Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has officially launched its highly anticipated service between Abu Dhabi and Boston. This exciting new route strengthens ties between the two vibrant cities, offering passengers a world-class travel experience and unlocking a wealth of cultural and historical exploration opportunities. Celebrating a New Era of Connectivity: Inaugural Flight Takes Off On Sunday, Etihad's inaugural flight, EY147, touched down for the first time in Boston, marking a momentous occasion. Passengers witnessed joyous celebrations at both Abu Dhabi Airport before departure and upon arrival in Massachusetts. Etihad's esteemed captains waved UAE and US flags from the cockpit, symbolizing the start of the carrier's fourth non-stop service to the United States. Etihad Airways Takes Flight A Seamless Travel Experience Awaits The new service operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, utilizing a state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. This modern aircraft boasts Etihad's acclaimed Business Studios, offering luxurious comfort and unparalleled service for discerning travelers. In addition, Economy Smart seats provide exceptional value, featuring top-notch amenities like: In-flight entertainment systems: Stay entertained throughout your journey with a vast selection of movies, TV shows, games, and music. In-seat power: Keep your devices charged and stay connected during your entire flight. In-flight Wi-Fi connectivity: Stay productive or connected with loved ones by accessing Wi-Fi services onboard. This combination of modern amenities, world-class service, and Etihad's renowned hospitality ensures a comfortable and enjoyable journey for all passengers. Etihad's CEO Expresses Excitement About the New Route Etihad's Chief Executive Officer, Antonoaldo Neves, enthusiastically stated, "We are thrilled to inaugurate flights to Boston, further extending our reach across the United States and enhancing connectivity for travelers." Mr. Neves further elaborated on the significance of this new route: Expanding Horizons: This route broadens Etihad's US network, offering travelers convenient access to both the allure of Abu Dhabi and Dubai from the American Northeast. Exceptional Travel Experiences: Etihad remains committed to exceeding passenger expectations by providing exceptional travel experiences and fostering global connections. Strategic Connections: The new route caters to both business and leisure travelers, offering convenient connections to Etihad's expanding network across the Middle East and 11 routes throughout India. Welcoming Etihad to Boston Ed Freni, Massport Interim CEO and Aviation Director, expressed his delight at welcoming Etihad Airways to Boston Logan International Airport. He emphasized the importance of this new route as it provides: Key Connection: This route establishes a vital link between Boston and the UAE, offering New Englanders a wider range of travel options when planning trips to the Middle East and beyond. Enhanced Accessibility: This new flight enhances traveler options, making it easier to reach exciting destinations in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Unveiling the Cultural Tapestry of Boston Beyond convenience and connectivity, this new route opens doors to a vibrant cultural exchange. Boston, renowned for its rich history, diverse culinary scene, and charming neighborhoods, offers an enriching experience for Abu Dhabi residents seeking cultural immersion. Visitors can explore iconic landmarks, indulge in culinary delights, and experience the warm hospitality of Boston's residents. Strengthening Ties Beyond Travel The addition of Boston to Etihad's network goes beyond just offering a new travel option. It signifies the profound cultural and educational ties that connect Abu Dhabi and Boston. Generations of Emiratis hold Boston in high regard, with many having pursued their education at its prestigious universities. Furthermore, significant investments in the healthcare and education sectors have fostered enduring collaborations, driving progress and innovation in both regions. This new route further strengthens these ties and promotes continued cultural exchange. Partnering for Seamless Travel Across North America Etihad's strategic partnership with JetBlue ensures convenient connections to numerous cities across North America. This collaboration unlocks a world of possibilities for travelers seeking to explore various destinations beyond Boston on the North American continent.

