Portland International Airport (PDX) News

[PacificNW]

Originally Posted by CorbinWarrick

We really need a high quality video tour of the finished product of what it will look like as we saw with the ritz Carlton recently

[maccoinnich]

From Alaska Airlines:

PORTLAND

• We're investing nearly $1.5 million for Lounge upgrades in Portland for 2022.
• We'll enlarge the Lounge by 1,000 square feet with an enclosed patio area that extends into Concourse C. With new seating for 30 people, the total seating capacity will go to 100. Work begins in the spring and it's scheduled to be completed this summer. During the renovation, the current Lounge will remain open to guests.
• Now for something fun, different and super convenient. We're adding a temporary 'express lounge' at the newly-renovated Concourse B for our guests traveling through that section of the airport. The mini-lounge is scheduled to open in the summer with seating for up to 35 people near Gate B2, offering guests a selection of beverages and light snacks before their flights.
• The all-new Lounge is currently scheduled to open in the 2025-26 timeframe. It's expected to be more than 10,000 square feet – giving our guests a lot more elbow room.

[subterranean]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

From Alaska Airlines:

People with experience in this sort of thing: what are the benefits of lounge access to you?

I'm not a business flyer, and I rarely schedule connecting flights unless it's an absolute necessity. I thought that this would be the only real benefit -- a comfortable place on a layover, particularly if you fly regularly for business. But is Portland really a big connecting airport?

I'm an Alaska Air card holder, but I almost never show up to the airport more than an hour and a half in advance where a lounge would really make any sense.

Who is this for?

[downtownpdx]

I've never used a lounge either and probably never will, and while PDX isn't a major hub airport, it is an Alaska Airlines hub and offers lots of Nothwest regional connections. So it sounds like this line is located between the C gates, where most of the longer haul flights are located, and the new B gates which are for regional flights.

[MarkDaMan]

Originally Posted by subterranean

People with experience in this sort of thing: what are the benefits of lounge access to you?

I'm not a business flyer, and I rarely schedule connecting flights unless it's an absolute necessity. I thought that this would be the only real benefit -- a comfortable place on a layover, particularly if you fly regularly for business. But is Portland really a big connecting airport?

I'm an Alaska Air card holder, but I almost never show up to the airport more than an hour and a half in advance where a lounge would really make any sense.

Who is this for?

Prior to COVID when I had lounge access I'd get to the airport several hours early and work from there instead of going into the office for part of the day and then to the airport. I always enjoyed it because I could get some complimentary snacks and drinks while working, and I also lived closer to the airport than the office, so less commute too when those things mattered.

I've used the lounge once since COVID and it was depressing and lonely. I was the only one there and the Alaska staff person just sat there and watched me eat a bagel and an apple, which was kinda uncomfortable. So now I only get to the airport an hour or so early and head straight to the gate...when traveling anyway, which has become much too infrequent. And unless I purchase a first class ticket, I don't have lounge access anymore anyway.

[maccoinnich]

The Classic Portland Airport Carpet Is Making a Comeback
The iconic green, blue and purple design will be featured at the renovated PDX terminal, opening in 2024.



It’s official: The legendary green, blue and purple carpet at Portland International Airport is immortal.

After being mostly removed after 30 years of service in 2015, the iconic carpet pattern will be reinstated at PDX’s new terminal, which is set to open in 2024.

The announcement was made today by Port of Portland officials.

“We appreciate the fact that everybody in this community has that deep connection to PDX through that carpet,” said Vince Granato, head of special projects for the airport. “That’s why we decided to bring it back. I don’t feel like we should lose our history.”

...continues at Willamette Week.

[maccoinnich]

From Alaska Airlines (more renderings at the link):

If you’ve flown to, from or through Portland International Airport lately, you might have noticed our new digs at the beautifully remodeled Concourse B, where most of the flights are regional ones operated by our sister carrier Horizon Air.

The new space – part of a replacement project that cost $115 million – is bigger, brighter and bolder with Pacific Northwest flair. The area is easier to get around, and massive floor-to-ceiling windows allows more sunlight to stream in and better views to see what’s going on outside. Upgraded technology has been added throughout the concourse including hundreds of power outlets and faster Wi-Fi.




Also underway in the coming years at PDX: The completion of a $1.6 billion fully remodeled and expanded main terminal that’s currently in construction by the Port of Portland. It’ll be spacious with a big nod to Pacific Northwest green sustainability. Our guests will enjoy an expanded lobby with a faster, more streamlined check-in process, and additional dining and retail options. Expanded security checkpoints will make it easier to get to your gate.

[MarkDaMan]

I really hope they follow through with the mature plants as depicted in renderings (as in already growing them in a controlled environment.) I think the new B concourse underwhelms because the plants don't have the dramatic "hip morning coffee shop" mature growth as has been presented in renderings.

[urbanlife]

I am really excited for all these changes to the airport because when I one day go back to flying again, I am gonna be excited to know this will be the home base airport my daughter will experience for the first time.

