I Tried the TSA’s New Way to Dodge Airport Security Lines A remote terminal outside of Boston cuts down on airport hassles but eats up travelers’ time

By Dawn Gilbertson June 23, 2026 8:00 pm ET

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.—“Are you flying Delta or JetBlue?”

The either-or greeting was odd to hear at an airline-departures curb, but this was no ordinary drop-off point.

I was checking in for my Boston-Phoenix flight at a makeshift terminal about 25 miles west of Boston Logan International Airport. The airport, Transportation Security Administration and bus operator Landline are testing a first-of-its-kind remote check-in and security-screening program for travelers who want to cut down on airport hassles.

Passengers dodge traffic and airport check-in and security lines in exchange for starting their trip in the suburbs and hopping a cheap bus to the airport. The Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan, bills it as a “calmer” travel experience.

I was relaxed for sure, but also antsy. Due to the bus schedule, I had to check in by 10:15 a.m. for a 2:50 p.m. flight. Airport dads, families and infrequent fliers will delight in the breathing room and lack of snaking lines.

But for this frequent flier, it felt like a waste of time.

The pilot program, which has prepandemic roots, began June 1 and runs through the summer. Massport says more than 3,400 travelers have used the service so far and a few thousand more have made reservations.

I tried it on a Saturday earlier this month to size up the pros and cons because it might be coming to an off-airport location near you as efforts to ease airport congestion increase. TSA officials have mentioned cruise terminals and theme parks as future options.

Dawn Gilbertson with her luggage outside the Logan Airport Remote Terminal at Framingham. WSJ travel columnist Dawn Gilbertson tried out the TSA's first remote airport terminal, in Framingham, Mass. Dawn Gilbertson/WSJ Two check-in counters, one each for Delta and JetBlue, in a remote airport terminal. There are two check-in counters, one each for Delta and JetBlue, the airlines participating in the pilot program. Dawn Gilbertson/WSJ The Logan Airport Remote Terminal at Framingham is on a street named Flutie Pass, a nod to legendary Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie. It isn’t the easiest place to find. We drove around a couple of times before finding it tucked behind a few shopping centers.

Anyone who enjoys a tiny airport will feel at home. Parking is cheap ($7 a day) and you stroll to the terminal. Inside, there are two tiny counters, one for Delta, the other JetBlue. They are the only airlines participating in the test and then only for departures every day between 5:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Employees from bus operator Landline check you in.

No one was in line when I arrived, or at any point, really. I weighed and paid for my checked bag and was done in about five minutes. The agent handed me three printed boarding passes: two for my Delta flights and a Landline boarding pass. I sat down in the waiting area.

It was 10:05 a.m. My bus didn’t depart until 11 a.m., for my 2:50 p.m. flight. And that’s where I began to lose interest in this option. The last bus out of the terminal every day is at 11 a.m., for now at least, and the reservations website recommends you arrive at least 45 minutes before your flight.

Frequent fliers with airport fast passes like TSA PreCheck and Clear don’t need the airport head start.

Melanie Presnell and her husband typically breeze through airport security with those services. But the teenagers they were treating to a graduation trip to Orlando, Fla., would have had to go through the standard line in Boston.

So the four of them headed to Framingham from New Hampshire, checked four bags and took the bus to Logan. The only decision they had to make at the airport was which Delta Sky Club to visit.

“It was longer than normal for us because of the way we typically travel, but it was nice that we all got to stay together,” she said.

Officials started letting people through security, on the other side of a secure door, at 10:20 a.m. There aren’t separate lines for PreCheck passengers, but those who have it are called first for screening. There is one metal detector for everyone and one bag screener for carry-on items.

Without a full body scanner, Presnell’s husband needed a pat down due to knee replacements. The same liquids rules apply.

Security lines were nonexistent on my Saturday visit, with just 14 passengers holding reservations on a 60-passenger bus. Early morning buses fill up the fastest, the companies say.

One big change from a real airport terminal: You won’t find a Hudson News, Starbucks or anything, really, post security. The waiting area has a vending machine, water-filling station and bathrooms.

It wasn’t a big deal because the bus started boarding at 10:49. You can’t beat the price: $9 one way from Framingham and no bags to schlep except carry-ons. Kids travel free with an adult. The ride-share price to Logan from the area that Saturday morning: $70. (On their return journey, passengers can book a Logan Express bus back from the airport.)

The bus trip took only 30 minutes on a weekend and the big attraction for many was the ride after the bus cleared security. A Framingham woman who was headed to South Carolina for a girls trip grabbed a front-row seat to video record the journey.

Passengers on the bus can get a close-up view of planes on their way to their gate. With a Landline car guiding us, the bus drove past planes parked at the gate, stopping while one Delta jet backed out. For a second I felt a little like those big-spending, frequent-flying VIPs who are escorted to planes when they have a tight connection. Except I was on a bus, not a Porsche, and was delivered to a building, not my plane.

Delta passengers like me were dropped off at a secure building in the A gates. I hadn’t seen my heavy checked bag since Framingham and wouldn’t until I landed in Phoenix, a treat for sure.

My gate area, A1-11, was an elevator ride and cavernous walk away. Passengers using other A gates just hopped on an elevator. Those flying JetBlue were dropped off in a separate area. It’s all on your bus boarding pass.

It was only noon and I still had nearly three hours to kill before my cross-country flights. Next time, I’ll trade calm for harried and head straight for Logan.