Logan Airport from Providence ??'s

[cortegro]

I was just about to purchase my tickets on Southwest from PVD to MCO for July 25-28th trip. I decided to look at JetBlue from Boston. The JetBlue trip is $676 for 5 people!! The Southwest flight was $1067 from Providence.

Some background..... I am planning a surprise trip for the family to coincide with the end of a youth hockey tournament we are attending in Providence. (We live in Riverside,CT..about 2+ hours away from Prov.) The hockey tournament could end anywhere from 8:00am(if we lose) to 4-5:00pm (if we win).

My 1st idea was to book SWA from PVD on a 4:45pm flight. There is a later one as well. The return to providence from mco would be at 9 something. The drive home and in bed around midnight.

My new idea is to save the $400 and drive north to Boston. (add 1+ hr to the trip each way)

The pros of PVD:
Easier to keep surprise
Quicker ride home
more schedule flexibility with the swa flights
no big rush from game whenever it ends

The cons of PVD are obviously the $400!

The pros of Boston:
$400 less
I like JetBlue airlines (never flown SWA)

The cons of Boston:
Longer drive to/from
Bigger city much more chance for traffic etc...
Seems weird to drive North to fly south
Any flight changes on JetBlue will cost me more than changes on SWA


$400 is $400 so I'm starting to lean towards the Drive to Boston.

Any have any thoughts or things I missed?
Is Logan easy to get to/park etc?

I am sittin on the fence. Please help, I can't ask my wife on this one!

-cortegro

 

[goofy4tink]

I love flying out of Providence. We are equi-distant from TFGreen and Logan. I go where I can get a cheaper fare. That's usually Logan. Now, for your situation.....would you consider staying overnight in Boston and then grabbing an early a.m. flight? You could stay at one of the nearby hotels and use their stay, park and fly programs. I think it runs about $130 per night. You leave your car there and take a shuttle to Logan. You could tell the family that you are planning a sight-seeing trip around Boston and then surprise them in the morning.

Otherwise I guess you just have to decide what $400 is worth in time, money and effort. The drive to Boston wouldn't bother me but the drive home from the airport would be murder!!

 

[tidoublegger]

Is this during the Democratic National Convention? Major highways will be closed during this time, Rt. 93 I think. If that's the case, I say fly out of Providence. Good luck!

 

[CAP Aircrew]

Not an easy decision. One thing to consider would be the cost to park at Logan verses Providence. Logan parking is not cheap and I would direct you to www.massport.com for more info on that.


All that aside, I would prefer JetBlue over SWA anyday. Assigned seats and in-flight entertainment would certainly add to the experience.

With the "Big Dig" winding down, traffic into Logan has not been bad. The airport has also gone through major improvements.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[paladin]

The convention is July 26 - July 29 and will probably have a major impact on travel - what with road closings and such. Just something to keep in mind while planning.

 

[3PRINCESSMOM]

I was about to say, "this is a no-brainer...JetBlue is great and $400 is a lot of savings." However, in light of the fact that your dates do coinside with the Convention I would advise avoiding Boston. I know they are saying the Ted Williams tunnel will be open, uninterupted, but still I'd say PVD will be less "risky." The idea of staying at a hotel to get a deal on parking was another thing I had been thinking, but the convention makes all bets off. Good luck whatever you decide...with the hockey, too.

 

[cortegro]

Thanks for all the great responses.

It is still a pickle of a decision. But I guess I have to suck it up and fly SWA from PVD. I didn't even think about the convention......

I guess I shouldn't have kept looking around.

I took a quick look into driving home/NYC airports but the rate isn't better than southwests' . It should at least make the surprise that much better when I "detour" to the airport or "get lost" on my way back to CT!

Now the dilemma will be getting "A" tickets to sit next to each other on the plane. I will bring the laptop/printer to the hotel I guess and print the boarding passes there. Or maybe head to the airport quick while the kids are getting ready for the game.


(damn that $676 JetBlue flight is still calling me!!!)

-cortegro

 

[CAP Aircrew]

If it is indeed during the Democratic National Convention then I would agree with the rest and say probably avoid Logan. Although the Ted Williams tunnel will be open, the security at Logan will be unprecendented. In addition, they are asking travelers flying out of Logan to report to the airport 4 hours in advance.

The savings may just NOT worth the aggravation.

Have you looked into Hartford?

 

[CAP Aircrew]

If Hartford is an option, you might want to consider USAIR.

I just checked and they have a flight that departs at 5:30pm and arrives at 10pm. It does include a stop at Washington DC but you DO NOT have to change planes. The return is 6:20pm arriving in Hartford at 10:37pm. Again this stops at Wash. DC but still no plane change. The quoted fair was $188 per person or $940 for all of you. It's only a $127 savings over SWA but it gets you closer to home when you come back from Disney.

Just a thought!

 

[cortegro]

Thanks CAP!

I did look quickly into Hartford, but I think I only looked at the N/S flights.

