Portland International Airport

PDX: 5 Things We Love about Portland International Airport

Airport guides, ,

Our “5 Things We Love About…” series celebrating cool features and amenities at airports around the country and the world continues today with a visit to Oregon’s Portland International Airport – PDX.

Keep in mind that some of the features we love at PDX may be currently unavailable due to health concerns. We are confident they will be back.

If we have missed an amenity at PDX that you love, please make a note in the comments section below. 

And let us know which airports you’d like to see profiled in a future episode of  “5 Things We Love About…”

5 Things We Love About Portland International Airport

1. The movie theater at PDX

Portland International Airport is home to a 17 seat, post-security movie theater showing short films by Oregon filmmakers.

A branch of Portland’s historic Hollywood Theatre, the Hollywood Theatre at PDX offers a looped series of free films that change each quarter.

You can see the movies before or after a flight and online.

Here’s one filmed with just a drone that will get you up to date on Portland’s many bridges.

2. PDX Art Program

Artist: Deborah Butterfield

PDX has an extensive permanent and temporary art program that includes work throughout the terminal, on the airport drive, and out by at the MAX light rail station.

Homage to Flight – by Miles Pepper

The airport is getting ready to welcome a major new piece by Jacob Hashimoto in the new Concourse E extension, Southwest Airlines’ new home at PDX.

3. The Live Music at PDX

Musician Doug Shafer

Most every day you can hear and see live music in the PDX terminals.

The musicians are volunteering their time and talent. So, tip well and buy a souvenir CD if you can.

4. Food carts, coffee, and whiskey at PDX

Portland is serious about its coffee, its food carts, and its spirits.

And travelers can sample them all at PDX.

In addition to coffee drinks from Pete’s, Starbucks, Stumptown, Portland Coffee Roasters and Blue Star Donuts + Coffee, PDX has both a kiosk and tasting room for Portland-based Westward Whiskey. Hopworks Urban Brewery serves up seasonal and signature beers as well as grab-n-go beers.

        

In addition to many great places to eat, PDX also celebrates the local food cart scene with a changing array of food-cart venues in the pre-security Clocktower Plaza.

5. The shopping at PDX

Portland International Airport is a great place to shop.

Not only is there no sales tax in Oregon, but PDX requires its vendors to offer street pricing.

And, unlike many airports these days, many of the shops are in the pre-security area.

As a bonus, PDX has branches of many iconic and popular downtown shops, including Pendleton, Made in Oregon, Powell’s City of Books, Tender Loving Empire, The Real Mother Goose (crafts) and cc McKenzie (shoes and apparel).

Terrazzo floor art – Larry Kirkland

And what about PDX’s iconic, much-loved, and replaced carpet?

According to airport spokeswoman Kama Simonds, “The last remnant of the old carpet was removed from the threshold between the old and new parts of Concourse E and temporarily relocated to the space under Jacob Hashimoto’s artwork until the coffee kiosk opens in that space.”

Once that new coffee kiosk opens the last bit of the old PDX carpet will removed.

Sad? Yes. But it’s a good bet shops at the airport will continue to stock carpet-themed souvenirs for a long time to come.

Did we miss your favorite amenity at Portland International Airport (PDX?). Leave a note in the comments section below. And let us know, too, which airport you would like us to visit next.

All photos courtesy of Port of Portland

Payback: TSA workers set up food banks, by meals for airport employees

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Updating this story as new examples arrive.

During the partial shutdown of the federal government in 2019, many TSA employees continued to show up for work despite missing paychecks.

To help them out, airport employees, airlines and airport concessionaires around the country joined with social service agencies and the local community to stock pantries with food and goods.

Now at some airports, TSA workers are returning the favor by setting up food pantries and special meals for airport employees who have had hours cut or who have been put out of work because there are so few passengers in airports.

Here’s what’s happening at Portland International Airport (PDX).

TSA employees at Dulles International Airport (IAD) have set up a food pantry for airport workers.

And at T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) in Rhode Island, TSA officers chipped in and bought pizza dinners – twice so far – for their fellow airport workers, including wheelchair attendants and airline employees.

