Over the next five years, a series of major construction projects will make the Portland International Airport even more, well, PDX.
These changes are designed to make the airport more comfortable, efficient and easier to navigate than ever before. Behind this $2 billion investment is a mission to make our award-winning airport more welcoming to everyone we serve.
What’s it going to look like? We may not have a time machine, but we do have a vision for the future of travel at PDX. Scroll on to get a sneak peek.
Here’s how the action will unfold over the next few years.
today
Goodbye to stuffy, old Concourse A
Your Alaska Airlines flights now depart from C gates, as we’re demolishing A’s dim, crowded spaces to make room for more of what you love … more food, more fun, more flow.
Main terminal design revealed
We’re transforming the heart of the airport with a new main terminal. You’ll be the first to see the Pacific Northwest-inspired design when we reveal our plans in April.
Concourse E expands its local character
Look forward to epic views of Mt. Hood at the newly expanded E, which brings seven new restaurants and shops, contemporary art installations and comfy places to hang out.
Say hello to a brand-new Concourse B
B gets bigger and brighter, with brunch star Screen Door and specialty roaster Good Coffee adding more Oregon flavor to the new daylight-filled digs.
Flexible transit hub, beep beep!
You’ll get in and out of PDX faster when we open a new basecamp for car rentals and parking, complete with 2,400 more close-in spots and flexibility for future modes of transit.
Rideshare center eases congestion
Rideshare riders, rejoice: You’ll find your driver painlessly in the new dedicated pickup center for services like Lyft and Uber. This helps reduce congestion for everyone else, too.
PDX employee shuttles pick up speed
If you work at PDX, your commute gets easier as employee shuttles to and from the airport get even speedier.
The iconic main terminal is complete
Walk into the spacious and green new main terminal, where you’ll find it easy to get to your gate thanks to expanded security checkpoints, an intuitive layout, and more local places to eat and shop.
Everything gets brighter in summer 2020 when you step into the freshly expanded Concourse E. This daylight-filled home for Southwest Airlines aesthetically reflects the urban landscape of the city and frames lush views of the region. The interior spaces draw the outside world in with architectural touches such as a sky-high wall of upper windows letting natural light filter through. A sweeping wall of windows, on the concourse’s east end, brings the snowcapped peak of Mt. Hood into focus. And more local restaurants, shops and comfortable spots to relax give travelers a taste of Portland’s good life.
This sketch shows the design for Concourse E, which features full-height windows on its east end to frame views of Mount Hood.
Natural light fills the open spaces through north clerestories and a southern wall of patterned glass, which provides views along Airport Way.
The Concourse E Extension’s southern glass wall slopes away from Airport Way, recalling the slot canyons of the Columbia River Gorge’s waterfalls.
Poised as a gateway to the airport, the extension is designed to be complementary in materials and form to the existing concourse.
The Concourse E extension gives you a sense of place, with expansive windows opening toward two magnificent natural features: the Columbia River to the north and Mt. Hood to the east.
The design for the Concourse E extension is inspired by the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.
We’re fast at work to bring you these cool views of Mt. Hood.
Remember the view of Mt. Hood on Concourse E? It’s coming back, brighter than ever.
New spaces are designed to feel like the easy rhythms of our city’s walkable blocks.
The expanded concourse is inspired by the unmistakable sense of place you get when walking around Portland’s city center. That means everything you need before takeoff is nearby: comfy seating with plenty of plugs, concessionaires intuitively clustered together, and faster Wi-Fi to boot.
A handpicked selection of concessionaires keeps the atmosphere feeling like the Portland we love.
We’ve tapped into Portland’s culinary and cultural scenes. Seven new retail spots include Oregon’s famous Tillamook creamery, independent record label and craft boutique Tender Loving Empire, and a bar dedicated to women in aviation from the Lightning Bar Collective, the schemers behind some of Portland’s favorite local spots. And you can get your Jamba fix, too.
Hashimoto has worked with kites since he built them to fly in the park across from his art school studio. Photo credit: Fredrick Nilsen
An early rendering for The City, opening at PDX in Summer 2020. Renderings courtesy of Words, Art, Design. Etc.
The City will be constructed with over 6,000 individual kite-like discs.
Photo credit: Matthew Banderas
Slience Still Governs Our Consciousness, Studio la città, 2010. Photo credit: Michele Alberto Sereni
Marvel at captivating new work from a nationally acclaimed artist.