Boston’s Logan Airport not ‘appropriate place’ to house displaced migrants, Massport CEO says Trendynewsbro

About 20 to 25 migrants are arriving daily at Boston’s Logan Airport, the head of the airport operator said Friday, with some seen camping out temporarily in baggage claim and elsewhere before trying to find a spot in the state’s overburdened shelter system. But Massport interim CEO Ed Freni told reporters that the airport is “not an appropriate place” for migrants to stay, even as some were seen…

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BOLIVIA 🆚 COLOMBIA - 15 de junio en USA!!⚽

Not me crying over this massport jets story

A quiet neighborhood up to the 1960s, East Boston too had been roused by a populist movement marshaled to defend against powerful outside forces. The defense of East Boston turf had been going on well before 1974, not against desegregation but against the Massachusetts Port Authority (MPA) and nearby, expanding Logan Airport. The community had been fighting battles against airport noise, air pollution, and truck traffic, and already had lost three parks comprising seventy acres of recreational space as well as over one thousand units of housing. In September 1968 some six hundred heavy trucks a day began pounding through Maverick Street, “an old, densely populated street lined with homes,” to and from the airport. This sparked a spontaneous protest, and grandmothers and housewives with baby carriages barricaded the street. State police cleared the roadblock, but by early October the governor and mayor announced the trucks would use an alternate route.

East Bostonians then joined a new organization—The Greater Boston Coalition (GBC)—to lobby to stop highway expansion. Massport renewed its efforts in East Boston in February 1969, but after an April “surprise attack” by the MPA on one tree-lined street, residents pulled down a construction fence and their state representative, George DiLorenzo, got himself arrested. That night 250 residents met and cheered every mention of civil disobedience. The latter soon took the form of activists using their cars to slow traffic to a crawl on arteries leading to the congested airport. While the GBC eventually won its struggle to arrest highway construction, Eastie’s wars with Logan continued into the 1970s.

The veterans of wars with Massport and highways did not move over wholesale into antibusing. One of them, for example, Monsignor Mimie B. Pitaro, initially led a fight against the patronage-ridden administration of the federal poverty program in East Boston. His devotion to the neighborhood and enthusiasm in the struggle against Massport led local citizens to elect him to the state legislature in 1970, the first Catholic priest ever so honored in the state’s history. But Pitaro refused to vote against the Racial Imbalance Act, which led to his defeat for reelection in 1972.

Busing created a deep split in East Boston. Some of Pitaro’s former allies worked to implement the court orders or distanced themselves from militant antibusers. Some were antibusing and the Massport-highway wars had toughened them: “Anyone who is still living here after the loss of Wood Island Park, noise of Logan Airport, and the smells from the oil tanks and large trucks,” wrote one mother to Judge Garrity, “is never going [to move or to bus]. As a life-long resident you will not tell me what to do with my children.” Already East Bostonians had joined demonstrations against the Racial Imbalance Act and the district had voted heavily for hard-liners on the school committee.

— Ronald P. Formisano, Boston Against Busing (1991)

I’m having a bit of a “Karen” moment. Last night I had a bad experience with a Lyft driver, and today I had an equally bad experience with Lyft themselves. Here’s my story.

Background

My daughter and I had to endure a rather hellish trip to Madison, Wisconsin on Friday continuing into Saturday. Yes, the “continuing into” part of what made it hellish, but I already wrote about that. None of this had anything to do with Lyft, and I don’t even find fault with the United folks who were involved - the customer service folks were actually impressive as hell - but it left us a bit travel-weary even before we began the trip back yesterday. In addition, my daughter seems to have picked up a cold - perhaps flu, almost certainly not COVID - despite all of our precautions, so she was a pretty unhappy camper. Naturally, that put me a bit on edge too.

Real Life Events

So we get to Logan (Boston) terminal B pretty much on time, pick up our bags, and I set about getting us a ride. Seemed to take a bit longer than usual before I got details on a driver, but OK. Eventually I see that “Rita” - not her name but a bad character from iZombie - has accepted our ride request. She’s already at the airport, a mere three minutes away. Cool. Unfortunately, Massport - the agency that controls Logan - doesn’t allow curbside pickup. Off we go, following the confusing signage (it was better once BTW) to the designated ride-share pickup area. This is outside, on level 2, in what used to be a parking area between the two halves of terminal B.

