As vaccinated travelers increasingly return to the skies, more Pacific Northwesterners are finally noticing the construction impacts in the main terminal — raising challenges for an airport repeatedly voted as America’s favorite.
Quick update: This article was written in 2021. The new PDX is here! Want to meet it?
Last year, global air travel plunged to its lowest levels in recent history. At PDX, that meant the vast majority of Pacific Northwesterners had not yet noticed the big changes happening at the airport. But now with the “return to travel” on the tips of everyone’s tongues, more people are finally getting a sense of what’s happening.
This summer, many vaccinated folks are taking to the skies for the first time in more than a year. And PDX is getting back-to-normal busy, with passenger numbers rising to nearly 75% of pre-pandemic highs. If you were to wander through the main terminal today, you’d spot adventurers toting their gear, families rolling overstuffed bags to the ticket counters, and loved ones saying their teary hellos and goodbyes.
At the same time, the construction disruptions are starting to feel real, too — as in, you-might-hear-some-construction-noises-while-in-line-for-TSA real.
“We’re starting the heavy phases of construction and seeing passengers coming back,” says Eric van der Burght, the airport’s manager of terminal operations and infrastructure. “It’s, oh great! Everyone is back! And also, oh crap! Everyone is back! There’s this inherent tension to make sure we get everyone where they’re going simply and efficiently, while trying to ensure they have that friendly PDX experience.”
This has raised a big challenge for an airport repeatedly voted as America's favorite: How do you keep people moving — and maybe even smiling under their masks — while construction disrupts everyone’s routines?
Travelers notice some construction changes the moment they step into the ticket lobby. It’s all so crews can get to work building the new roof and expanding the heart of the airport.
Construction creates a few kinks
A challenge like this may not naturally get as much attention as the architect’s cool design reveal or the mind-boggling construction puzzle. The people doing this essential work hustle behind the scenes. And they don’t mind operating out of the spotlight. “A lot of the work we do happens in the shadows,” says Eric, whose operations role touches everything from “when you get out of your car to when you board your plane.” In other words, he thinks more about airport passenger flow than most people ever do.
Pre-construction, PDX had little-known tools to keep people moving seamlessly. For example, if lines got too long at one security checkpoint, passengers could simply be redirected to the other checkpoint. They’d then walk through what airport insiders call the “concourse connector” — that is, the shortcut between the airport’s B-C and D-E wings — to get to their gate. “Not only was the concourse connector super convenient, it also functioned like a safety valve to help keep people moving,” Eric explains.
Now, several important changes in the main terminal mean PDX cannot rely on the same tactics as before. For one, the Clocktower Plaza (aka the shops and restaurants pre-security) closed and the ticket lobby has shrunk a little to make room for the construction happening behind temporary walls. That means there’s less space for an increasing number of travelers. And the concourse connector shortcut is gone for now, which means less control over TSA wait times.
This might all be a bit irritating to travelers with a comfortable routine. You’ll notice signs of construction as you step into a smaller ticket lobby. Walls are blocking off the pathway you’d typically take to get to the TSA checkpoints. You can only go through the security checkpoint matching your gate, meaning lines can grow longer at peak times.
Solving the big design challenges
Of course, not everything at PDX looks so different. Once travelers have reached their concourse, things will feel familiar and maybe even a little fresh. You’ll find new restaurants, views of Mt. Hood, art installations and comfy common areas in the recently expanded Concourse E. But the frontend of your PDX experience will all feel a bit different. That’s the pain point people have been working to solve.
Traveling right now is, of course, not all about disruptions. Once you’re past security, you’ll find new restaurants, shops, art, common areas and views of Mt. Hood in the recently completed Concourse E extension.
“The bottom line is, we need to keep the airport functioning smoothly for everybody while you’re also tearing down and rebuilding the heart of the airport,” says Bryan Stevens, designer at Mayer/Reed. Mayer/Reed works with the Port of Portland, architecture firms and contractors on a wide range of wayfinding and place-making projects for PDX Next.
Perhaps the biggest passenger flow change the Port of Portland has undertaken is upcycling the old concourse connector and reusing it to build pathways around construction. Soon, everyone passing through security will go through a few quick bypasses to reach their gate — this will keep people moving smoothly while construction happens around them.
Even so, one of the biggest design challenges is communicating these changes to passengers, Bryan says. “For example, the concourse connector — passengers most likely don’t know it by name because there was not a sign that labeled the connector,” he says. “It’s difficult to communicate that it is closed if they never thought about it or its name.”
