Portland International Airport

The first airport to open in Portland was on Swan Island. The island is now an industrial park, and no trace of the airport remains. The airport was built there on 256 acres of land. Its construction began in 1926. Although the entire airport was not complete until 1930, it was the site of one of Charles Lindbergh's flights in 1927. The Swan Island airport was short lived, however, because the size of the island did not leave room for expansion. In 1935, it was abandoned. The airlines and most of the material were moved to the new site over the next few years. During this time, the flights in and out of Portland were re-routed to a neighboring city.

The next airport to be built in Portland was in the 1940s. This airport was built on a strip of land that was purchased by the Portland City Council. It included 700 acres and was bordered by the Columbia River (in the North) and Columbia Slough (in the south). This was the present-day site of Portland International Airport. It was called the "super airport". This airport was in use until the Vanport Flood of 1948, when the entire grounds were found to be under water. It is around this time that expansion began, which led to the current state of the airport. During the expansion, part of the Slough was filled in and the banks along both the Slough and the River were modified. Therefore, flooding would not be a problem for the expanded airport.

The current day building is nicknamed "The International". It is an expansion of the "super airport". The present-day building with the current terminal opened in 1958. After the current terminal was built, and the rest of the airport was improved upon, the word "International" was added to the name of the airport. The terminal has remained mostly the same through the years. In the 1980s and the 1990s, there were interior improvements made to all aspects of the airport. Although there were expansions and improvements made, the overall shape of the airport has not changed since it was originally made larger in 1958. All of the work has been done to the inside.

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Portland International Airport is the most important airport in Oregon. Therefore, getting to it is easy. The airport is located near the Columbia River, and is only 12 miles away from downtown Portland. The airport is located on Interstate 205. This means that driving to the airport from Portland, or from anywhere along Interstate 205 is easy. There is also taxi service from Portland. The taxi service is relatively cheap because the airport is close to Portland. One can call for a taxi to their home, or hail one anywhere in downtown Portland. The taxi will take a passenger to the airport for under $25.

Another way to get to the airport is to take the local light rail from Portland directly to the terminal. The airport is located on the MAX Red Line for the light rail system. One can take this rather cheaply as well. The light rail ticket is less than 5 dollars a person.

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While most international airports have more than one terminal, Portland International Airport does not. The airport is made up of one building. This building is in the shape of the letter H. Therefore; the terminal building itself is divided into five different concourses.

On the south side of the building, one will find Concourses A, B, and C. On the north side of the building, one will find concourses D and E. These concourses are all connected by a walkway that is elevated. This elevated walkway is located after the security checkpoints, which means that if a person is in the airport, they may get to any of the terminals after they have gone through security.

The moving walkway is the best way to get around the Portland International Airport. Because of the H shape building, some of the gates are located very far away from other gates. Therefore, it is recommended that one takes the walkway inside the airport. If a person does not feel like taking the moving walkway, they may walk from concourse to concourse. The airport is clearly marked, and therefore it is easy to find one's way through.

In the airport, smoking is prohibited. This includes everywhere on the grounds. There are designated smoking areas near the terminal entrances that one might use. However, there is no smoking in any of the restaurants or bars. This is a regulation of the National government.

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Although Portland International Airport is somewhat smaller than many other international airports, there are still many airlines to be found at PDX. In concourse A, a passenger can find Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air, and Big Sky Airlines. In Concourse B, one will also find Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. These flights will go to different destinations, so a passenger should pay attention to their gate assignment at check in.

In Concourse C, passengers will find Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and US Airways. Concourse D is the international concourse. Here, one will find flights from all international destinations, except those that have been pre cleared from Canada. This concourse includes flights from Continental, Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, Lufthansa, Mexicana, and Northwest Airlines. The final concourse is Concourse E. Here, one will find flights from Air Canada, Jet Blue Airways, and United Airlines.
At Portland International Airport, one can also find cargo operations. These companies include Air China Cargo, Air Transport International, Airborne Express, Ameriflight, DHI, Federal Express, Kitty Hawk Aircargo, and the United Parcel Service.

