BOS E-Terminal becoming overcrowded
 

Arrived last Sunday on a flight from Europe. Arrived at around 6 PM. Never seen so many people at immigration. And it not even is high season.
Seems to me, due to the addition of numerous new TATL and TPAC flights over the last few years, too many people are now "dumped" onto Terminal-E immigration that is not able to handle it. Terminal capacity growth has not kept up with arrivals growth.

Is this going to be addressed by terminal expansion, or is it just going to get worse?
I think I am considering either arriving much earlier next time, or connect somewhere else in the US and arrive domestically at BOS.

It's just going to get worse. Even if they expand the terminal, that won't be done for years. I'm pretty sure they already opened up the immigration hall in the last few years to the limits of the existing space.

The best advice I have is to get Global Entry (or Nexus) if you don't already have it, and if you have the ability, arrive on a later flight. Returning from Europe, I've had better luck around 8pm (I didn't pick that time on purpose, I just happened to like the later departure on LX 52, since it meant I didn't have to wake up super early to connect in ZRH on the way out).

Was every desk open? I.e. it's a physical limitation rather than an operational choice by CBP.

It's only going to get worse with new flights to Düsseldorf, Cologne, Manchester, Lisbon and Copenhagen this summer.

There are two expansions planned. The first one is already in process, at the western end of the terminal. I think this expansion is designed to allow for an A380 and perhaps also add a gate or two - I'm not certain. This expansion should be completed in the next year or so. You can see the steel girders being erected as we speak.

There is a second, much larger expansion also planned for Terminal E. This expansion will extend the terminal much farther to the west, all the way to the Delta hangar. This expansion will add multiple gates, expand the customs/immigration area, add an international lounge or two, etc., etc. I think this expansion is targeted for completion around 2020. Until then, we are unfortunately stuck with the congestion we've got.

This is what they get for not a second immigration facility in Terminal A when they had the chance. DL wanted them to do it when they built the terminal in 2005, but CBP didn't want to staff two checkpoints. That said, as I understand it, there's still room down there in the bowels of A if they want to build it out.

Back directly to the OP's post, Global Entry pays for itself at Logan. Easily.

The immigration hall at Terminal E was expanded a number of years ago. Prior to the expansion -- and this was before Global Entry had been introduced -- it was not uncommon for passengers on inbound international flights to be held inside the arriving aircraft (I was once held on the aircraft for 45 minutes) until there was enough room for them in the building. Global Entry certainly must help, but I guess it's possible that they would have to do this again. That said, MassPort has pushed hard for an expansion of international operations at Logan, with some success, so I imagine that they're aware of and will address any issues.

Arrived yesterday around 1:30 pm. It felt like we were the only arrival at immigration. I looked at my watch, and I was walking off the plane at 1:45pm, and I was in a cab on my way home at 2pm (didn't check any bags :)).

For US citizens they also had those fancy new electronic kiosks that asked you the customs questions digitally (instead of the paper form, even though BA still had us fill the paper forms out) and then scanned your passport and took your picture, before you went to the immigration officer.

Here is the Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Terminal E expansion:

http://www.massport.com/media/410161...R_COMPILED.pdf

You need to dig through it a little bit, but there is a lot of good detail in here about what they are planning for Terminal E and why.