Raised in Walla Walla, environmental artist Jacob Hashimoto cites the big skies of the Columbia Valley among his many influences. For two new installations in Concourse E, he’s capturing Pacific Northwest elements, such as clouds of kite-like discs and abstractions of Portland icons, in eye-catching canopies that resemble undulating landscapes floating overhead.
Summer 2020
Hennebery Eddy and Fentress
6 new gates for Southwest Airlines
7 new shops and restaurants
1 - a landmark lounge named Juliett
The completely redeveloped and expanded Concourse B opens up more possibilities for travelers in 2021, including six new gates for Alaska Airlines. To make room, we’re saying goodbye to the dim, crowded Concourse A — demolishing this aging wing of the airport in favor of a concourse made for 21st-century aviation. Architects have embraced the romance of flying with floor-to-ceiling windows, where kids can watch as planes taxi to the runway and climb skyward. Everything in the interior space is about putting you in a good mood, from leafy foliage to common areas where you can de-stress. It’s all based on research that proves what Oregonians already know: Access to nature makes us happier and healthier.
Screen Door opens at PDX in Summer 2021.
Good Coffee opens at PDX in Summer 2021.
Arriving soon: More of your favorite culinary hot spots.
You deserve more local flavor, and you’re getting it when two heavyweights of Portland’s food scene open up shop. Come 2021, you can dip into the latest cafe from acclaimed specialty roaster Good Coffee, bringing minimalism, cute houseplants and a light espresso kick to the new concourse. And B stands for brunch with the arrival of Screen Door, which is just as famous for its fried chicken and waffles as its hour-plus wait for a table. We’re pretty confident you won’t have to wait as long at PDX.
Summer 2021
ZGF Architects
ASAP, so we’re on it
6 new gates for Alaska Airlines
2 new culinary hot spots
We’re rolling out a series of improvements over the next few years so that your commute is even easier and speedier. Do you zip on the MAX or cycle to PDX? We’re making space for light-rail and bike-path enhancements. Hailing a ride on your phone? A dedicated pickup area arriving in 2023 will streamline the entire experience. Wonder why we’ve moved the exit toll plaza? Because we’re building a flexible transit hub with 2,400 close-in parking spots, and we’re bringing car rentals on-site in 2021. That’s right, this modern basecamp for ground transportation means you’ll be on the road in no time.
Fall 2023
YGH Architects
2,400
0, as all rentals come on-site in 2021
Enough to earn an order of Screen Door’s fried chicken
If you’d take all the things you love about PDX — our independent character, small-town vibes, local food and culture — and multiply them by two, you’d essentially get the new main terminal we’re currently designing. Among the largest projects in the airport’s history, the iconic new terminal doubles the size of the current ticketing and lobby area when it opens in 2025. Why the upgrades? We’re outgrowing our current digs. In the coming years, we expect our annual passengers to jump from 20 million to 35 million. This cornerstone project gives us the flexibility to meet the demands of the future, all while capturing the signature spirit of the Pacific Northwest and keeping the heart and soul of PDX intact.
This sketch shows the design for Concourse E, which features full-height windows on its east end to frame views of Mount Hood.
Natural light fills the open spaces through north clerestories and a southern wall of patterned glass, which provides views along Airport Way.
The Concourse E Extension’s southern glass wall slopes away from Airport Way, recalling the slot canyons of the Columbia River Gorge’s waterfalls.
Poised as a gateway to the airport, the extension is designed to be complementary in materials and form to the existing concourse.
The Concourse E extension gives you a sense of place, with expansive windows opening toward two magnificent natural features: the Columbia River to the north and Mt. Hood to the east.
The design for the Concourse E extension is inspired by the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.
We’re fast at work to bring you these cool views of Mt. Hood.
Remember the view of Mt. Hood on Concourse E? It’s coming back, brighter than ever.
Remember the feeling of walking through an Oregon forest for the first time?
That feeling inspired the design of the new Concourse B.
An early movement flow study for the new Concourse B.
The new Concourse B has great exposure to southern light.
Interior rendering for the new Concourse B.
The new Concourse B has Pacific Northwest touches like warm wood panels and indoor greenery.
Exterior rendering of the new Concourse B.
The six new ground loading gates for Alaska Airlines are bigger and brighter.
A new consolidated rental car center opens at PDX in 2023.
Movable plants and furniture make the space flexible.
When the consolidated rental car center opens in 2023, you won’t need to take a shuttle to pick up your car.
Interior acoustical materials help reduce noise.
The new facility also provides more long-term parking, new office spaces, and a new and relocated parking toll plaza building.
The new exit plaza at PDX opens November 2019.