Ever since the pandemic, I’ve only flown out of Portland International Airport (PDX) a few times. It used to be that if I took a flight from my hometown of Medford, in Southern Oregon, I’d usually take one of Alaska Airlines’ daily direct flights to Portland and fly onwards from there. Since 2020, however, Alaska has offered only one flight to PDX each weekday, and none on the weekends; one has to fly to Seattle if the flight time doesn’t fit your schedule. Therefore, I’ve seen a lot more of SeaTac the last few years, so I haven’t been as aware of all the changes going on at my favorite airport.

Turns out, PDX often lands at or near the top of Best Domestic Airports lists. Why do I (and so many others) love it? Getting to and from the airport is easy: plenty of short- and long-term parking (with EV stations), a light rail line that ends right THERE (shortest walk to the ticket counters of any airport I’ve been in, anywhere), dedicated ride-share pickup for each service just outside baggage claim, on-site car rental facility (no hassle with a shuttle ride to an off-site location), and even convenient accommodations for bike riders (this is Oregon, after all). Plenty of local retailers (think Columbia Sportswear and Pendleton, among others), restaurants and drinks establishments (coffee roasters, breweries and distillers, for example) provide shopping and refreshment at street prices — there’s no “airport inflation” — and there’s no sales tax, either! Musician volunteers perform daily in each of the concourses, helping to destress travelers with jazz, classical and contemporary music on instruments ranging from piano and guitar to accordion and marimba! There’s even a 17-seat micro-cinema in Concourse C that runs 10-minute short films in a one-hour loop, created by regional filmmakers on Pacific Northwest subjects. I also appreciate the temporary exhibits and permanent installations of art throughout the airport.

But the Port of Portland, which operates the airport, is not resting on its laurels. Since 2019 a $2 billion investment has been made in “creating healthy spaces optimized for sustainability, earthquake resilience and passenger well-being,” while also providing more opportunities for local businesses and regional communities. Some aspects of the project have already been completed: demolishing the old, crowded, dingy Concourse A, opening an all-new Concourse B in 2021 with floor-to-ceiling windows and six new gates for Alaska Airlines, and expanding Concourse E in 2020 — more on its amenities below. The biggest project will open in a year and wrap up in 2025, with a completely revamped main terminal, including ticketing and lobby areas nearly doubling in size. Drawing inspiration from local landscapes, architectural firm ZGF aims to evoke a walk through a Pacific Northwest forest with a 9-acre wood roof (composed of Douglas fir sourced from Oregon and Washington forests, mills and fabricators), its curves inspired by the ripples and currents of Northwest rivers. There will be lots of natural light (provided by floor-to-ceiling windows and 50 skylights), living trees and understory foliage. And for those who miss the old, iconic PDX carpet design (which gave rise to shoe selfies), there will be 10 shoe-selfie stations to indulge visitors’ sense of nostalgia.

Photo 92706534 © danika Skaggs | Dreamstime.com

For more on the project, photos and renderings, check out the dedicated and informative website here.

A few weeks ago my husband and I and our younger daughter’s family experienced firsthand Concourse E as we awaited our flight to Maui. We arrived around 8 a.m. for our 10 o’clock flight and needed to find some space to allow 3-year-old June to expend some toddler energy prior to the five-and-a-half-hour flight. Though we would depart from Concourse D, we decided to explore E, and it proved perfect for our needs. Shops and restaurants are clustered together with comfortable seating areas nearby boasting floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Columbia River and the runways. In between are spacious corridors and roomy gates with lots of natural light; overhead, two permanent, cloud-like sculptures by Jacob Hashimoto hover, suspended from the soaring ceiling. We grabbed some free samples from Blue Star Donuts’ stand as we made our way to the best feature of all (for us): the play area provided by Tillamook, making cheese (and ice cream!) in Oregon for over 100 years. Dominated by a winged Tillamook VW van, it featured stacked wooden blocks leading up to the van  and a wooden slide offering a different way down to floor level. June was delighted to “drive” the van and get her wiggles out before we headed to our gate.

After boarding the plane, I was pleased to realize I had a great view of that curvy roofline of the new main terminal.   It reminded me of the ceiling and roof of Madrid Barajas Airport‘s Terminal 4 that we had visited in 2019.

Photo 4533903 © Oleg_ivanov | Dreamstime.com

I’ve always loved Portland’s airport, and now I’m really looking forward to the completion of the renovations to the main terminal and exploring all the shopping, entertainment and dining options to come.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor