This New England Airport Ranked As America's Best To Get Tipsy While Traveling

Frequent travelers probably view airports as convenient transport hubs at best — places to get in and out of as quickly as possible so you can continue on with your vacation or business trip. But many airports are making a concerted effort to be more than just a means of transit. For example, Doha's Hamad International, one of the most luxurious airports in the world (via Skytrax), provides visitors with exceptional dining, dedicated quiet rooms, and a lush orchard. Meanwhile, you don't even need to leave the terminal to find an authentic German beer garden at Munich Airport. But if you're looking for the best domestic spots to enjoy a relaxing pre-flight drink, a study has recently come out detailing exactly that.

Entitled "The Best U.S. Airports for a Boozy Layover," this 2025 study was conducted by Upgraded Points (UP). The site publishes guides from its in-house travel and finance experts to help readers get the most out of loyalty programs, travel cards, and more. And the results of UP's study — interesting and a little surprising — were released in early November. Coming in at the top of the rankings was New England's Boston Logan International Airport (BOS).

This airport is located about 2 miles from Boston's downtown core, and it can be accessed by bus, subway, and water ferry. Inside, you'll find a wide variety of drinking and dining options to satiate your needs. Head to Harpoon Tap Room in Terminal A for locally brewed craft beers like the caramel-infused, seasonal Flannel Friday amber ale or the refreshing UFO Maine Blueberry. Or grab a seat at Legal Sea Foods in Terminal C for an excellent selection of red, white, and sparkling wines, along with a solid signature cocktail menu. For a delicious, caffeinated pick-me-up before your flight, consider an espresso martini. 

For this particular study, the goal was to find which American airports were best for getting tipsy while traveling. To do so, UP's team looked at three different ranking factors: concentration, accessibility, and quality. "Concentration" refers to how many bars and restaurants serve alcohol per square mile, while "accessibility" measures the per capita amount (the number for every 10,000 daily passengers). "Quality" looks at the star ratings of all alcohol-serving establishments and then creates an overall average.

Researchers delved into data from Google Reviews and the websites of the 50 largest hubs to come up with their findings. Upon completion, Boston Logan International Airport was crowned the winner, as it had the highest overall average: an impressive 75.1 out of 100. However, it didn't earn the highest score for any of the individual factors. Kansas City International Airport (MCI) cinched top honors for accessibility, while New York's LaGuardia (LGA) ranked the highest for concentration. And San Antonio (SAT) and Kansas City tied for number one in the quality of their alcohol-serving venues. While this study may not determine where you choose to go for your next vacation, it's a unique analysis that could help you decide which airports are worth being stuck in for a lengthy layover.

Of course, it goes without saying that an airport is not the place to get blackout drunk, as you still have an aircraft to board. And you may think that the cabin crew can't tell when you've had a few too many drinks — but this is one of the things flight attendants always notice about passengers. So, if you're waiting around in Boston, or in any other airport, sipping pints on that annoying seven-hour layover, remember to drink responsibly so you're not a nuisance on the plane.