Swiss International Airlines - BOS - third world airport

Have just come back from BOS. I don't think I've seen such a miserable airport in a really long time. The departure lounge makes even LTN look like a 5 star resort. There is absolutely nothing to do. The only food outlet had long lines.
The Business lounge reminded me of NBO. For heaven's sake LH and LX ought to be able to do better than that. You know how many C seats there are in your planes. There are LH and LX flights, so multiply by 2 and provide at least that amount of seating space. And the whole place was really dingy, with no attempt being made to clean up used glasses and cups.
On a positive note, check-in was quick as was security, with no lines.
Immigration was poor with continuous shutting down of desks, so that when I got to a desk, there were only 3 non-US desks open with at least 2 long hauls to service.

Ahhh the joys of Logan. It's a hell of a lot better than Lenate. I was just in the BA lounge a few weeks ago and had no issues with it. Terminal E is relatively new and in very good shape. I will have to agree with you WRT immigration. My BA 777 landed at the same time as a flight from the Caribbean and there were only three lines open. One for non US. One for US. One that changed from non US to US. That sucked.

Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion, but I must disagree with most of what you said. Overall, I enjoy flying out of BOS, especially terminal E (the international terminal which hosts LH/LX).

When I am departing, I greatly prefer a small terminal which can be quickly moved through to a mega-hub requiring train rides, etc. A hub often offers better lounges which is nice for a long connection, but when departing from a smaller terminal early arrivals are not really necessary.

In regards to 'things to do' I would be curious to know what other airports have that terminal E does not, or what you like them to have. And to set the record straight, there is certainly not only one food outlet. Landside: 1 full restaurant with bar, one bar, Dunkin Donuts (fun fact: BOS has 13 of them in all), 2 stores. Airside: 1 full restaurant with bar, food court with 6ish options, coffee stand, 4-5 stores and (I think) 5 lounges.

The LH/LX lounge is less than 1 year old with two seperate rooms, Business and Senator. I recently stayed in the SEN part and checked out the business lounge, as well. As everything is new it was quite nice, but I agree nothing special. The only other LH lounges I have seen are the MUC FCL, so I can't compare it to other LH lounges, but I have seen far worse pictures of the NBO lounge so I think that comparison is a bit hyperbolic. The biggest drawback for me is the lack of windows. But being 1-2 minutes from the gate is a plus (compare that to flying BA out of LHR and going from CCR to C gates, etc.) Usually LH/LX has three flights (FRA/MUC/ZRH in that order, well spaced throughout the day. 2 times a day to FRA in peak season). Assuming no delays, only one flight should be in the lounges at a time, perhaps there was a delay when you flew? I would agree that the attendant should be able to quickly clear out the glasses, etc; so no disagreement there.

Customs times can certainly vary a great deal. I have been through customs within minutes sometimes, but that is not the norm. I have picked people up there and it has taken over an hour, and foreigners often wait longer. The unpredictability can be frustrating.

A big drawback to BOS I will point out is connecting to a different terminal is not easy. (I have always lived near Boston so have never done it myself but) it involves a bus ride and/or rather long walks. Driving through the mazes of roads can be challenging to all but the most experienced of BOS flyers. $27/day parking isn't fun either.


I would be curious to see what others think of BOS, especially terminal E.

I used BOS last year, flew in on the late BA flight from LHR. Walked straight up to an immigration desk where a friendly officer welcomed me to the US.

Must admit I was surprised at the fairly limited facilities available in the AA terminal the next morning, but once parked in the Admirals Club all was well.

Granted I haven't been to NBO in over 20 years so it might have got better, but it's certainly not my experience!

"straight up to the immigration desk"
"friendly officer"

I am sure you have used up all your luck this year:D

Boston is a rathole, but so is ORD, IAD, MIA, LAX especially TBI terminal. I like the OP's analogy with NBO :) It hits the nail on the head.
The only civilised way of airtravel in the US are private jets ( which I am not able to afford/justify )

I haven't used BOS for an international flight since I used to live there years ago, but I use Terminal E a fair amount to fly MDW-BOS-MDW on Southwest. The international part of E is definitely a little cramped during peak periods, and I've been very surprised that Southwest hasn't cut a deal with one of the narrow-body flying internationals to use one of Southwest's five gates over in the E1 complex (the old D terminal gates) during the evening international peak.

But for a developing country feel, you really need to go to LGA's domestic gates for AA, or the F concourse at ORD.

After standing in line for 80 min last week at JFK T1, I must say BOS is niiice. I think Terminal E is great in the sense that you show up about 90 min before departure, kill some time and board. Last year I spent 3 hours waiting for my LH MUC departure and that was terrible, even after reading all the material I could find in the contract lounge since they were renovating the LH lounge.