Logan Airport Uber, Lyft changes rolling out

Logan Airport has started phasing in its long-anticipated pickup and fee changes for app-hail car services such as Uber and Lyft.

Starting Monday, October 28, passengers arriving at Terminals A and C will be picked up in the Central Parking garage location that in turn connects to all terminals, according to an announcement from the Massachusetts Port Authority, Logan’s owner and operator.

Terminal A services Delta and West Jet, and Terminal C services JetBlue, Aer Lingus, Silver Airways, Cape Air, and TAP Portugal (departures only). Passengers departing from Terminals A and C can still be dropped off at the terminal curb, and passengers arriving at terminals B and E will continue to use curb-side pickup—for now.

Starting Monday, November 4, all app-hail pickups for passengers arriving at Terminals B and E will move to Central Parking as well. Terminal B serves American Airlines, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and Boutique Air; and Terminal E serves all international airlines and all international arrivals.

A week later, on November 11, all app-hail drop-offs from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. will move to the lower-level terminal curbs, according to Massport; and, on December 9, all app-hail drop-offs not between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. move to Central Parking. A new $3.25 per ride drop-off fee and a discounted $1.50 drop-off fee for carpoolers are also taking effect December 9.

Massport has released a handy guide for app-hail users on the changes.

All of the moves are designed to cut down on traffic congestion at New England’s busiest transportation hub, according to Massport officials. Uber, Lyft, et al account for the vast majority of for-hire drop-offs and pickups, with conventional taxis maybe accounting for 5 percent of the total anymore.

What’s more, Logan’s airline passenger volume has increased by 10 million—or more than 30 percent—in just the past five years; and it’s expected to top 47.6 million annually by 2024, which would represent a 17 percent increase over 2018.

“As a robust economy continues to drive Logan Airport passenger growth, we need to move ride-app operations to the new centralized location to help alleviate congestion on our roadways, the tunnels, and in the surrounding communities,” Massport CEO Lisa Wieland said in a statement. “We want to provide a better experience for all of our customers, and we think this plan achieves that goal.”