I recently took a trip out of New England {gasp!} and flew out of and into Logan Airport. I thought I'd share some of my observations.

Departing From Logan Airport

I chose to use public transportation to get to Logan Airport. Everything ran very smoothly. I took a commuter train (purple line) to North Station where I picked up the T (subway) to the Airport stop off the Blue line. At that stop there are free shuttles to Logan Airport that drop you off at each terminal. Of course, you will want to know which terminal you want to go to. Once you know that, there are signs at the T stop to help you figure out which shuttle to take. On the shuttles, they announce the names of the airlines at each stop. I found this to be really helpful.

Now, you really should check in about 2 hours ahead of your flight. All the flights I took left the gate on time. They didn't wait for anyone. You will need to go through at least one security screening depending on the airline you take. If you are using a smaller carrier, you will have almost no wait until about an hour before the flight takes off. If you are on a major carrier, the lines are generally quite long.

At the security check, be prepared to show a picture ID and your boarding pass. Yes, they look at these very carefully. Also, you may have your shoes scanned so expect to take them off. Once you are cleared through the security checks you can sit down and wait for your plane to board. I brought a book to read and some snacks to eat. The prices for food at airports is very high. I've paid as much as $2 for a bottle of water. If you want to get something to eat or drink you'll want to do this before you go through security as the only thing I found in my waiting area was a couple of vending machines.

At the gate I was waiting at there were no bathrooms to use. Keep this in mind. If you have to leave the secured gate area, be sure to bring your picture ID and boarding pass with you along with your carry-on luggage. If you are traveling with someone else, you can leave your carry-on with them. I did have to go the bathroom about 30 minutes before my flight left. Figures, huh? So I left my carry-on with my husband and brought my boarding pass and picture ID with me to the ladies room. Doing this meant I had to clear security once again. Of course, the line was really long and I had a twenty minute wait ahead of me.

Arriving At Logan Airport

If you take a smaller carrier, be mindful as to which terminal the airline drops you at. If it isn't their main terminal at Logan Airport, your ride may not be able to find you. My husband and I got dropped off at Terminal D, but Terminal B was our carrier's main terminal. My friend who drove in to pick us up couldn't find us. She called the airline several times and confirmed that our flight has landed and that we were on the flight. They never volunteered the information that we were waiting for her at another terminal. My friend even asked the concierge at Terminal B about where we could be and he didn't offer to alternate terminal information either. Eventually, I left my husband with our bags at Terminal D and went over the Terminal B to find my friend. I spoke with the same concierge who did know that the airline we took did occasionally drop its passengers at Terminal D and there was someone looking for "Jeanne Daigle" about half an hour ago. So I waited outside on the curb and in about twenty minutes she came buzzing through again. We were both pretty shaken up since we couldn't seem to find each other. Neither of us had encountered this situation before and we've flown many times. Moral of this story is to carry a cell phone or calling card and let your ride know which terminal to pick you up at.