A few simple steps taken to address this include installing signage that makes it clear how to get to the correct security checkpoint (since no one likes going through security twice).
Helping all travelers seamlessly navigate around construction raises several key design challenges. New signage and environmental art installations are part of the solution, as are friendly PDX employees stationed to help folks get where they need to go.
But some people still might not see, or be able to see, the signs. So friendly employees are stationed near closed-off areas to direct passengers where they need to go. Several local creatives have also installed giant sticky notes and cheerful critters (like roller-skating clouds) on construction walls — reminding us that the inconveniences are temporary and, hopefully, distracting the kids with something to chuckle at while they wait in line. Those are the human touches that still feel, well, PDX-y.
But there’s no getting around some disruptions: “You’ve heard this one before, but it’s true: Get here early and know your gate before you get to the security checkpoint,” Eric says.
“The silver lining is that we're seeing people again; we’re seeing families and vacationers again; it feels like normalcy. And after what we’ve been through this past year, that’s a good problem to have.”
Quick tips before your next flight
The travel pros at PDX have put together a few helpful tips to make sure your next trip is as easy and breezy as can be. Here are their top three tips. As always, find the latest updates on how construction could impact your trip at FlyPDX.com.
- Arrive a little early. The airport is busy again. Give yourself extra time to get to your gate. (We recommend 2 hours for domestic flights and 3 hours for international flights, but travelers should also check in with their airlines.)
- Don’t go through security twice. Make sure you follow signs to the security checkpoint matching your boarding pass. There are no shortcuts between concourses beyond security anymore.
- Masks are still required at PDX. Even if you’re vaccinated, masks are still required in airports and on airplanes.
Tom Strong - Chief Executive Officer, Skokomish Indian Tribe, Skokomish Washington
"We're foresters in that we're stewards," says Tom Strong, Chief Executive Officer of the Skokomish Indian Tribe, which manages 2,000 acres of Washington forests for its 800 tribal members. "We're not cutting and planting, seeking to develop our lands into a commodity. Instead, we're doing it to restore the forest."
Over the past 100 years, the two dams on the North Fork Skokomish River have had a major impact on the entire ecosystem of Skokomish land. "We want to restore the entire Hood Canal watershed," Tom says. The forests are just one part.
Selling wood from Douglas fir trees the tribe selectively thinned will help fund this restoration. "We don't have an endless amount of money," Tom says. "But we would like to think we've got an endless amount of time."
Ben Hayes - Co-owner, Hyla Woods, Cherry Grove, Oregon
Ben Hayes is a sixth-generation forester who manages Hyla Woods, outside Cherry Grove, Oregon, with his father, Peter. He is also a sustainable-forestry consultant. At Hyla Woods, the Hayes experiment with selective thinning and patch cutting, instead of clear-cutting, to foster diversity of tree species, ages, and sizes.
"When you look 100 years out, having greater complexity in terms of species and the structure of the forest, you can increase the forest's resilience in the face of extreme weather and drought," he says.
"We're working toward a model of forestry that you could practice for the perpetual future,” Ben says. “It's a model that lifts up both rural and urban communities and the ecosystems we rely on."
Richard and Ann Hanschu - Owners, Doneen, Forest Grove, Oregon
Ann Hanschu's father first bought land outside Forest Grove, Oregon, in 1956. Ann grew up trailing her father around the forest, learning from him. The Hanschus now have three children, four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Richard says, "We're planting trees that our grandchildren will see the profits from — not even our children. It's long-range thinking."
"A lot of the timber is older,” Ann adds. “We're laddering it with trees of different age groups — some 30-40 years old, some 10-20 years old — so the land can continue to produce a sustainable amount of wood."
Herman Flamenco - Central Cascades Conservation Forester, The Nature Conservancy, Cle Elum, Washington
"We know historically that the stands we're working on were overstocked," says Herman Flamenco, Central Cascades conservation forester for the Nature Conservancy, of the 50,000 acres outside Cle Elum, Washington, the organization manages. Thinning the trees welcomes in light and biodiversity.
Some loggers in the region worry that this low-impact approach to forestry yields less lumber, and less profit, than clear-cutting. One local outfit took on this labor-intensive challenge, selectively harvesting Doug fir trees from steep slopes.
