Portland International Airport (PDX) News

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

December statistics for PDX are out. 2024 ended with 17,518,499 Enplaned & Deplaned Passengers, up 6.3% on 2023. December traffic was up 14.8% year-on-year.

For the full year, International passengers grew faster than domestic passengers, and were up 10.5% at 832,487 Enplaned & Deplaned Passengers (440 more passengers than 2019, though still down 29,679 passengers from the 2018 international peak).

Thanks for sharing. Nice to see such strong growth in December y/o/y, and perhaps this will continue with Alaska’s PDX hub expansion. Places like Yakima are being added, I assume, with connections in mind.

[maccoinnich]

Alaska Airlines to add more flights at PDX starting in mid-May: 'We're so excited'

Alaska Airlines already offers more flights at PDX than any other airline. Now, it's adding a new flight to Houston, among others.


PORTLAND, Ore. — Alaska Airlines is solidifying its status as the dominant carrier at Portland International Airport (PDX), adding more flights and routes this year as part of its continued expansion.

The Seattle-based airline, already the top choice for PDX travelers with over 40% of overall flights, plans to operate 132 daily flights during peak summer days in 2025. In total, six million passengers flew Alaska Airlines out of PDX last year.

“We’re so excited about our investment in Portland,” said Kirsten Amrine, Alaska Airlines' vice president of network planning and revenue management. “Last year, we introduced new routes to Atlanta, Nashville, and New Orleans, and we’re continuing that momentum this year.”

Starting May 15, Alaska will launch a nonstop flight to Houston, filling what Amrine said was “the only one left” among the top 30 destinations from PDX that the airline didn’t yet serve.

The airline is also reinstating a daily nonstop flight to Fairbanks, Alaska, for the summer season. Additional in-state routes are on the way on May 15, including a third daily flight to Redmond and two more roundtrips to Eugene. These additions will make it easier for travelers from cities like Eugene and Medford to connect through Portland for flights to destinations such as Fairbanks and Houston.

...continues at KGW (with video).

[downtownpdx]

^ From what I’ve read Alaska currently has about 100 flights a day at PDX. I assume that’s a year round average? 132 for peak summer travel is a substantial increase… But I’m not sure what the current peak summer numbers are.

[maccoinnich]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

I listened to the first hour or so of the PDX 2045 PAC meeting last night, until the start of a group exercise that I was less interested in. I'll post a link to the slides when I see them up on the website, but my big takeaways were:

• The Port is looking at shortening or closing the crosswind runway. Doing so would allow them to construct a more efficient taxiway layout, extend Concourse D (should that be recommended as part of the master plan), and save on maintenance costs.
• The planned increases by Alaska should take PDX passenger numbers back to 2019 levels sooner than the Port had previously been predicting, although I didn't quite catch if they meant 2025 will reach 2019 numbers (I suspect not though).
• PDX currently has 59 gates, of which 6 are international capable. These are a mix of common use gates and gates leased to individual carriers. If all gates were common use and optimized perfectly, by 2045 the airport would need 64 gates, of which 9 would need to be international capable. Leased gates are less efficient, so if all gates were leased to individual carriers the airport would need 75 total gates (again, with 9 international capable gates). Most likely, they'll be planning for somewhere in between.
• However, the amount of holdroom space at the gates is currently sub-optimum based on number of passengers on each flight.
• International capable gates D10-D15 are the least used gates at the airport. While they are used for domestic flights, the design of the sterile corridor requires that when one of the international capable gates is being used for an international arrival, it's not necessarily possible to board a flight at the other gates.
• With the new central terminal project soon to be complete, PDX is unlikely to need any more capacity at the TSA checkpoints any time soon.
• The concessions capacity is optimum for current passenger volumes, but would become less so over the planning period assuming growth in passenger volumes.
• The international arrivals experience has apparently come up at every meeting the Port has had so far. It seems they are very well aware of the complaints.
• FIS facility in particular is undersized for today's passenger volumes, and struggles to cope when there are two simultaneous arrivals. Right now international arrivals are reasonably spaced out, but delays happen, and as the airport adds service spacing by time gets harder.

Here's the presentation and summary notes.

[maccoinnich]

The PDX 2045 airport master plan has its first open house scheduled for 5PM on Wednesday, March 19, at McDaniel High School.

[maccoinnich]

KGW story about Phase 2 of the airport:

• Video Link

[maccoinnich]

Also, some new renderings (from this post):



New escalators on the north and south will lead you straight down to baggage claim.



We will replace the temporary exits in the center of the main terminal with comfortable seating.

[downtownpdx]

This final piece of the project will really solidify PDX as a top airport in the nation. If you check out Google it's getting rave reviews even with the long walks. And that really is the only complaint, the temporary detours from B and E gates through the main terminal to bag claim. Also the removal of the detour hallways will finally open up the giant views looking onto the north and south runways.

[babs]

Would love to see some renderings of the baggage claim area. Hopefully they do something with lighting and finishes to brighten the space up.

[maccoinnich]

There's not a lot of change planned at the baggage claim area.

[downtownpdx]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

There's not a lot of change planned at the baggage claim area.

