Spivonious

My wife and I have a 4:45 layover at Boston Logan on the way back from Ireland. Is that enough time to do anything?

We land at 1PM and our flight home leaves at 5:45PM. We'd have to pick up our bags and go through customs, and then check our bags onto the connecting flight, so we might not get out of the airport until 2PM.

nytraveler

If your flight lands on time yuo MAY be out at 2 pm - or perhaps not if you have to pick up your bags and check them for another flight - I wouod thnk more ike 2:30 - assuming the desks for you ongoing airline are manned. And if your ongoing flight is 5:45 you shuold probably be at the airport by 4 pm at the latest - but do check with your airline. This gives you 1.5 hours - including getting to and fro the airport - so I don't think ths is really possible.

Myer

If you can work out the luggage/customs/checkin timing, Boston is very easy to get to.

There's a free shuttle from the terminals to the subway that goes under the Bay.

We were there a few years ago and instead of taking a taxi to the airport we took the elevator right outside of our hotel down into the subway and in 15 minutes we were at the shuttle near the airport. I believe it was the grey or silver subway line.

So it's possible you'll have 2 hours. You can see a fair amount in that time.

china_cat

It only takes about 10 minutes to get to downtown from the airport if you use the water taxi. http://www.citywatertaxi.com/index.html
You could take it to Long Wharf, and walk around Faneuil hall, or take it to the Institute for Contemporary art. Or any of the other stops to get some lunch.

But I think it will still be a really tight schedule and probably not feasible. Logan airport has the slowest baggage handlers anywhere, and it always take me a while to get my luggage.

cw

You probably will have about 2 hours, maybe more if you're lucky. You could take the shuttle bus from the terminal to the Airport Station and take the Blue Line inbound to Aquarium or Government Center and walk towards Faneuil Hall and have a quick lunch in the North End (historic area, Italian section) or near Quincy Market. Then you could walk along the waterfront back to the Aquarium stop and retrace your steps to the airport.

You could also take a taxi to the North End. At that time of day, it would be a quick trip. The airport is close to the city.

The Institute of Contemporary Art is in the Seaport area and you could take the Silver Line (bus) from the airport terminal to the museum. Also accessible on the Silver Line are the restaurants at Liberty Wharf. You could have a nice lunch overlooking the harbor. The Legal Seafood there has three levels and outdoor seating, though I don't know what time of the year you'll be here.

It all depends on your interests and what you would like to see in your brief time.

yk

I'm in the MINORITY - I think you definitely have time to head into the city; esp if you take a taxi (regular taxi or water taxi).

First of all, Boston Logan is a breeze to get through in terms of Immigration & Customs (assuming you are US Citizens). Of the last several years I've flown into Logan from abroad, on average, it takes me 20-30 minutes to get from the plane -> curbside. Yes, the 20-30 mins include getting through immigration/customs as well as claiming checked luggage. It's night and day compared to JFK (which I avoid at all costs).

However, you MAY have to change terminals to get to where your connecting flight is... Anyway, you should be ready to leave the airport by 2pm. There is no need to return to Logan by 4pm. Assuming it's a domestic flight and you're checked-in already, you can get there 1 hour before your flight. As I said, Logan is a breeze compared to most major US airports.

If $ is not an issue, just take a taxi (faster than water taxi) and you'll be in town in < 10 minutes. You will have about 2 - 2.5 hours to wander around town.

If $ is an issue, public transport is available to Logan Airport. Your best bet is to take the Silver Line from your terminal to South Station. From South Station, if weather is nice, you can walk all the way to Boston Common or other historic sites. Silver Line will take about 30 minutes each way, thereby reducing your sightseeing time to just over 1 hour.

Ackislander

Mini sightseeing for a gorgeous day: take the shuttle bus to the Water Taxi, take the water taxi to Rowe's Wharf, walk along the waterfront to the Aquarium, walk up State Street to the Old State House, turn right to walk to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, return to State Street and take the Blue Line T (subway) from the Aquarium station (State Street Entrance) back to the airport and a shuttle from the Logan station to your departing airline. YOu have a fabulous vire of the skyline from the water, you get to see two of Boston's most historic buildings, and you get to ride the T.

With less time: take the shuttle bus to the Water Taxi, go next door to the Hyatt, sit in the bar or on the patio and enjoy spectacular views of the harbor from there.

The real issue is whether you have to change terminals to recheck bags. If your departing airline is in Terminal D or C, this is not a big issue. If it is in A or B, it is a biggish issue.

amyb

If I recall correctly, you just redeposit your luggage right outside the customs hall, you don't need to visit your ongoing airline counter at all. I'm with yk, I think you have plenty of time to zip into the city.

You don't say what day it is, but you may have to contend with weekend schedules on both the ferry/subway and traffic if it's a weekday, so just keep that in mind.

sharona

I'm pretty sure we cleared customs in Ireland (Shannon) when returning to Boston and then we only had to go through a quick immigration. I might be wrong about what we needed to do in Boston but I remember it was quick. If your bags are checked through then you should have time for a short stop in Boston. I agree that getting your luggage at Logan can be a very long waiting time.

I checked the Shannon web site and sure enough you do go through both immigration and customs before flying to the US.

http://www.shannonairport.com/gns/at...clearance.aspx

I also agree with yk that you don't need to be back at the airport at that time of the day until about an hour before departure.

Spivonious

Thanks, everyone. I'll definitely look into clearing customs before departing if that means we can check our bags through to Baltimore. It looks like we'll have some time if everything is on schedule. Our connecting flight leaves 5 minutes from the arriving flight.

cw

Assume you mean 5 hours?

amyb

>>If your bags are checked through then you should have time for a short stop in Boston.

yk

Which airport are you departing from in Ireland?

If it's Shannon, according to Sharona's link, it says:

US Preclearance
Shannon is the first airport in the world, outside of the Americas, to offer Full US Preclearance facilities to passengers travelling to the USA.

This new upgraded service allows US bound passengers to undertake all immigration, customs and agriculture inspections at Shannon prior to departure, making your arrival in the US easier and faster.

•Your baggage is checked through to your final destination, without the need for pick up/drop off.
•Arriving as a domestic passenger allows for a faster process though the airport.
•Shorter connecting times mean you can reach your final destination earlier.


So that would mean when you arrive at Logan, you DO NOT NEED to retrieve your luggage NOR go through immigration or customs. That will save a lot of time. Not sure about other Ireland airports though.

sharona

We flew out of Dublin but surprisingly to us stopped in Shannon to go through immigration. The Shannon stop wasn't listed as a stop as our flight was listed as non-stop Dublin to Boston. So I'm not sure if all the U.S. bound flights stop in Shannon or not. But that was our experience a few years ago.

Spivonious

I figured I'd post back here with my experience. Our flight from Dublin was not one of the pre-clearance ones (check Aer Lingus' website for a list), and the line was pretty long for customs in Boston, so we ended up just hanging out in the airport for 3 hours before out flight to BWI.