2p2play/Shutterstock There isn't a single person who earnestly enjoys waiting in line at an airport security checkpoint. The agonizingly frustrating experience was ramped up to a new level this year when TSA agents went unpaid during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. However, one airport is letting passengers go through security before they even reach the terminal. Boston Logan International Airport announced a new pilot program on Monday that will let some passengers be screened at a remote location 22 miles away. Remote check-in terminals aren't new for major airports, but they are largely Jet Age relics in the United States. Massport is opening a new facility a half-mile away from its Framingham, Massachusetts park-and-ride terminal for Logan Express, its airport shuttle bus service. This new facility will allow Delta Air Lines and JetBlue passengers to clear airport security and take a bus directly to the airside gate at the airport. According to NBC10 Boston, the operation at the remote will mirror exactly what you would see at Boston Logan. Flyers will be able to check their bags at the remote site before heading through security. And yes, TSA is staffing the Framingham checkpoint. PreCheck will also be accepted at the remote location. The pilot is scheduled to launch June 1 and conclude at the end of August. Remote airport terminals are relics of the Jet Age Transpoman / Wikimedia Commons The heyday for remote airport terminals was arguably during the 1960s. Midtown Manhattan hosted three different terminals near the Lincoln and Midtown Tunnels, where passengers would be shuttled to LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Airports. Airlines let passengers purchase tickets and check baggage in the heart of the Big Apple before boarding a bus bound for an airport. However, all three were shuttered by the mid-1980s. According to a 1981 USDOT report, carriers no longer felt that hosting duplicate services at the airport and in a city center was worth the added cost. An increasing number of trips to the airport were originating in the suburbs rather than in the city proper. Airport expansion was the final nail in the coffin, as terminals had ample capacity to handle all passenger traffic. The current state of international airports is starting to mirror the early Jet Age. Airports in major American cities are struggling to handle record demand, as roadways around the facilities are often clogged with traffic. Anything to get people off the roads and reduce crowding at security checkpoints would be welcomed by frequent flyers. Last month, LAX finally began testing SkyLink, its automated people mover. However, there isn't an opening day in sight for the $5.5-billion system, as public use will require 30 days of uninterrupted properly functioning testing.
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