"Arrive 2 hours early" is the standard advice — but the actual answer depends on the terminal, the time, the season, and whether you have PreCheck. Here's the practical breakdown for Logan.

Baseline by flight type

  • Domestic, carry-on only, with PreCheck: 75-90 minutes before departure
  • Domestic, checked bag, no PreCheck: 90-120 minutes
  • International (Terminal E): 2.5-3 hours
  • International to destinations requiring additional screening (UK, some Middle East, etc.): 3 hours

When Logan security gets ugly

Logan's TSA wait times spike dramatically during a few predictable windows:

  • Monday 5-7 AM — business travel rush, all terminals
  • Friday 3-6 PM — end-of-week business return + leisure weekend
  • Holiday travel — Thanksgiving Wednesday, day before Christmas, first day of school vacations
  • Sunday evening — weekend leisure return

During these windows, add 20-30 minutes to your buffer even with PreCheck.

Terminal-specific notes

Terminal B (JetBlue, American): Often the busiest. The TSA line can snake through the entire terminal at peak. Arrive extra-early for JetBlue morning flights.

Terminal A (Delta): Generally moves quickly. Delta's dedicated Sky Priority line helps if you're a Diamond Medallion or flying premium cabin.

Terminal E (International): The longest baseline TSA lines plus international check-in and documentation checks. Always plan 2.5-3 hours.

PreCheck, Clear, and Global Entry

If you fly more than twice a year, TSA PreCheck ($78 for 5 years) pays for itself immediately. Clear ($189/year) adds another layer — you skip straight to the front of the PreCheck line. For international, Global Entry ($120 for 5 years) includes PreCheck and cuts customs re-entry to minutes.

Getting to Logan on time

Traffic to Logan from downtown Boston is usually 15-25 minutes outside rush hours, but 45+ minutes during morning and evening rush. The Sumner and Callahan Tunnel tolls ($2.05 EZ-Pass, $2.80 cash-by-plate) and the Ted Williams Tunnel all funnel airport traffic.

A professional car service monitors real-time traffic and routes via the fastest tunnel for your departure time. If you're coming from the South Shore, the Ted Williams is almost always faster. From the north, the Sumner. During peak, both are slow — the only solution is leaving earlier.

The 10-minute rule

Here's our dispatchers' practical rule of thumb: if there's any chance of hitting the "arrive 45 minutes before departure" cutoff for bag-check at Logan, build in at least a 10-minute buffer. Missing the cutoff by 2 minutes costs you the flight, a rebooking fee, and often a day.