Widebody; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 88; Flight Crew Total 12208; Flight Crew Type 115
Communication Breakdown
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Requested ATC Assistance / Clarification
Airport; Procedure
The unusual communication procedures used exclusively at BOS is a disaster waiting to happen. Whether clearing the runway after landing; or taxiing to any runway requiring crossing other runway(s); you typically get a tower frequency change between active runways; 128.8. Most common clearance is to 'Monitor tower 128.8' ANY misunderstood clearance combined with switching to the wrong frequency leaves airplanes taxiing between or across active runways possibly not talking to anybody. Runway incursions and dangerous traffic conflicts are a highly likely outcomeBV; especially if visibilities are not perfect. There is a reason that other airports do not use a similar procedure!
During taxi out to Runway 33L in Boston; ground control clears aircraft across Runway 27 and then switches aircraft to tower frequency and directs them to monitor. So you do not know if you are on the correct frequency if tower is not speaking and you are now taxiing across an active runway. If you inadvertently selected the wrong frequency you could be on an active runway and unable to communicate with ATC. This dangerous procedure can easily be remedied by having taxiing aircraft checkin with tower prior to crossing onto Runway 27. Please review this procedure and update if possible.
Air Carrier flight crew reported unsafe ATC taxi instructions used exclusively on BOS ground control.