But wait ... Rita’s not three minutes away after all. She’s 17 minutes away now. She’s “finishing a ride” which seems to be taking her all the way to the Seaport district on the other side of the Ted Williams tunnel. Weird. OTOH, I also see that she’s a “top driver” so I don’t suspect beyond a glitchy app yet. We’ll get back to these points later. Meanwhile, we wait.

OK, so Rita has come back from the Seaport district and ... is circling the terminal. At least twice, I think three times. I’m just beginning to get annoyed now. Twenty minutes in the cold with a sick daughter will do that to a guy. Then I get the “Rita is here” notification. No she fucking isn’t. There are about a half-dozen cars in the pickup area, and none of them come close to matching. Huh? At this point I hit the “contact driver” button, which starts a text chat.

me: Where are you?

her: United departures.

me: OK, coming down from the *ride share pickup* area.

As I said, Massport has rules about these things, so she was in the wrong place. Nonetheless, we start walking toward United departures. Dear daughter is getting visibly fatigued by all of this moving around, but she’s bearing it really well.

Lyft app: Your driver, Harold [again not his real name] will be here in five minutes.

Yep. After making us wait in the cold for twenty minutes and then showing up at the wrong place, she bailed on us. I was livid. Fortunately, Harold really was there in five minutes and was totally cool, so we got home without further incident.

Online Events

This morning I was still a bit mad, so I tried to report Rita’s behavior. First I try help within the app, but can’t find an option that lets me report what actually happened.

Most reporting options (e.g. “Unpleasant Experience”) require that you select a ride .. but we didn’t actually get a ride from Rita. That’s kind of the whole problem, innit?

The only reporting option that doesn’t seem to require a ride is “Safety Problem or Accident” but this was neither of those.

There’s no “none of the above” option, or phone/email, or text chat.

This kind of “make reporting difficult” chicanery is a common dark pattern nowadays, especially in the "gig economy” which is all about fee maximization and cost reduction for the company itself. So I decide to try email instead, and send them basically the same account you see above. Immediately there’s an auto-reply that [email protected] is no longer maintained. Grrr.

At this point I’m starting to get as annoyed at Lyft as I was with Rita. There’s one more option to try. Like many others, I discovered a while ago that getting a company’s attention on Twitter was often more effective than using “normal” channels. Might be the only thing that site’s still good for. Anyway, I decide to give it a try.

Unfortunately, all I’ve gotten from them so far is a runaround - suggesting things I had already tried (and said I’d tried) in the app, asking me to doxx Rita on a global site (nope), etc. There’s still a tiny glimmer of hope, but no more. UPDATE: as I was writing this, I got a long apology from them on Twitter, and a $5 coupon.

Analysis

First, yes, I know I probably shouldn’t have been using Lyft anyway. “At least we’re not Uber” was never a particularly strong identity, from either a rider or driver perspective, and now we see that it’s not even an accurate statement. Definitely planning to go back to using regular cabs, who mostly have apps providing an equivalent experience by now and also take driver misconduct seriously.

Second, I probably should have known to cancel and re-book the ride as soon as I saw “17 minutes” on my screen. It’s a bit rude, but sometimes it’s an appropriate action because of how Lyft works. Drivers are basically able to accept rides from anywhere. Some of them do so only when they are legitimately close. Some of them do so a bit over-eagerly, trying to get a jump on a good fare when they know (or should know) they won’t be able to provide the best total trip time. This is probably where my “Five-Star Rider” and “Top Tipper” badges (which I’m pretty sure they can see) come into play. On the positive side they probably reduce my average time to get a ride. On the negative side they also attract bad actors.

That brings us back to Rita. As far as I can tell, she’s exploiting two loopholes here.

As soon as a driver says they’re “finishing” a ride they can accept another one, but there’s nothing to stop them from hitting that button at any point in the ride including the start. It’s a great way for an unscrupulous driver to avoid ever having idle time.

If you don’t actually give the ride, you can’t get a bad rating and it becomes almost impossible for anyone to report you. Thus, if you already know you screwed up - and particularly if you can tell the rider is getting annoyed - the unscrupulous thing to do is cancel before they actually become your rider.

