mg10461

Have to fly LGA to BOS. Want the least chance of delay (I know, it is LGA) and most comfortable coach. You guys are the experts, so I thought I would ask ! (No miles program)

garykung

No Acela Express?

ajeleonard

Whoever is cheapest for the time that works for you. There is not enough difference between them to justify anything else

mg10461

Thanks

oh_lol

Will you already be at LGA (just landed?).
If not, Amtrak is much cheaper and just as fast once you take into account getting to/from the airport, security etc.

will2288

Since B6 started flying the route, prices have come way down. Advance purchase fares have been very low, but the flights do seem to sell out more often, and the last minute fares can be very high.

For example, tomorrow AA has 15 flights that all cost $99, while the cheapest Acela is $138.

Cloudship

Are you in Boston already, or will you need to get into the city first? And, is price an issue?

IF it is easy for you to get to South Station, AND you don't mid the price premium, take Acela. It is more comfortable and delivers you right into Midtown. Problem is that South Station sucks if you have to drive into the city - no cheap, easy parking.

It is such a short flight that there is not much difference with airlines. Personally I like JetBlue - you at least get a drink and package of chips or cookies. They seem decent enough with on-time performance considering it is Laguardia and things always get delayed.

Actually I find I prefer to go to JFK. It is a little further out, but if I am going to midtown, it is cheaper and pretty easy to take the airtrain to Jamaica Station and grab the LIRR in. From LaGuardia you NEED to take a taxi or Uber/Lyft, and that is a huge mess right now.

GadgetFreak

Probably my answer as well. I think unless you live close to LGA the travel time is probably comparable on the Acela and way more comfortable. It's almost a no-brainer from NYC to Washington at 2:45 on a fast Acela. It's a bit longer to Boston so a bit less obvious to do the Acela. But the Acela is way more comfortable and has free WiFi on board. I seldom fly between NYC and either WAS or BOS any more.

If you insist on flying the Delta and AA shuttles are pretty comparable. One leaves on the hour and one on the half hour as I recall. Take whichever one works best with your schedule.

guv1976

Taking the AirTrain and LIRR from JFK to Manhattan is certainly not cheaper -- and might not even be faster -- than taking the Q70 Limited bus from LGA to either the Roosevelt Avenue/Jackson Heights subway stop, or the Woodside LIRR station, and then taking the subway or railroad into Manhattan. The only wild card right now is how badly the LGA construction is affecting the performance of the Q70 Limited. Perhaps some other FTers can weigh in about that.
​

Cloudship

But the AirTrain and LIRR is a lot easier to deal with luggage on than dealing with a bus.

Often1

OP didn't say he was looking for the cheapest alternative, he said he was looking for least chance of delay and some comfort.

The Acela will be neither cheaper nor faster unless you hit the time just right. While that is through on the micro-hop to DCA, the BOS trip takes longer.

I would not fuss much between DL, AA, and B6. The flight is so short and the service so limited, that there is not much to be gained by one over the other. If everything else were exactly equal, I would choose AA, just because it has better backup and is more likely to swipe an aircraft from another service to service this hop.

garykung

I agree Acela isn't cheap. Using today as example, AA is $99 for LGA-BOS and Amtrak is $206 for NYP-BOS ($107 difference).

However, Acela indeed has the least chance of delay. Its seats, although not coach (there is no coach), can arguably be considered better than coach from any airlines.

Many of OP's travel detail is not known. However, when the conditions are met, Acela may be a better choice than flying.

I won't opt that out just yet.

mg10461

Thanks all ! I actually live like 5 in from LGA so for me getting to the airport is much quicker than getting into Manhattan and taking the train. I am going to have to be going to Boston pretty often now so I thought I would start off with the airline that was the best , but it seem that the consensus is that there isn't a ton of difference.

It is for business so they pay ground transport and the flight so cost isn't a huge issue.


Thanks very much for the informative and super helpful replies

MSPeconomist

I'd vote for DL.

However, be aware that DL and AA no longer interline, so you cannot be rebooked from one to the other during IROPs.

mg10461

P.S. I feel like I should apologize to the world for how horrible LGA is.