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Portland International Airport (PDX) opened its main terminal expansion yesterday. The Main Terminal offers one million square feet of space and looks to serve 35 million passengers annually by 2045. Alaska Airlines, the airport’s largest carrier, celebrated by launching its new automated bag drop technology.
Construction at the airport has been ongoing for years as the Port of Portland worked to convert existing buildings into this beautiful and massive space. This cost $2.15 billion and truly reflects the spirit of the Pacific Northwest. The airport has brought in 72 trees with some as tall as 25 feet. The terminal is planted with local greenery including over 5,000 plants to make passengers feel like they are in a Pacific Northwest forest.
The huge, nine-acre timber roof is the centerpiece. The project used around 3.5 million feet of wood to construct the roof restaurants and stores, check-in area, security, flooring, and walls. It has all been sourced from small family-owned forests, non-profits, and tribal nations within a 300-mile radius of Portland International Airport (PDX).
The project’s sustainable design looks to set a new industry standard for airports worldwide. The main terminal doubles capacity while achieving a 50% reduction in energy use per square foot. The terminal has been built to withstand earthquakes with a magnitude up to 9.0 in the Cascadia Subduction Zone.
Vince Granato, Chief Projects Officer at the Port of Portland, said:
With the new PDX, we wanted travelers to know they were in the Pacific Northwest before they even left the airport. And for locals, we wanted it to feel like home. Creating that sense of place started with ZGF’s spectacular design, which was brought to life by thousands of local craftspeople, using locally made materials. That’s what makes this project so special.”
In conjunction with the terminal opening, Portland International Airport (PDX) will be the first location where Alaska Airlines will use its new proprietary and innovative technology to transform the airport experience and move passengers more seamlessly through the lobby and into security in five minutes or less. Portland is Alaska’s second largest hub and the airline is making a significant investment here. In addition to the tech used for tagging bags, a new Alaska Lounge will open in 2026. The new lounge will open in 2026 and measure 12,000 square feet. It will include all of the signature elements that guests have come to expect, like a barista, pancake machine, and fireplace.
Shane Jones, Senior Vice President of Fleet, Revenue Products and Real Estate at Alaska Airlines, said:
As our second largest hub, Portland is an essential part of Alaska’s future. Our deep collaboration and joint investment with the Port of Portland on this new world-class terminal highlights our focus on improving how our guests travel.”
Alaska’s new bag tagging system allows guests to use their mobile phones to scan their boarding passes and print a bag tag. Embross, a leader in self-service technologies, has been brought in to power this process and make it easy for travelers to use Automated Bag Drop stations. This also includes securely matching travelers to their government-issued IDs without them having to stand in line for an agent.
Anthony’s Take: I was in Portland International Airport (PDX) in January and now want to go back to check out this beautiful, new terminal. The design and tech both are exciting.
(Image Credits: PDX and Alaska Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
