city guides: boston

Logan International Airport is undergoing a $4.4 billion modernization project to address structural enhancements and airside efficiency. Phase one, now complete, included a new two-tier roadway for separate arrivals and departures, and several elevated walkways between terminals and parking garages. Ongoing improvements to Terminal E include linking the ground and second floors, enlarging the lobby and ticketing areas to reduce processing times, and constructing a new second-level departures roadway to lessen congestion. A brand-spanking-new Terminal A is currently under construction and expected to open in 2005.

Logan has five runways, but they are often beset by winds and inclement weather, resulting in the airport's status as the sixth most delay-prone airport in the U.S. It has five passenger terminals, A through E, each with its own ticketing, baggage claim and ground transportation. Each terminal has a selection of restaurants, shops and newsstands.

A taxi from the airport to the downtown Long Wharf area costs about $15—including the meter rate, the $1.50 Logan departure fee and $4.50 tunnel fee. A ride to Copley Square costs about $20. There is complimentary shuttle service between airline terminals and the blue line of the T (local nickname for the subway), as well as a water taxi that runs to Long Wharf for $10.