[maccoinnich]

One of America’s first airport craft cocktail bars takes flight at PDX

• Video Link

A few years back, I walked up to the bar of a Southern-influenced restaurant at Portland International Airport, scanned the relatively well-stocked whiskey shelf and asked for a Sazerac, the classic absinthe-rinsed New Orleans cocktail.

“A what?” the bartender said.

Here’s a fact about American airports: There’s almost always a place to get a pre-flight cocktail, but rarely a great one. Even with the impressive push to improve PDX concessions with more (and better) local food and drinks options, few airport bars reflect the post-2000s cocktail revolution that radically altered bars and restaurants across the United States, particularly in Portland.

Juliett hopes to remedy that. Though its “women in aviation” theme is more muted than advertised, Juliett is still notable for being one of the first cocktail bars (if not the first) to open to the public at a U.S. airport. And it’s the latest addition to an airport undergoing a massive overhaul, with two redesigned concourses (B and E) and a Main Terminal with a sprawling concourse not set to open until 2025.

...continues at the Oregonian.

[MarkDaMan]

Update from the PDX Citizen's Advisory Committee on international service:

The spring is typically a transitional time for international service at PDX, as seasonal service shifts from winter to summer routes. In April, Volaris will add additional flights to Guadalajara to complement their existing service. In May, European nonstop service resumes with Condor to Frankfurt, Delta to Amsterdam, and Icelandair to Reykjavik. British Airways nonstop service to London begins on June 3.

In addition to European service, Air Canada will add a seasonal nonstop to Toronto in June, in addition to their existing service to Vancouver. WestJet will continue its existing service to Calgary. Asian service is expected to return this fall assuming current pandemic trends, with Delta offering nonstop service to Tokyo-Haneda beginning in September, and Seoul-Incheon beginning in October.

and a new rendering with the old carpet:

[downtownpdx]

Great to see all this international flights returning. It'll be interesting to see what Delta does in terms of PDX service, since they'll have 3 international nonstop operating this year. Alaska has really been feeding passengers through Seattle since covid and reducing their direct flights out of Portland, partly due to staffing shortagesand also to solidify their hub status at Seattle that Delta is trying to encroach on. Maybe Delta will fill in some of those gaps at PDX to help feed the Asian and European flights...

[babs]

Originally Posted by downtownpdx

Great to see all this international flights returning. It'll be interesting to see what Delta does in terms of PDX service, since they'll have 3 international nonstop operating this year. Alaska has really been feeding passengers through Seattle since covid and reducing their direct flights out of Portland, partly due to staffing shortagesand also to solidify their hub status at Seattle that Delta is trying to encroach on. Maybe Delta will fill in some of those gaps at PDX to help feed the Asian and European flights...

With the shutdowns in China, I'm not expecting Delta to operate both the Haneda and Seoul flights. The demand just isn't there.

[downtownpdx]

A nice 360 view of the new PDX terminal roof. This will be so beautiful.

https://pdxnext.com/Stories/Details/2022-preview-PDX

[urbanlife]

Originally Posted by downtownpdx

A nice 360 view of the new PDX terminal roof. This will be so beautiful.

https://pdxnext.com/Stories/Details/2022-preview-PDX

That is gonna be such an epic airport when all of this is done.

[maccoinnich]

The British Airways flight to/from Heathrow launched today - the first flight should be arriving at PDX at about 5PM.

[maccoinnich]

PDX resumes four international flight routes, adds new one

After being postponed twice, new year-round service from Portland International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport began last week.



Four international flight routes from Portland International Airport are back up and running after a pause throughout the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. And after some setbacks, a new route finally began its inaugural season last week.

British Airways flights from PDX to London’s Heathrow Airport were supposed to begin on June 1, 2020. That was postponed until December 2021, and then the omicron surge sidelined those plans once again.

Those flights finally began last week, and year-round service is now available.

Year-round Delta flights from PDX to Amsterdam resumed last month after a two-year pandemic pause.

...continues at OPB.

[bvpcvm]

Taking that Delta flight to AMS tomorrow - super excited, it'll be my first time overseas since covid began.

[MarkDaMan]

Not sure how I found this in the...(checks notes)...New York Daily Gazette, and not the Big O I pay a subscription to, but anyway:

https://newyorkdailygazette.com/wyde...wer-emissions/

Wyden, Merkley and Blumenauer invested more than $18 million in Portland International Airport to lower emissions
By Harsha July 8, 2022

Washington D.C. – U.S Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, along with Congressman Earl Blumenauer, have announced that Portland International Airport will get $18.4 million in funding to make heating and cooling systems more energy efficient. This will result in a dramatic 83% reduction in their energy consumption therefore saving money on utility bills.

Senator Ron Wyden highlights the airport for its size and sustainability practices. Senator Ron Wyden supports the recent growth at the airport in an infrastructure bill that ensures efficient heating and cooling through carbon-reducing standards.

...(continues)

[subterranean]

That title makes it sounds like they shelled out the money from their own wallets.