The coronavirus pandemic has put many workplaces on hold, but PDX is critical infrastructure for our region. We’re safely keeping construction moving — adapting our plans to preserve jobs while ensuring the health of our workers. We started the PDX Next program to upgrade outdated facilities, make PDX more seismically resilient and prepare for growth in our region. Those needs have not changed. We’re making progress on these essential projects so the airport continues to serve our communities now and in the future, through economic recovery and beyond.

Our PDX family has come together to keep essential services up and running and critical projects in motion — we’re following official guidelines while taking extra precautions to keep everyone safe and healthy. Port of Portland leadership is working with our construction partners to ensure the highest safety standards on all of our job sites. This includes strict social distancing and deep cleaning as well as contact tracing and supporting ill team members to stay home and self-isolate. Keeping construction moving safely means we can help keep 1,250 people working and continue to support dozens of local businesses.

The new Concourse E extension at PDX is complete. This bright new home for Southwest Airlines opened in July 2020 at PDX thanks to our many partners, who worked through challenging times to cross the finish line. A big round of applause to Skanska, more than 75 local construction subcontractors, Hennebery Eddy Architects, Fentress Architects, Tillamook, Jamba, Calliope, Your Northwest Travel Mart and artist Jacob Hashimoto.

PDX welcomes around 20 million passengers annually and we expect to grow to 35 million passengers by 2045. PDX needs more space so that everyone we welcome to the airport has a comfortable spot to hang out. And we need flexibility so that we can adjust to future technology that has the potential to change the way we travel. See for yourself how the action will unfold.

On November 14, we said goodbye to the oldest and stuffiest concourse at PDX... forever. Concourse A will be demolished to make room for a more spacious Concourse B. (In the meantime, Alaska Airlines flights will depart from Concourse C, where you’ll find more restaurants and more places to relax before takeoff.) That means that the alphabet at PDX will now officially begin with “B,” not “A” — we’re doing our part to keep Portland a little weird.

We’re making the Portland International Airport more, well, PDX. Expect new views of Mt. Hood, creative work from acclaimed artists, some of your favorite Portland restaurants (um, hello, Screen Door) and #PNW touches like warm wood panels and indoor plants. And in addition to making the airport more comfortable and convenient, we’re also making it more sustainable and inclusive by design. PDX Next is the airport you love, getting lovelier.

PDX Next is funded with a $2 billion investment. You may wonder who’s picking up that check. The answer is simple: It’s not local taxpayers, as some folks may assume. The vast majority of these upgrades are paid for by airport tenants, including the airlines, Federal Aviation Administration and Transportation Security Administration.

You bet! That’s one way we’re keeping the heart and soul of PDX intact. As we open more spaces for restaurants and shops, we’re creating new opportunities for local businesses. And in the next two years, we’re placing an even greater emphasis on elevating small and disadvantaged entrepreneurs; by the time these new shops and restaurants open, 26% of the airport’s concessions will be women- and minority-owned.

We’re making a bunch of improvements to help you get in and out of the airport seamlessly. A few of these changes are now in effect. The next time you hail a car, it’ll be easier to find your driver thanks to a pioneering program based on Uber’s PIN technology and Lyft's code-based pickup service. The icing on the cake comes in 2023 when we’ll open a dedicated rideshare pick-up area, which will ease roadway congestion for everyone.

Oh yes, the famous carpet at PDX. It’s risen to celebrity status over the years, thanks to the bajillion shoe selfies travelers share on Instagram. You probably know that the airport replaced the iconic, worn-out 1980s-era carpet with a fresh-but-similar design in 2015. We’re happy to confirm that you can keep snapping pics of your handsome sneakers. As is currently the case throughout the airport, our new and renovated spaces will feature varied flooring materials inspired by the Pacific Northwest, homey carpet included.

The extensive art and music program at PDX is a microcosm of our region’s creative scene, and PDX Next means even more of it. You can look forward to new work from artists such as Jacob Hashimoto, who opened a permanent exhibit in Concourse E in June 2020. Stay tuned here at PDXnext.com for more arts announcements and behind-the-scenes stories.

Well, this isn’t a question … but don’t worry, we’ve got some tasty news for you. In the next couple of years, nine new concessions will open at PDX. The mix of new restaurants includes local favorites like Bambuza Vietnam Kitchen and Tillamook coming to Concourse E, and Good Coffee and Screen Door in Concourse B. Check out this behind-the-scenes story about our new culinary hot spots.