I would be a little closer to home in Hartford, but it's a wicked ride from Providence, isn't it? I don't think it is mostly highway. I thought that the ride to Logan(before convention issues) would be pretty easy.

I will take another look, but I'm starting to settle into SWA.

Of course, that opens a new can of worms , never flown them before and the worries of the "cattle call" and boarding issues.
But I think I can deal with all that. My family has travelled so much for hockey, I don't think a few hiccups at the airport will be a big deal. I am really getting excited for WDW now. Maybe I could convince them to "blow off" the last day and we could get the early flight to MCO!

Thanks for all your help.

-cortegro

 

[debster812]

One more wrench to throw at you in support of Logan

Drive only as far north as Quincy or Braintree--and use either Logan Express (bus service) or Harbor Express (boat service) to get to and from Logan.

Parking will be cheaper, and you can let someone else fuss with the traffic, etc.

We've done both, and if you take Logan Express, the bus makes stops at every terminal. If you take Harbor Express, you then have to switch to a shuttle to get to your terminal.

Good Luck

 

[beattyfamily]

You might still be able to get to and from Logan via the new Ted Williams Tunnel (after you drive on 95 North to 128 South to 93N) I think it's exit 20.

I don't know yet if they will close the tunnel for the convention.

MASSPORT link to DNC info

 

[cortegro]

You guys are killing me!

I was finally decided on staying in PVD and avoiding the convention mess. Now debster goes in with the wrench.

Does anyone have much experience with the Logan Express Shuttle from Braintree, I guess?

The water shuttle hours don't seem to fit as well.

Also, wouldn't the Bus have the same traffic/closures issues I would if I drove?

TIA,
cortegro

(still trying to save $400)

 

[sue Z]

Ted Williams Tunnel will be open!!!!!!!!! there will be a designated bus lane too!! All buses will be using the TW tunnel when the highway is closed!!!
http://www.massport.com/logan/getti_typeo_conve.html this will have other info too
http://www.boston04.com/about_boston/visitor_information.asp this will also have info too.

 

[debster812]

Logan Express (bus service from Braintree). We've used it the past 2 years. Somehow, the thought of the boat ride in February never really appeals to us. (of course last year the harbor was iced in and closed due to cold, so the bus was our only option)

Parking is $11/day, in a gated parking lot.

Round trip tickets for 12 and older is $20 if you buy the round trip at the outset, if you buy the one ways, it is $12 each way.

Under 12 is FREE!!!! (we have 5 years left for DS)

Good Luck!!!! I'm all for saving $400

 

[carolsherman]

Where is this is Braintree I am debating on our November trip on doing Bonanza out of Providence or having hubby drive us to Braintree

 

[debster812]

carolsherman--Braintree is South of Boston, in the Quincy area. If you come up Rt 95 from RI, you will go an additional 5 or 6 exits up on Rt 128 heading to Boston, and you will get to the exit for Logan Express. I'm not sure of the exit number, but it is the Rt 37 exit. You can also see it from the highway, and drive by it before you actually get to the exit.

 

[sue Z]

being Partial to Bonanza and its fleet of buses I would use Bonanza!!!!

long story right BoosMom!!

 

[beattyfamily]

Originally posted by debster812
carolsherman--Braintree is South of Boston, in the Quincy area. If you come up Rt 95 from RI, you will go an additional 5 or 6 exits up on Rt 128 heading to Boston, and you will get to the exit for Logan Express. I'm not sure of the exit number, but it is the Rt 37 exit. You can also see it from the highway, and drive by it before you actually get to the exit.

It's exit 6 off of 128s and it's the same exit as the Braintree mall/South Shore Plaza.

Also Bonanza bus has a terminal in Providence:

Bonanza Bus Terminal
1 Bonanza Way (exit 25 from i-95)
Kennedy Plaza, Downtown, Providence
Tel: 888-751-8800

and also in Foxboro, MA (near me!) right off of 495 or 95

Foxboro, MA (agency)
PCI Business Center
Foxfield Plaza
Route 140 off I-95,
Tel: 888-415-2566 or 888-751-8800

They are pretty reasonable. Only problem with that is you'll have to be dropped off.

What I do not like about Logan Express is by the time I calculate the cost of my car parked daily and then my DH and myself round trip shuttle, it's almost the same as the airport parking fees. I'd rather have my car right at the airport waiting for me if I'm going to pay that much!

 

[pumpkinboy]

While $400 is a pretty convincing argument, and we love JetBlue, given your circumstances, it is just gonna be sooooo much easier to fly SWA out of PVD. Think of the extra $400 as paying for piece of mind; you'll stay sane if you do the PVD thing, while Logan during the DNC is gonna be seriously iffy.

You could do the Logan Express thing out of Braintree, and it is pretty cheap and efficient. And you could do the hotel deal with park and fly... But isn't that all just too complicated? Wouldn't you rather just park at TFGreen, catch your flights, then when you arrive back, have a short drive home?

Try JetBlue another time when things are not complicated by the hockey tourney. Then you could park at my house and just take the T in to Logan (kidding!).