That “Top Driver” status is almost certainly the result of gaming the system, not of actually providing good service ... and that is Lyft’s fault. Rita is playing the game they set up (as I am by shaming them on Twitter BTW). It’s their responsibility to resist or defeat that in their app design, in their policies and their enforcement, etc. They have clearly chosen to let bad behavior persist on their platform, because they don’t care about either drivers or riders as much as they care about cost cutting. Which is basically the guiding principle of the entire gig economy, if not all of capitalism.

New flight procedures to reduce noise from aircraft departing and arriving at Boston Logan Airport

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/new-flight-procedures-to-reduce-noise-from-aircraft-departing-and-arriving-at-boston-logan-airport/

New flight procedures to reduce noise from aircraft departing and arriving at Boston Logan Airport

If you’re a resident of Hull, Lynn, Salem, or other Massachusetts towns currently exposed to noise from aircraft approaching Boston Logan Airport, you may notice the skies getting a little quieter this year.

Over the last decade, improvements to aircraft navigation technology have allowed departing and arriving aircraft to follow highly precise routes in the sky. These new routes, known as Area Navigation (RNAV) flight procedures, were implemented at Boston Logan Airport between 2012 and 2013 and have allowed aircraft to navigate more efficiently and predictably in the airspace around Boston. However, this shift to more precise navigation has had the side effect of concentrating aircraft trajectories over specific neighborhoods, leading to a perceived increase in aviation noise in affected communities. Complaints to the airport from those communities has increased correspondingly.

Aircraft trajectories (in cyan and yellow) and locations of noise complaints (in red) for 2010 (before RNAV) and 2017 (after RNAV). A higher concentration of tracks and an associated increase in noise complaints is observed in the 2017 data.

Image: ICAT

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In response, in 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Massport, and MIT began a three-way collaboration to identify potential modifications to the departure and arrival procedures at Boston Logan Airport that could mitigate the impacts of high flight track concentrations. Professor John Hansman and graduate students at the MIT International Center for Air Transportation (ICAT) led outreach to communities and technical development of potential procedure modifications. 

Over a period of six years, ICAT investigated several technical solutions for mitigating aircraft noise. Following extensive collaboration with community groups and operational stakeholders, the research team submitted four new low-noise flight procedures to the FAA for implementation. Now being deployed in actual operations, these procedures are expected to reduce overflight noise for several communities and, in some cases, also reduce aircraft fuel burn.

Working with communities and aviation stakeholders

The study comprised two phases, or “blocks,” of research. Block 1 procedures were characterized by clear predicted noise benefits, limited operational or technical barriers, and minimal equity concerns. Block 2 procedures were regarded as more complex due to potential technical barriers and equity challenges — instances in which one flight pattern might benefit one community at the expense of another. 

Both phases of the study required extensive collaboration with communities, represented by the Massport Community Advisory Committee (MCAC), and operational stakeholders, which included experts from the FAA, air traffic controllers, and pilots from airlines. Public outreach meetings and meetings with the MCAC helped the ICAT team to identify community objectives and to receive feedback on procedure concepts. Further conversations with air traffic controllers at Boston Logan and airline pilots were also essential to identify and resolve operational issues and to confirm that concepts were technically feasible. 

“Procedures were developed in collaboration with several stakeholder groups. In the end, the goal was to arrive at a set of procedures that achieved community noise-reduction objectives while satisfying technical constraints communicated by operational stakeholders,” says Sandro Salgueiro, a postdoc at ICAT who contributed to the study.

Developing metrics to communicate noise impacts

As part of the work with community groups, the ICAT team developed new tools to communicate the expected noise impacts of proposed procedure changes. They developed two types of noise impact visualizations: one based on the change expected for a single flight, and another based on the change expected over one full peak day of operations.

A single-flight analysis compared 60-decibel contours for both current and proposed procedures, allowing the team to estimate the number of people who would be removed from this contour if the procedure were to change.

