Changing Terminals at Boston

bebelbrug

Hi folks
I'm going to the US in April and I'm wandering about something

I've got a flight booked to JFK and I'll stay there one night just to get a flight to the west coast first thing in the morning.

My flight to JFK is via Boston and I've got an hour and a half between flights which seems a bit tight to me especially as I have to change terminals.

I'm just wandering, presumably I'll have to collect my bags at Boston anyway so I'm just thinking I might as well stay the night there rather than bother getting the flight to JFK

I hope that makes sense
any thoughts?

Fergus

jackieblack

Where are you flying from?
If you're going to have to clear immigration/customs I'd say there's a high probability that an hour and a half won't be long enough.
If you're pre-clearing (eg at Dublin) it should be fine (and your bags should be checked through to JFK)
https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/inside-the-airport/terminals

Is your flight to the west coast on a separate ticket?

scumsthorne

CBP issue wait time stats for arrivals

https://awt.cbp.gov

This is JUST for the Passport Control part, so add on baggage claim as well, changing terminal, possible flight delays etc etc.

Bogalot

Are you on a return ticket? If so, failure to present for the BOS-JFK leg could result in the rest of your ticket being cancelled. If you want to terminate your journey in BOS then book your ticket accordingly.

I've transitted BOS in an hour before, it's a pretty efficient airport. There's always the chance of delays but, unless you're on the last flight of the day, there are plenty of JFK flights to move you to.

Nick_C

If your flight to NYC via BOS is part of a longer itinerary on a single ticket, then if you don't fly the NYC - BOS leg you will probably find that the rest of your itinerary is cancelled.

I've flown into the US and onto connecting flights a couple of times recently, and would say 90 minutes is doable. If you miss the connection, the airline will move you to a later flight. I've not flown into BOS, but I know some hubs will fast track you through immigration if you have a tight connection.

If you are travelling on an ESTA and have visited the US since 2008, then you can use the new Kiosks to expedite border clearance.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/automated-passport-control-apc

Voyager2002

Happy wandering... and I WONDER whether you will make your connection.

agrinnall

bebelbrug wrote: »

I'm just wandering, presumably I'll have to collect my bags at Boston anyway so I'm just thinking I might as well stay the night there rather than bother getting the flight to JFK

Disregarding the possibility of the remaining flights being cancelled if you don't take the Boston - JFK flight, I'm puzzled at how you will get to JFK for the first thing in the morning flight to the west coast if you spend the night in Boston.

bebelbrug

thanks everyone

Bogalot wrote: »

Are you on a return ticket? If so, failure to present for the BOS-JFK leg could result in the rest of your ticket being cancelled

yeah that's what I'm worried about really

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Happy wandering... and I WONDER whether you will make your connection.

very good, I was wondering who'd be the first to spot that deliberate mistake

agrinnall wrote: »

Disregarding the possibility of the remaining flights being cancelled if you don't take the Boston - JFK flight, I'm puzzled at how you will get to JFK for the first thing in the morning flight to the west coast if you spend the night in Boston.

So if I thought I could get away without taking the Boston-JFK flight then I would just stay the night in Boston and fly from Boston to the west coast in the morning rather than fly from JFK, there's not much difference in price between the 2 options.


If my bags are going to be checked through to JFK (which I doubt considering I'll have to change terminals and go through customs at Boston) and if there's a risk that my return flights are cancelled if I don't show up for the Boston-JFK flight then it seems like it's maybe not worth the risk.

I was just hoping to save myself the unnecessary hassle and time of an additional flight, especially if it's a tight connection.

jackieblack

If you haven't already booked your tickets and there's not much difference in price, I'd just fly to the west coast from Boston. I don't see the benefit of faffing about with a connection to JFK.
If you've already booked, then you're just going to have to hope for the best and hope you can get on a later flight if you don't make the connection.
Even using the self service kiosk at Boston it took me well over an hour to do immigration/collect baggage/customs at BOS, and I was at the front of PE so was ahead of about 75% of the passengers getting off the plane.

agrinnall

The implication from your first post was that all the flights had already been booked (otherwise why would you have booked a flight from Boston to JFK?), but if that's not the case, or if you can switch the west coast flight to depart from Boston rather than JFK, then I think that would be the easiest option.

bebelbrug

agrinnall wrote: »

The implication from your first post was that all the flights had already been booked (otherwise why would you have booked a flight from Boston to JFK?), but if that's not the case, or if you can switch the west coast flight to depart from Boston rather than JFK, then I think that would be the easiest option.

Sorry if that was unclear, the only thing booked so far is a return flight to JFK which happens to involve changing at Boston on the way over (and washington on the way back but that's another story) it was a bit cheaper to do that than go directly to JFK