BA or bust

When I flew into to BOS a couple of weeks ago our a/c sat on a taxiway for over half an hour waiting for a gate. This evening the 214 is going to leave about an hour late because of the same 'no gate available' on landing problem. And don't get me started on the shambles that is the 'fast track' security line that took about 40 mins and ended up slower than the ordinary one.

Have I just been very unlucky with these three unfortunate events or is BOS always such a shambles?

PS The rest of the area, Boston and beyond, has been great to visit but the airport really lets it down.

soy

While BOS has got exponentially busier in the past year with a host of new airlines and destinations, todays issues were weather related. There were some flash storms throughout the area this afternoon which wreaked havoc on transport networks.

BA or bust

Thanks soy, interestingly the very nice lady at the lounge door was saying that all of the new airlines have created a real strain on Terminal E and it is in dire need of expansion and more gates, because today's occurence is a regular problem.

PS They have also just announced that the later flight is also delayed due to lack of a gate.

BA6501

Does BA only have one gate in BOS (gate 7)? I thought all international BOS gates were common-use.

pennineuk

Mrs P and I had a similarly bad experience in late July on BA203 at BOS. We had to wait for a gate for about 20 minutes, then immigration was terrible. We had to queue in the corridor before immigration. All US passport holders were then let through to join the ESTA/USA combined queue using the machines, then everybody else. It took about 1.5 hours to go through immigration, plus the 20 minutes hold time. A real shambles.

I'd avoid BOS fore the time being.

gcuk

In the last month I've landed at LAX on an AA domestic flight and waited 45 minutes for a gate. At LHR we waited 40 mins for a gate on a long haul flight. Again at LHR on a short haul, we parked on a remote stand and waited 45 mins for steps. It happens.

corporate-wage-slave

I've had a couple of bad time there. I think the immigration hall area isn't so big, so what they do is queue people back in the corridor, or even not let them off the aircraft, much to the airlines' chagrin. So being a US citizen or even Global Entry doesn't spare you the difficulty (though if you explain very politely that you are GE they may let you through since that's not the pinch point). So I've had a couple of 30 minute waits there when it actually takes under 5 minutes there in normal time.

So yes the Terminal is overloaded at peak times. I think the early flight, BA213 is usually ok, and the late one BA239 (one of the last flights into North America which runs even if JFK's BA183 doesn't run) can get hit, even though it shouldn't, if there have been a build up of bad traffic during the day. It affects the crew too, to some degree. It's annoying since if you are on that service you're going to be typically very tired by the time of arrival.

But no, it's not always a shambles. Outside peak times and when irrops overload the system, BOS is fine.

GLA

I had a similar experience at BOS in November. Approx 20 mins wait for gate then immigration queuing in to the corridor.

In June, travelling with the family, it was thankfully much better.

I have never had any problems with the prority security line.

Kruisler

BOS is where I fly most to from LHR. I go there about 4 times a year, for the last 3 years roughly.
I have had a couple of bad times, once waiting for a gate, a couple more times a long queue to get through immigration (worst was 1h30!), although never seen the queue going into the corridor.
I now always take the first flight out of LHR (213) and first out of BOS (238) and I seldon get trouble, although 213 was delayed a coupel of hours last month due to the captain being ill and teh need to wait for a replacement..
The ESTA kiosks have made quite a big difference. The quickest I have done there from touch down to car rental is 30 mins. In january I got from touch down through past customs in barely 15 mins... then waited 45 mins for my suitcase...
Terminal E is just about one of the worst I use. The security is a real problem at busy times, Food choice is abysmal, hall is small..

GUWonder

Last year and this year, my slowest entry experiences at a U.S. port of entry as a U.S. citizen using Global Entry has been at BOS in the evening; and the time it took to get to the GE machines was well over thirty minutes on those occasions. As a GE kiosk user, I've never had these kind of delays at any other U.S. airport beside BOS.

This year and last, I've been stuck enough times in the corridor or on the way up to the corridor at BOS for long enough that I now try to avoid BOS for evening arrivals into the U.S.

aldaniti

Definitely more chaotic than usual....I was on the LHR-BOS BA203 last night.
We ended up about an hour delayed on takeoff, which some time was made up en route meaning we would be 30mins late but then we got put in a holding pattern around BOS which meant we landed around 50mins late, then it got bizarre as we sat waiting for a gate for 45+ mins.
The capt came on to explain the congestion due to local storms meaning that more planes were landing than taking off and that we had to sit and wait for an Aliitalia plane to unload and move off the gate.
Then there was the mayhem of the immigration hall with some ESTA booths seeming to be temperamental on the finger print recognition and the 'customer assistance' mixing lines of USA/ESTA.
Then there was the chaos in the luggage hall where the handlers were unloading the carousels to make belt space, meaning a free for all of where in the hall the luggage might be, plus the extra long queue to get out of customs.
By the time I got landslide I was around 2.5 hours late.
So be warned.

rjhcambs

Early Saturday morning flight to LHR from BOS in F. Check in was very quiet. Fast track security started Ok but then combined with the general queue so ended up taking about 15mins - not brilliant when terminal seemed so quiet. Very good cooked breakfast in lounge but a dismal walk downstairs to the lounge. Boarding control good, left on time and flight good but service on my side definitely better than on my OH's side.

DocWatson

Yes, I would avoid fast track at BOS from now on. It merges with the regular queue, but also has any latecomers put through its scanner by airport staff, plus mobility assistance passengers are also skipped to the head of the fast track queue. Last time I did it (April) I had a further 20 minute wait compared to someone who joined slow track at the same time. I was stubborn and wanted to see just how long it would take, otherwise I'd have done some tensabarrier ducking.

South London Bon Viveur

Sounds like Heathrow

Last time I flew to BOS it was on a very early AA service that got me in at around 13:00- it was deserted and I breezed through.

BillyBleach

I must be really lucky. BOS is my most frequent US destination (6-8 times a year). I hardly ever experience gate related delays.

My flight patterns are typically landing on a Sunday evening, and departing on a Thursday evening.