The full-day analysis used a different metric to communicate noise impacts. Because RNAV procedures tend to concentrate aircraft overflights, locations of noise complaints were found to correlate strongly with how often aircraft flew over those same locations. The ICAT team proposed a new metric that measured the number of daily overflights experienced per location that exceeded a noise level of 60 decibels, termed N60. When assessing a procedure change, changes in N60 were illustrated as “heat maps” that communicated the expected areas of noise change along with the magnitude of the change.

“Heat map” of the expected change in N60 for a new overwater approach procedure to runway 22L, which was implemented. Cooler colors represent areas that are expected to experience a lower number of overflights under the new procedure.

Image: ICAT

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“The N60 heat maps proved to be an effective way to communicate expected noise changes to communities, and community reception to our visualization tools was positive,” adds Salgueiro.

New flight paths reduce noise exposure

Among several noise abatement concepts the ICAT team studied, they identified moving trajectories over water as the most effective noise abatement strategy that also satisfied operational stakeholder criteria for implementation.

Following reviews by operational stakeholders and deliberation by community groups, four ICAT-developed procedures were submitted to the FAA for implementation, two departure procedures and two approach procedures.

The new approach procedure to runway 33L, implemented in 2021, is now being flown regularly by large commercial aircraft. This procedure relies on a technology known as Required Navigation Performance (RNP) to guide aircraft on curved segments to the runway. A single-flight noise analysis of this procedure, shown above, estimated that 2,954 fewer people would be exposed to aircraft noise (above 60 decibels) when the new procedure is used in place of the conventional straight-in approach.

The new approach procedure to runway 22L, planned for initial use in 2024, similarly aims to replace the conventional straight-in approach with an over-water RNAV approach. A full-day analysis of this procedure estimated that 131,892 fewer people would be exposed to 50 or more daily overflights that exceed 60 decibels — a significant reduction.

“The two approach procedures that were implemented through this project represent significant advances towards making use of modern aircraft navigation capabilities to achieve more flexible routing that, in this case, provide significant noise benefits,” explains Salgueiro. “I think this study sets a positive precedent that we are willing to innovate on how we design new procedures when there is a clear noise benefit to impacted communities.”

Next steps

The ICAT researchers will continue to collaborate with the FAA and Massport by providing technical analysis to support the ongoing adoption of the new procedures. To encourage airlines to fly the new low-noise procedures, the team is now conducting analyses of fuel burn on the newly implemented procedures. So far, preliminary results suggest that, in addition to providing a noise reduction, the procedures may also provide fuel savings to airlines by cutting down on miles flown to the runway — a win-win scenario for both communities and airlines. With the support of Massport, the team is also analyzing data from a network of noise monitors installed around the airport. This will allow the team to measure and better understand the noise benefits achieved with the new flight procedures.

Issue Exploration and Analysis: Immigration

As we all know, border patrol along with large volumes of migrants has been an ongoing issue in the United States. Recently, under the election of Joe Biden, this problem has increased significantly. Migrants now simply have no place to reside and are now taking over sections of airports in big cities.

On November 7th, 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created a proposition to host 60,000 immigrants at four airports in major US cities, like Boston, Chicago, New York and New Jersey. This proposition has been moved forward with and passed. As a fellow Massachusetts resident, this raised concern for me, given the amount of viral TikTok videos I have been seeing of hundreds of individuals, along with their families,  scattered across Logan Airport’s floor. You can see in the videos just how grateful these individuals are for their current lodging situation, but these parts of the airport are shut down to the public,(which is now just Terminal E) with visible signs stating the boundaries between the airport customers and the individuals residing there.

 A good part of these individuals are from Haiti and South and Central America. There has been a lack of shelter available for these individuals, which has apparently been at capacity since November. Massachusetts emergency shelter crisis team has cared for over 7,500 families. Massport states that they continue to see migrants arrive to claim shelter daily. There are 600 other families waiting to get into a shelter. The Massachusetts governor, Maura Healy, has requested additional funds from the federal government to keep these shelters afloat. She has requested $325 million dollars in her proposed budget, along with a supplemental budget of $700 million to keep these current shelters running, along with keeping them running for the remainder of the year. 

