MBTA Providence/Stoughton Line (InterLink) · 15 min to Providence / 75–90 min to South Station
Where they are
One map, pinned from each airport’s published coordinates.
Category scores
Overall is the published weighted sum. A highlighted score is ahead; a tie stays plain.
Ease of use
25% · Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
ACK8.0
PVD8.3+0.3
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
ACK6.0
PVD7.1+1.1
Food & retail
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
ACK5.0
PVD6.6+1.6
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
ACK7.5
PVD8.3+0.8
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
ACK6.0
PVD6.8+0.8
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
ACK1.0
PVD6.4+5.4
Best for
ACK
Simple one-terminal island arrivalsCape Air year-round hops and summer jet banksTravelers who value free seasonal bus access over amenities
PVD
Logan refugees who will take a $2 RIPTA or a weekday MBTA train instead of I-90 trafficPriority Pass / Amex Platinum holders departing before 19:00CLEAR + PreCheck on the 05:00–07:00 bankDrivers who will actually use Lot E at the live $22/day, not a 2021 coupon
Watch out for
ACK
No airline lounges, Priority Pass, or TSA PreCheckOnly landside Crosswinds restaurant plus vending/gift shopFog/wind delays common on this exposed island fieldJet counters close 45 minutes prior; no published arrive window
PVD
Escape Lounge closes 19:00 — late Breeze and Southwest banks have no loungeMBTA from InterLink is weekday-only on the official airport page; Saturday is RIPTA or a carMain runway 5/23 rehab is done for flights (back to normal 16 Oct 2026); older reports of a 16/34-only airfield are out of dateCabo Verde check-in is 3.5 hours / closes 60 minutes — treat it as an international departure, not a Boston shuttle
Amenities and tips
ACK
Crosswinds RestaurantNRTA THE WAVE Airport busFree terminal Wi-FiIn-terminal gift shopArts in the AirportAccessible parking
Official pages print no arrive window — leftover jet counters close 45 minutes
Official leftover-print the hall is generally open 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. depending on tenant schedules. Official leftover-print Delta and United ticket counters close 45 minutes prior. Official American leftover-prints Daily 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
Official 14 Airport Road hall — do not invent KACK
One Town of Nantucket commercial passenger terminal. Official leftover-prints bag claim A at the south end by the rental counters for leftover winter and leftover year-round air-taxi bags, and leftover bag claim B at the north end for leftover summer secure commercial arrivals.
Official Crosswinds is landside — leftover independent entrance
Official leftover-prints Crosswinds as the terminal restaurant with an independent entrance that leftover may run past airline hours. Crosswinds leftover-prints 6:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. 365 days and leftover before check-in.
PVD
Escape Lounge (Gate 18)InterLink rail and RIPTAPVD Free WIFI (Boingo)Local concourse foodNursing rooms and Hope Reflection RoomOvernight seating
Two hours for the 06:00–08:00 and 16:00–18:00 banks
Official RIAC travel tips: those two windows are peak at PVD; arrive two hours out, and do the same during school-vacation weeks.
One checkpoint, then pick North or South before you sit
Upper-level TSA feeds both concourses. Escape Lounge, Dunkin, Spring House, and Saugy are North; Federal Hill and Napatree are South by Gates 7–8.
Eat on the concourse your airline actually uses
Official live list: Federal Hill (South 7–8) and Narragansett Kitchen / Spring House / Saugy (North 11–16). Both Dunkins open 04:00.
ACK · A simple one-hall island airport that delivers easy summer access to Nantucket via Cape Air hops and seasonal jets, trading virtually no lounges, limited food, and weather vulnerability for walkable scale and free seasonal bus service.
PVD · A genuinely easy New England alternative to Logan — one checkpoint, CLEAR, a real Escape Lounge, $2 buses, and weekday rail in the building — undone by a 19:00 lounge close and a 2026 primary-runway rehab that cut seats.