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Portland International Airport has many direct connections to many other airports in the United States. These direct connections can get a passenger to almost all of the states. Some of the most noteworthy direct connections include Honolulu and Anchorage. This is because Portland International Airport has one of the greatest number of flights to both Alaska and Hawaii. In fact, Alaska Air is located in three different concourses. Portland remains the most popular destination for flights from Alaska to the lower 48 states.

Portland International Airport is also a hub for local flights. These destinations include smaller cities along the west coast. These cities are located in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, California, and Nevada. Along with these smaller flights, there are also personal and private airplanes that use the Portland International Airport. These are all located in Concourse E. However, one must make prior arrangements in order to use these airlines, as the companies that own the small planes do not have offices within the Portland International Airport.

Portland International Airport also has direct connections to several international destinations. These include destinations in Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Germany, Japan, and The Netherlands. At one time, the Portland International Airport was the hub for Delta Airlines and their main flights to Asia. However, there were too many complaints about the treatment in the immigration facility at the airport. This, coupled with the plunge of the Asian Stock Market, led to a dramatic decrease in flights to Asia.

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Within the Portland International Airport, one can find both shops and restaurants. There are 21 restaurants that are located in the main terminal. These are both sit down restaurants and take away restaurants. Some of the restaurants that one can find in the terminal include Stanford's Restaurant and Bar, Starbuck's Coffee, Beaverton Bakery, Laurelwood Brewing Company, Good Dog/Bad Dog, Booya Juice, Coffee People, Carper's Café, Gustav's Pub and Grill, Cool Temptations, Jumping Jelly Beans, Panda Express, Pizzicato, Pizza Shmizza, Quiznos, Rose City Café, Riverfront Café, Rose Cit Wine Bar, Starbucks, Sandoval's, Wendy's, and Widmer Pub.

There are also stores that are located in the Portland International Airport. These stores include most of the retail stores that one would find in a shopping mall. In fact, there is a shopping mall in which these stores are located. It is found behind the ticket counters.

The businesses and restaurants in the Portland International Airport are somewhat unique because they are not allowed to charge any more at the airport than they would charge anywhere else in Portland. Another advantage is that Oregon itself has no sales tax. Therefore, the airport offers tax-free shopping.

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Businesses and restaurants are not the only things to be found at the Portland International Airport. In the airport, one can find a post office. There is also free WiFi that a person can use while in the airport. This is due in part to the fact that the Portland International Airport is one of the largest airports for business travel in the United States. Therefore, many people traveling on business stop in Portland.

In the airport, there is also a playroom for families with children. Along with the restaurants, bars, and other entertainment venues, one can pass a very memorable layover in the Portland International Airport. With all of the family-friendly amenities, this airport also caters to as many parents and children as businessmen and women.

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In the early 1990s, a brand new parking facility was complete in the Portland International Airport. This parking garage is currently located beneath the airport building. Parking rates are not as high as at some of the other airports in the United States. Therefore, both short and long-term parking exists at the airport. The parking facility is located inside. Therefore, many people feel comfortable leaving their cars in the garage, whether they are going on a long trip or a short one.

The parking garage is hailed today as one of the most modern and up to date parking garages at an airport. However, its conception and construction were marred by tragedy. During construction, the roof caved in, killing a worker. After the debris was cleared, the plans were re-written so that there was no chance of the cave in happening again. Currently, the parking garage is thought to be extremely safe.

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The current terminal and all of the facilities at the Portland International Airport meet all of the safety guidelines set forth by the United States Government. The terminal was actually under construction for most of the 1990s. It was open during this construction, but on September 10th, 2001, the terminal was considered to be finished. After the terrorist attacks in New York City the following day, several small changes were made in security. These were the same changes that were made at most of the airports in the United States.

A passenger traveling from the Portland International Airport is advised to be at the airport at least two hours before an international flight, and at least ninety minutes before a domestic flight. The luggage screeners and personnel are installed and employed by the United States Government. Therefore, the security at the Portland International Airport is considered to be strong.

After the parking garage was completed in the late 1990s, an awning was installed over the driveway. Although this awning is elaborate and although many architects like the awning, it has come under criticism because it blocks the view of Mount Hood from the outside of the airport. At one time, this view was one of the reasons that people enjoyed visiting the Portland International Airport. Although the awning has come under criticism, it serves an important purpose, and this is one of security.

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