2 Hour BOS connection, International to domestic
 

Curious on your thoughts of this connection. I will be arriving 6:05pm on Icelandair (Terminal E) and then connecting to a Delta flight scheduled for 7:55pm (Terminal A). For reference I will be carry on luggage only, and I have global entry and therefore also precheck...

Bad idea? It's also MLK day if that matters.

With carry on only, global entry, and pre-check I think you'd be fine. If this was on my return leg I would book it.

Just to be clear, this is on one ticket?

If so, and you misconnect due to a late arrival, you are covered by EC 261/2004 both as to delay compensation (if applicable) and as to the duty of care for hotel and meals, presuming an overnight.

Separate tickets. Yeah since its on my return leg I think I am just going to book it, I will take the risk.

Thanks for the help

Another consideration is whether the DL flight is the last flight of the night to your final destination. If so, this itinerary is pretty risk. A relatively short 30-45 minute delay would jeopardize that connection.

I'm guessing this is two tickets, as FI and DL don't generally partner with each other. If so, I'd say you can make it, but I'd advise a later flight out of BOS or a different connection entirely. 1 hour 50 minutes is enough time but not a ton of time to get through CBP and get over to A, and if your FI flight is late, DL isn't going to help you with hotel, etc. They will likely put you on the next flight with seats available, but nothing more.

It is more than enough time. With global entry you will be off the plane and on your way to A in less than 15 minutes. If you have Clear you can get thru security in A quickly and with Tsa pre I would be shocked if it took you over ten minutes to get thru security. You will know before you take off if there is any danger of missing your flight. I would highly recommend that you walk between the terminals. It is well marked and a quick walk the bus can be a little unpredictable

It’s been a few years, but I did do a I—> D connection at BOS a number of years back on LHR-BOS-MCO. Difference was this was all a DL itinerary. I had about 2 hours of transfer time originally, however LHR-BOS was about 30’ late. I was in C+ (EC at the time) and barely made the connection. By the time I rechecked my luggage, recleared security, and walked from E to A, I arrived at the gate mid way through Y boarding and walked right on.

If everything is on time you should have no problem, if there is any kind of delay on your IceAir flight though, you may have issues, especially being on separate tickets. No checked luggage is definitely helpful, so it really comes down to whether or not that first flight is on time. If you’re willing to risk possibly having to change/rebook your connecting flight, then no worries.

I've done this exact connection twice: RDU-BOS-KEF-BOS-RDU. The domestic legs on DL, the BOS-KEF on FI. Nearly two hours is plenty, but I'd avoid booking the last flight out of BOS to my final destination.

If you like, you can add some data to your question by checking out Immigration wait times at Logan:

https://awt.cbp.gov/

Be sure to check on the day of week you are arriving. As you'll see, there are busy periods at Logan Immigration and some not so busy periods.

+1

My concern is more that a 7:55pm departure sounds like last flight of the night to wherever OP is headed. So while 2 hours is sufficient with global entry and not having to check a bag, if the iceland flight is late then it could get ugly. If it is last flight, then there is no SDC opportunity and it could mean a change fee and fare increase to flight the next morning. Of course you might get a sympathetic agent who will waive the fee, but you might still end up paying fare difference.

OTOH, OP might not have much choice if it's the last flight of the day. Of course it would be safer to book a later flight, even if it's a connection, but I'm not sure I would book something for the next day plus a hotel room for additional cost versus taking the risk. If OP arrives too late for the DL flight, IIRC the "flat tire rule" (which might not really be a rule) should allow free rebooking on something for the next day if space if available. For this, it's apparently important to present oneself to an airport agent that day, IIRC within two hours of departure time for the missed flight, so OP shouldn't just go off to a hotel or attempt to rebook by phone.

Bottom line is that OP is not connecting at BOS, he is on separate tickets and thus bears 100% of the risk of a no show. If he no shows, his ticket will be cancelled and will retain whatever value it retains under its fare rules and whatever else can be salvaged by a tolerant DL agent. But, the cost of the hotel, food, and a new ticket at walk up prices are 100% OP's.

This is not a question of whether a connection is doable because it is. Rather, it is a question of whether the risk is one OP can tolerate if there is a delay. That is a personal matter for OP to consider.