Courtesy TSA

We’ll update this list of good-deeds as we hear of my examples.

Travel Tidbits from Icelandair, PDXairport, Uber and Lyft

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Icelandair has decided to extend the run of its Buddy Hotline Service through July 8.

The free program offers passengers a chance to get travel planning tips via phone or via online messenger from a member of the Icelandair team who’s an Iceland local.

According to Icelandair, each of the “Buddies” has a different expertise, such as local cuisine, outdoor adventures, wellness and Icelandic culture. And each buddy is eager to offer insider tips to help travelers make the most of their trip.  

The Hotline is open weekdays through July 8 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. ET and weekends from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET.

PDX testing new ways to leave airports via Lyft and Uber

Like many airports, Portland International often has a very long line of people waiting for their assigned driver from a ride-hailing service such as Uber or Lyft.

Now, thanks to a pilot program being tested by both Uber and Lyft, the line should move much faster.

And, soon, so should the ride-hailing pick-up line at other airports.

First, the airport has separated the pick-up locations for the ride-hailing brands (Uber, Lyft and Winz) that serve the airport.

Uber and Lyft are also using a new system for pickups.

Uber is using PIN technology, a system it has used a high-volume events and festivals, to more quickly connect UberX riders and their drivers.  

Travelers request an UberX ride, receive a one-time code, and enter the line at the pick-up location. When they reach the front of the line, they show their code to the driver and upon validation, start the trip. (Separately, riders can also use Uber products for pick-ups at PDX, including UberPOOL, Uber XL etc. )

Lyft is also offering travelers a new code-based pick-up service.

With Lyft, travelers request their ride and are given a code. When the passenger arrives at the curb, they show the code to the next available driver and off they go. 

Both companies are testing their processes at PDX this week with full implementation expected by May 20. 

The pin-systems should get riders moving more quickly. S we expect the pilot program to become a permanent program at PDX and other airports shortly.

 

Nashville Airport’s carpet

Airport Terminals

The carpet at Nashville International Airport (BNA) is following in the steps of the celebrity carpet at Portland International Airport.

The BNA carpet dates back to 2010. It has its own Instgram account with about 7000 followers and lots of photos featuring feet, people, pets and babies on the carpet.

View this post on Instagram

Same. #mood #vibes #nashville

A post shared by BNA Carpet (@bnacarpet) on

Like the PDX carpet, travelers can even buy products featuring the pattern of the BNA carpet. 

In addition to shoes with the BNA carpet pattern, the list of carpet-themed goodies includes hoodies, leggings, socks, luggage covers and hoodies.

If you love the pattern and want a photo of your feet on carpet, though, start thinking about making a trip to Nasvhille International Airport.

According to a local news report, as part of renovations and upgrades at the airport the BNA carpet is scheduled to begin being replaced starting in summer 2020. The carpet will totally be replaced by terrazzo or by a carpet with a new pattern by 2023.

If you do go to Nasvhille International Airport to check out the carpet, be sure to look very closely: airport officials say there are guitar images hidden in the pattern.

Do you have a favorite airport carpet?

You can own artwork honoring the famed PDX carpet

Fun Stuff, ,

Remember the ‘celebrity’ carpet at Portland International Airport?

Portlanders loved the PDX carpet. But it was old and worn and had to be replaced.

Now a large scale artwork celebrating that carpet is up for auction.

 

People loved taking pictures of their feet on that carpet.

The pattern showed up on caps, cups, neck pillows, jam, beer and all sorts of other items.

And, in 2015, not long after the Port of Portland announced it would be replacing all the carpeting in the airport, the carpet (yes the carpet) was named the Grand Marshal of Portland’s Rose Parade.

Now the large-scale carpet-centric artwork titled “Carpet Diem” by local artist Nancy Wilkins  that was commissioned by the airport and which has hung on Concourse ‘D’ at PDX since 2014 is being replaced as well.

The artwork is being surplused and is now up for auction.

Last we looked the highest bid was only $110!

Take a look and see if you’d like to own this homage to a quirky carpet,  and if you’ve got room for it in your home, office, bowling alley or airplane hangar.