The new escalators and skylights into the main level will help… but are they at least planning on finishing the ceilings? I don’t know if that’s permanent but it seems they were all exposed pipes etc last time I was there.

[maccoinnich]

I noticed the PDX Existing Conditions Report, January 2025 has been uploaded to the PDX 2045 website. The complete floor plans of the terminal on pages 58-67 caught my eye; I've looked for these before and haven't been able to find them.

[maccoinnich]

A permit for the new Alaska lounge at PDX has been submitted by Hennebery Eddy Architects, with a $9.3 million valuation:

FULL PDOX PROCESS/ PDX TERMINAL ALASKA AIRLINES ENPLANNING, DEPLANNING & MEZZANINE LVLS TI; DEMO WALLS, NEW WALLS TO CREATE ENPLANNING - TELECOM RM, LOBBY AREA, COMMERCIAL KITCHEN, WALK IN COOLER, DRY STORAGE RM, DEPLANNING - STORAGE RMS, OFFICES, BREAKRM, MEZZANINE - BATHRMS, STORAGE RMS, BISTRO AREA, LOUNGE AREAS, CUT LOOSE BAR AREA, CONNECTING STAIR W/ GLASS RAILINGS, DUMBWAITERS, CEILING, FLOORING, FINISHES, PLUMB AND ELEC ****** BID ESTIMATE ******

The lounge will be at the mezzanine level, in the second phase of the new central terminal, between the B and C gates.
​​​​​​​

[maccoinnich]

Agenda for this evening’s PDX 2045 PAC meeting, which includes presentations on International Air Service Development, PDX’s International Arrivals Facility and Terminal Expansion Considerations.

Location: Port of Portland headquarters, Chinook Room: 7200 N.E. Airport Way, Portland, OR 97218 (the Chinook Room is on the 8th floor, near the reception desk)

Webinar link (Zoom): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83320636352

[downtownpdx]

Thanks for sharing. I hope the strengthening of PDX’s Alaska hub will bolster the case for more international service, with more frequent local connections. And I’d love to see if they have solid plans for expanding/reworking the international arrivals area, which is now the oldest section of the airport from 1987.

[sopdx]

Originally Posted by maccoinnich

Agenda for this evening’s PDX 2045 PAC meeting, which includes presentations on International Air Service Development, PDX’s International Arrivals Facility and Terminal Expansion Considerations.

Location: Port of Portland headquarters, Chinook Room: 7200 N.E. Airport Way, Portland, OR 97218 (the Chinook Room is on the 8th floor, near the reception desk)

Webinar link (Zoom): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83320636352

I watched part of this meeting. European numbers are above pre covid however, Asian numbers are still not.

The port is looking to recruit service to the Asian hub of Seoul/Incheon and potentially Tokyo/Narita for summer 2026. Mexico City is also a focus for 2026.

European service to Dublin and Munich was mentioned for future service.

There was a lot of discussion about the international arrival experience - particularly the bus shuttle. It isn't popular and if service increases, it will be a problem.

A port rep mentioned something about a potential 'people mover' sidewalk that was partially developed in concourse D for international arrivals but I found their explanation confusing. Hopefully, when transcripts are available there will be more clarity.

[babs]

Originally Posted by sopdx

I watched part of this meeting. European numbers are above pre covid however, Asian numbers are still not.

The port is looking to recruit service to the Asian hub of Seoul/Incheon and potentially Tokyo/Narita for summer 2026. Mexico City is also a focus for 2026.

European service to Dublin and Munich was mentioned for future service.

There was a lot of discussion about the international arrival experience - particularly the bus shuttle. It isn't popular and if service increases, it will be a problem.

A port rep mentioned something about a potential 'people mover' sidewalk that was partially developed in concourse D for international arrivals but I found their explanation confusing. Hopefully, when transcripts are available there will be more clarity.

I realize there are baggage and support areas underneath the front part of Concourse D's lower level but clearing that out and redeveloping it as the arrivals area is the ideal solution. I don't know what else you would do and a people mover on the level still takes people through this area so I don't know what you would gain.

[maccoinnich]

I listened to the presentations as well. There was some mention of the T-CORE project having made passive provision for where international passengers, whose final destination is in Portland, could enter the landside part of the terminal.

If I heard right, it's at the mezzanine near where the Art Gallery (by Loyal Legion is). But in looking at plans of the airport, and from what I remember of that area, I can't quite picture how that works. And if the long term plan is for the Federal Inspections Services (FIS) to remain in the lower area of Concourse D, that would require a lot of travel up and down escalators/elevators to get from the plane, through immigration and out to an international arrivals area.

The other problem with the FIS remaining down there is that even if they expand in either direction, they're still in a space that feels like a basement, with low ceilings and limited natural light. Vancouver has a nice immigration hall [visible about 6 minutes in] that's below the departure level , but they're able to create those spaces open to above because the entire floorplate is a lot wider than the concourses at PDX.

[maccoinnich]

Priority Pass website shows the Escape Lounge being part of their network, as of tomorrow (https://prioritypass.com/lounges/usa/portland-or-international/pdx10-escape-lounge-pdx).

[maccoinnich]

And per this post on Bluesky, the Escape Lounge is now open.