See inside Portland International Airport's new terminal
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The new main terminal will feature Oregon white oak floors and a slatted timber roof. Photo: Josh Kulla/Port of Portland
Air travelers with renovation fatigue, rejoice! After undergoing construction since 2020, Portland International Airport will debut its new, $2 billion main terminal next month.
Why it matters: The long corridor of detours between concourses C and D is going away — which will make navigating the airport less of a never-ending walk to your gate.
Driving the news: The main terminal will be open for business on Aug. 14. Workplace safety issues in April delayed the originally scheduled spring opening by four months.
- The construction wall currently behind ticketing will be removed and replaced with an expedited check-in area. A tree canopy garden, waiting areas (with the '80s-era PDX carpet design) and a marketplace will also be available to the public before TSA security check.
Yes, but: Construction is not over yet. Renovation of the terminal's north and south ends is ongoing through 2025. A new detour will be put up between concourses B and E.
- The dedicated enter-and-exit lanes are also still a work in progress. In the interim, all passengers will use the same doors out to the road for pick-up and drop-off.
What's inside: Now, upon arrival in the lobby, travelers will be greeted with Oregon white oak and terrazzo floors, as well as a captivating, $125-million, 9-acre roof (with 49 oval skylights) made from Douglas fir sourced within 300 miles of Portland.
- The Port of Portland, which runs the airport, added more checkpoints to make getting through security faster — new automatic ferry belts will push your carry-ons and shoes through the entrance of the X-ray machines, too, so you don't have to.
- There'll also be a screen showing wait times and a video wall above TSA showing art by Oregon artists, including Portlander Ivan McClellan.
- Plus: 72 freshly planted trees are meant to give the space a "walk in the forest" feel.
Dig in: Thirteen additional vendors, including Grassa, Oven and Shaker, Country Cat, plus returning favorites Blue Star Donuts and Powell's Books, will open in August, too.
- Loyal Legion will hold down a pre-security, mezzanine-level beer garden, featuring 96 Oregon brews on tap.
- You can find the full vendor list here.
The bottom line: This full-scale makeover is sure to help PDX get back on top of Travel & Leisure's best domestic airport list — an award it won seven straight years before construction began.