It has been reported that these individuals have both flown in and came by land, but the majority of them have arrived by land. These migrants have been reported to be leaving during the day via bus and then returning at night. Some concerned citizens are providing resources to the families out of the goodness of their hearts, but most citizens are concerned for what these numbers could potentially mean for the future of our airports, and of course our people. 

Ex-Motorola Tech Pleads Guilty to Cybercrime, Passport Fraud

While he mostly tried to cover his tracks by using what prosecutors described as “anonymized” Amazon Web Services IP addresses for the scam, law enforcement were able to trace his actions to a Comcast IP address and his Massport email address.

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On Friday October 13, climate activists from Extinction Rebellion Boston (XR), Airport Impact Relief Inc., Mothers Out Front, GreenRoots, and other members of the Logan Community Clean Air Coalition disrupted the Logan Airport's 100th anniversary celebration in the newly expanded International Terminal E. As more than 500 attendees gathered, including Mayor Michelle Wu and Governor Maura Healey, the activists waved a large colorful banner printed with "Stop Polluting Eastie" and carried a 120-inch inflatable airplane reading "Terminal Illness". East Boston supporters crowded outside the airport's security entrance, chanting in English and Spanish "We shall not be moved / No, nos moverán," and "We are unstoppable, another world is possible." They sang along with live music played by the Boston Area Brigade of Activist Musicians and distributed informational flyers folded into paper airplanes to the event attendees.

We disrupted the Logan Airport celebration because we are concerned about the health and wellbeing of the East Boston community threatened by Massport's growth. Activist Jorma McSwiggan commented, "Air pollution is a terminal illness in East Boston. It is time to step up and protest the numerous and continuously increasing harms inflicted on our community. East Boston has been a vibrant immigrant hub for centuries. Like so many cities with similar histories, residents are on the receiving end of systemic environmental injustices. The burden is not bearable anymore."

Why is Boston Logan Airport a Terminal Illness to East Boston? East Boston kids get asthma 4X more likely than others, from airport pollution. Adults are 2X as likely to show signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Eastie is a "hotspot" for many different types of cancer. It also has the lowest tree canopy coverage in the city, due largely to Logan.

We demand that Massport stop the Logan Airport expansion, and demand that East Boston residents be financially compensated for the pollution that already damages their neighborhood. We insist that when creating an impact statement before building, Massport needs to explicitly consider the economic cost of healthcare for Eastie residents, and integrate the healthcare cost into the cumulative assessment of this Environmental Justice community.

This action continues a long tradition of East Boston's community opposition to Logan Airport expansion, and our fight against the ongoing misuse of neighborhood land for egregiously destructive projects like Eversource's new electrical substation.

Note for Chapter 2: 9/26/23 (Draft)

Chapter 2 will take place in a setting known as "Logan City." This is a proposed redevelopment idea I have for Logan International Airport in Boston.

I think the land should be hardened against climate change and sea level rise and then redeveloped by MASSPORT, Boston, or the Massachusetts government into a high density sustainable neighborhood (with social housing) which could be like a second downtown for Boston.

Norwood Memorial Airport should be expanded and replace Logan International Airport. Norwood has an adjacent rail line that could be used to provide transportation to the airport and is next to I-95 for drivers and other road based logistics. There's also open land nearby that could be annexed into the airport for future expansion.

But I digress.

In the story, Logan City ranges between 10-20 stories tall on average with a super-tall skyscraper called Helyx Tower as the centerpiece of the development.

The whole district would likely be made of cross-laminated timber or other sustainable materials, much like this development in Sweden.

I will do my best to describe it during the chapter but I wanted to share the idea here first.

