Airport security is no longer limited to airport terminals. Starting next month, passengers taking morning flights from Boston's Logan Airport can go to a Transportation Security Administration off-site security checkpoint in Framingham to complete security checks without waiting in line at the airport terminal. After completing security check, the shuttle bus will drive passengers about 25 miles directly to the airport. Passengers will be dropped off in the airport security area and can go directly to the boarding gate, avoiding crowded parking lots, congested roadsides and long check-in lines.
This measure will move the most energy-consuming security check link in the travel process to the outer area of the airport. This off-site security check is a pilot project and will only be open to Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways passengers initially.
Passengers can check in and check baggage at the newly built temporary off-site station in Framingham. The cooperative travel service provider Randline is responsible for setting up check-in counters and operating shuttle buses. This company has long-term cooperation with airlines and is responsible for transferring passengers from small airports to large hub airports such as Chicago and Philadelphia; security personnel and baggage inspection are handled by staff from the US Transportation Security Administration.
After the shuttle bus arrives at the airport, airline staff will pick up the passengers and complete the baggage transfer.
David Sander, CEO of Randline, said that as demand for air travel continues to rise, large hub airports urgently need to take multiple measures to divert passenger flow pressure.
"The effect of blindly expanding the space at the airport entrance is limited. If we want to solve the problem, we must add more diversion entrances."
Rich David, head of the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan Airport, said that the security team at Logan Airport is under normal pressure, but traffic congestion on the roads around the airport and saturated traffic in the drop-off area have always been the biggest pain points for travel.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration stated that this pilot project is an important measure to modernize and upgrade the security inspection system. It aims to improve the convenience of passenger travel, while strictly implementing a full set of safety standards and setting strict management requirements for shuttle operators and airline staff.
As early as last summer when the Transportation Security Administration launched family-only security inspection lanes, Adam Starr, acting deputy director of the bureau, told the Wall Street Journal that it planned to implement an off-site security inspection model within a few months. In the long run, passengers can even complete flight security inspections in advance at cruise centers, Disneyland and other places.
This plan has been in preparation for a long time, and the pilot project has received funding approval from Congress as early as fiscal year 2019. Currently, eight venues across the United States have been approved to carry out similar off-site security inspection pilots, including private luxury aviation terminals in Los Angeles, Atlanta and other places.
Passengers can reserve this convenient travel service directly to the boarding gate on the official website of the Massachusetts Port Authority at least 90 minutes in advance.
The shuttle will operate starting June 1 from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m. and will depart adjacent to the Logan Express bus station. The shuttle is $9 one-way and parking at the Framingham off-site site is $7 daily.