Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) is searching for a new voice to welcome travelers, and the ideal candidate needs one unmistakable qualification: a strong Boston accent. The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) launched its Voice of Logan competition in September 2026 after passengers said they wanted the airport to better reflect its local identity. Nearly 6,000 people entered the contest, but only eight finalists remain.
The public can vote until Wednesday on a dedicated website, and the winner is scheduled to be announced on November 5. The competition celebrates one of New England’s most recognizable cultural characteristics while offering a local resident the opportunity to become part of the airport experience.
Massport Voice Contest Finalists
The final eight contestants represent different backgrounds and communities across Greater Boston. They include Meagan Lewis-Michelson, a musical-theater performer; Christopher Donisi, a pipefitter; Phyllis Thibodeaux Beach, a retired motor vehicle department employee; and Alex Marcin, a third-generation Italian American from East Boston.
The remaining finalists are Ashley Cook, a Boston Public Schools teacher; Samantha Edwards, an entrepreneur; Max German, a Boston College law student; and Kristin Ingala, a bartender and boxer who grew up in Boston’s North End. Public voting runs from October 24 through October 28 at VoiceofLogan.com.
The winner will receive a modest payment for recording the announcements, though the opportunity is primarily about local pride rather than financial reward. The contest gives participants a chance to embrace their roots while competing for a role that could make their voices familiar to millions of passengers.
Testing Authenticity and Clarity
According to The Wall Street Journal, Massport developed the competition after feedback indicated that certain parts of Logan didn’t feel sufficiently connected to Boston. Rich Davey, the authority’s chief executive, said the goal was to make the airport feel more authentically local.
The audition script was designed to test contestants’ knowledge of Boston and their pronunciation. It referenced lobster rolls, cannoli in the North End, the coastal town of Gloucester, and Fenway Park’s famous Green Monster. One particularly important test was pronouncing Gloucester correctly, with Davey emphasizing that the name should sound like “GLOS-tah” when delivered with a pronounced local accent.
According to the WSJ report, Sarah Lee, Massport’s transportation planning manager, reviewed about 500 recordings and said incorrect pronunciation could expose applicants whose accents didn’t sound genuine. The challenge extends beyond simply dropping the letter ‘r’ from certain words: contestants must sound authentic while remaining clear enough for international travelers to understand.
Logan serves about 130,000 passengers daily, according to the WSJ report, so clarity is essential amid terminal noise and passenger movement. A distinctive accent can make the airport feel more welcoming and memorable, but visitors unfamiliar with local speech must still understand important instructions. The winning voice must balance personality with intelligibility, without delivering the strongest possible accent.
The competition also attracted high-profile contributions and plenty of humor. Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey and former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski recorded their own versions, while actor Ben Affleck submitted a parody featuring tongue-in-cheek warnings about Boston stereotypes. Meanwhile, voice-over coach and broadcaster Chris Palermo offered contestants some unconventional advice for reproducing the city’s characteristic speech patterns.
The winner is expected to begin welcoming travelers around the holiday season later this year. For Boston, the contest is about more than finding someone to read a script over a public-address system. It is a chance to turn a familiar regional accent into a symbol of civic pride and give Logan a more recognizable local identity.
Source: Simple Flying
