. I've never flown Song, always US Airways, and I check in at the kiosks.

 

[PattnFmly]

Another request for where is that children's play area? I have no problem with being there early, my problem is getting the kids to sit and wait for an hour, then sit and be quiet & nice on the plane. It will never work. But if they could let off some energy before the plane maybe they'd nap! I can hope can't I??

 

[plutosmyfav]

Well I have only scouted out the one in the terminal with Delta (I don't remember which one that is). If you are looking at the baggage check counters, the play area is on the left. It is strategically placed BEHIND the gift shop which of course has all sorts of toys in it! We ended up buying a little plane for about $5. You enter the gift shop and there is a pathway on the righthand side through the shop to the play area. I think they call it Kid Port.

I don't know if all the terminals have such a set up.

 

[mcnuss]

To my knowledge, the only play area is in the Delta/United terminal - that's C I think. I fly in & out of B weekly, so I can say pretty confidently that there is not one there.

 

[BobH]

I tried using the American Airlines Kiosk when taking my son to Logan Airport to fly to Albuquerque with one stop over in St Louis.
There was a very long line for the regular counter. We got his boarding passes and everything looked fine as far as times. Only problem was that several of the kiosks kept breaking down and a line began backing up there as well. My son went through the security checkpoint within 30 seconds of getting his boarding pass. I decided to look up at the monitors one last time and found out that his flight was delayed over an hour which meant he'd miss a connecting flight in St Louis and be marooned there overnight. We tried contacting him though the airport ticket agent but her page announcement to him was completely unintelligible. We were fortunate enough that he left his cell phone on so we were able to get him the message and have him return past the security checkpoint and got him re-booked on another flight. My son is college age and fine traveling on his own but he would not have realized his predicament and gotten re-booked until it was too late. I later checked the official time of the flight delay with the airline and firmly believe the kiosk was not printing boarding passes with the changed departure time to allow passenger to rethink their itinerary. American was happy to send people on their way with boarding passes from the kiosk that did not reflect the changed departure times. We have used the kiosks successfully but my point is that if things go bad there is no substitute for dealing with a real live human being. The girl from American that rebooked my son was very helpful. Just another example of delays and problems tha you can have.

 

[brentalex]

the kid play area is in terminal C behind the gift shop. There are also two ball sculpture/mazes in the termina. Kids usually love to just watch the balls go around the mazes and make the bells and chimes in them make noise. Helps to pass the time.

 

[mcnuss]

My son is college age and fine traveling on his own but he would not have realized his predicament and gotten re-booked until it was too late. I later checked the official time of the flight delay with the airline and firmly believe the kiosk was not printing boarding passes with the changed departure time to allow passenger to rethink their itinerary. American was happy to send people on their way with boarding passes from the kiosk that did not reflect the changed departure times.

While I don't disagree that this situation was yet another of example of airline "disconnect", I don't think it was done on purpose, nor was it a disaster, either. The systems which update the board are likely not connected to the kiosks, or perhaps the computers running the kiosks lag behind the others.

Your son would have gotten to the gate, presumably seen that his flight was late, and would have been re-booked there. If you think about it, even if he had checked in with a live agent at AA -- but it had been done 20 minutes earlier before the delay was announced -- he could have still been thru security thinking his flight was fine. Checking in with the agent does not necessarily prevent this sort of thing. It can happen no matter who or what handles your check-in. It's incumbent on us as travelers to be vigilant about delays. I cannot tell you how many times I run thru airports bc the board shows my flt as on time, only to get to the gate to find it delayed.