"Western Washington is wetter. In our dry climate, there's less moisture and increased fire risk," Herman says. "As we look at climate change, it's just going to get dryer. We want to make sure we can keep our forests around."
In the 1950s, back when people wore fancy hats to the airport, PDX’s main terminal had brown terrazzo floors.
By the 1970s, blue carpet sporting the old Port of Portland logo replaced the terrazzo. The airport was so concerned about keeping the carpet clean that we banned gum-chewing indoors.
In the 1980s, PDX replaced the ski-chalet paneling in the Clocktower Plaza with high ceilings and skylights, but kept the blue carpet.
SRG Partnership, a Portland-based architecture firm, designed the pattern for the now-iconic carpet on the layout of the airport runways.
The Clocktower Plaza, post-1988, with the iconic carpet.
The Clocktower Plaza (before its demolition in 2021-22) with the new carpet.
The flexible interior spaces were designed with the future of travel in mind — and to give you plenty of comfortable spots to recharge before your next flight.
Two permanent installations from acclaimed contemporary artist Jacob Hashimoto hang like clouds above the concourse’s common areas.
Shops and restaurants are clustered together like city blocks, with a pedestrian-friendly scale and lots of room to spread out.
PDX’s swanky new bar, Juliett, honors women in aviation with mid-20th-century style, top-class cocktails, and local wines and beers.
Sky-high windows fill the interior with daylight while maximizing the concourse extension’s energy efficiency.
At the east end of the concourse, a wall of windows opens up this epic view of Mt. Hood, where you’ll definitely want to pose for a photo before takeoff.
The Concourse E extension project is the dedicated home for Southwest Airlines at PDX, with six new gates.
Remember the view of Mt. Hood on Concourse E? It’s coming back, brighter than ever.
Tillamook’s menu includes the best of the classics with fried cheese curds and a signature grilled cheese.
Calliope takes its name from one of Oregon’s native hummingbirds and showcases creative and playful keepsakes.
Grab your favorite book, magazine or newspaper at Your Northwest Travel Mart.
Concourse B's 38-foot-high ceilings and 6,900 square feet of windows don't just let light in. They let you watch the airport in action. "I think this airport gave us a chance to celebrate the romance of flight," says Gene Sandoval of ZGF, the architecture firm that designed the new concourse.
ZGF Architects was inspired to bring the Pacific Northwest’s natural world indoors. You can contemplate the plants hanging from the ceiling and the Oregon white-oak walls as you relax in B’s comfy new seats. (Bonus: More power adapters!)
RYAN! Feddersen’s art installation, which fills the concourse, is made up of three interconnected pieces. The “Sentinel” landscapes and abstract “Habitat Tiles” are pictured here.
RYAN! is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. She draws inspiration from the region’s traditions and landscape for these pieces, which include the gently rolling “Cloud Walk” overhead.
Nicole and David Mouton, in partnership with HMSHost, opened an outpost of Portland’s beloved Screen Door Restaurant on Concourse B. Find Screen Door’s legendary fried chicken and waffles here from breakfast until dinnertime.
Sam and Nick Purvis, the brothers behind Good Coffee, source fresh coffee beans and teas from all over the world. Pick up a pastry or a bag of beans, too!
Our new rental car center opened in November 2021.
All rental car brands are now on-site at PDX – no more shuttles to pick up your car.
Perez Westbrooks' colorful digital mural celebrates Northwest flora.
Ben Butler's swirling wood sculpture is made from reclaimed Douglas fir.
The new facility also adds 30 ADA parking spots, more than 30 electric vehicle charging stations, and 2,200 long-term parking spaces to the airport.
Adding more lanes to our new, relocated exit toll plaza helps you leave PDX more quickly.
Every design decision we make is about keeping the heart and soul of PDX intact. You’ll see homages to all the things you love about our city and region in the new airport designs.
You’ll notice subtle nods to the Pacific Northwest landscape throughout the space. Natural light, living trees, and native Oregon foliage may give you the feeling of walking through a park.
The new terminal’s wooden ceiling, made from sustainably grown, local Doug fir, might remind you of daylight filtering through forest canopies.
This will be your new view when entering the spacious ticket lobby at PDX. The nine-acre wood roof is so distinctive you’ll be able to spot it from the air.
The ripples and currents of pristine Northwest rivers inspired the new terminal’s curvy profile.
Expanding the heart of PDX creates more space for our beloved local shops and restaurants — not to mention local humans (and visitors, too).