Boston Globe | Massport picks developer for all-affordable project in the Seaport https://bostonmultifamily.com/multi-family-apartment-investment-development-massachusetts/massport-picks-developer-for-all-affordable-project-in-the-seaport/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

Holland America Donates to Local Charities in Honor of 25th Year Cruising from Boston

Holland America Line Donates $15,000 to Local Charities in Honor of its 150th Anniversary and 25th Year Cruising from Boston   President Gus Antorcha and local officials held plaque exchange and check presentation aboard Zaandam Wednesday, Sept. 13 Holland America Line celebrated it’s 25-year relationship with the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) and the company’s 150th Anniversary […] The post Holland America Donates to Local Charities in Honor of 25th Year Cruising from Boston appeared first on BOAT CRUISES TRIPS NEWS. https://boat-cruises-trips.news-6.com/holland-america-donates-to-local-charities-in-honor-of-25th-year-cruising-from-boston/

CONGRESO DESTITUYE DEFINITIVAMENTE A NOEL MONTAÑO Y NOMBRA TRIBUNAL DE É...

Using Rogers' five factors for an old school product

Taxis aren't a new idea -- horse drawn hackney carriages have been around since the 1600s, and the profession of carrying people around for money has been around since antiquity.

My group's branding lab project is focused on increasing awareness and use of taxis for travelers leaving Logan Airport, though, so I thought I'd try to apply Rogers' five factors to the taxi service there in service of clawing back some market share from an innovative product that's revolutionized the short-haul personal transportation market: rideshare apps.

Relative advantage: Based on our market research to date, key pain points for travelers leaving Logan are 1) unpredictable surge prices on rideshare apps, which drive prices to Cambridge upwards of $80 occasionally; 2) the very long walk to the designated central pickup area for rideshare app users; 3) the relative inaccessibility and length of the journey on MBTA options like the Silver line or Logan Express. The taxi option addresses all three of these: 1) taxi meters follow a set rate, resulting in a fare that reliably falls between $28 and $35 to get to Cambridge, regardless of demand or Sumner Tunnel delays or reroutes; 2) taxis are allowed to come straight to the departure areas in each terminal at Logan, decreasing walk time to travelers' pickup point; and 3) taxis run throughout the night, are available regularly, and get travelers back to Cambridge in about a third of the time as MBTA options.

Compatibility: Like rideshare apps, taxis get travelers to their destination expediently. For users accustomed to using rideshares, there are a few additional points of friction. First, travelers need to queue at the taxi stand and wait for the next available cab, which is a departure from the ability within rideshare apps to order a car while still walking through the airport -- for taxis, there's a physical proximity requirement. Second, there's no payment app for taxis, which requires a user to pull out cash, a credit card, or a phone/digital wallet to pay at the end of the ride. Given that cash isn't required, this may not seem like a big hurdle, but interviews with users raise the possibility of friction associated with feeling like they're paying with "real money" for taxis rather than "app money" for rideshares.

Complexity: Barring the two potential compatibility issues raised above, the complexity level of hailing, riding, and taking a taxi is low.

Trialability: Getting users to try out taxis instead of rideshare apps may involve promotions like vouchers or discounts. Fortunately, the mode of transportation you use to get home one time from Logan is a pretty low commitment, which is a factor in favor of persuading travelers to try a taxi once.

Observability: Given reporting requirements for rideshare apps in the state of Massachusetts, ridership data that's released for the MBTA on a regular basis, and Massport's reports on means of transportation to and from Logan, taxi ridership trends are readily observable.

Based on my analysis above, my assessment is that Rogers' five factors can be applied to a legacy product in need of a revitalized brand image. Using this framework demonstrated that our most significant barrier to the success of a brand reintroduction for taxis will likely be the compatibility of the experience most of our target customers default to, rideshare apps.

Recap .. [5 / 5]

Sculpture at Terminal A of Logan International. Boston, MA.

art@BOS Constructed by Artists for Humanity using some of the 1,500 pounds of discarded plastic bottle caps collected by students throughout East Boston, this giant facsimile of the symbol for recycling represents the continuity between resource utility, environmental sustainability, and human creativity. In 2012, Massport, in partnership with Radio Disney, offered East Boston 3rd graders the opportunity to participate in an Environmental Awareness Campaign in their community by collecting the most number of bottle caps for their school. The winner was the James Otis School, whose students collected 680 pounds of plastic caps. The sculpture made from those caps will serve as its own symbol of the continued commitment toward environmental awareness by the East Boston community and Massport.