A Look Inside Portland, Oregon’s New Airport Terminal

After five years, the first phase of Portland International Airport’s (PDX) massive main terminal renovation, featuring streamlined ticket counters and security checkpoints, a light- and plant-filled lobby, a sprawling beer bar, and the return of the famous PDX carpet, is complete. The new terminal officially opened on August 14.

PDX started its transformation in 2019, although it isn’t done yet. Now, portions of the north and south terminals will go under wraps for remodeling, which will see them turned into expanded exit areas, additional shops, and meeting spaces. The second and final phase is slated for a December 2025 completion date.

Here’s what you can expect in the newly opened terminal.

A bright, nature-filled design

One of the first things you’ll notice when walking into the new terminal is that you can see all the way through to the airfield—the space has a very open and airy concept. Another is the smell of freshly cut wood.

The soaring timber-lattice roof is made entirely of Douglas fir, sourced from the forests of sustainable loggers and sovereign lands tribal groups located within 300 miles of the airport.

“What we really wanted here was this sense that when you’re in Portland, you know you’re in Portland,” Vince Granato, chief projects officer at the Port of Portland, told Afar. “The ceiling helps reflect the region.”

Sharron van der Meulen, managing director at ZGF Architects, the firm that designed the terminal, explained why Douglas fir was chosen for the ceiling over other materials—apart from the wood being an abundant local material and there being many skilled woodworkers in the area.

“It is really part of our identity, that inherent connection to wood products,” van der Meulen said.

According to Granato, the design inspiration behind the new terminal was “a walk in the forest.” The curved canopy, exposed wooden beams, and 49 skylights are meant to create a setting that is reminiscent of dappled sunlight on the forest floor.

“Everything in the design is intended to reduce stress, [and] make the journey a little more pleasant,” Granato said. (That same reason is why the airport brings in llamas and alpacas a few times a month.)

There are also more than 70 trees, including black olives and ficus, and more than 5,000 shrubs scattered throughout the terminal (the latter all being native to the Pacific Northwest).

The ticketing and bag drop areas are closest to the doors. From there, travelers can follow the terrazzo and Oregon white oak floors left or right to the twin security areas, each outfitted with automated security bins. (The floors’ curvaceous pattern mimics the geometry of the roof while also giving a subtle nod to the water systems, such as the Willamette and Columbia rivers, in the area.)

Those who have some time to linger could hang out in the spacious lobby, which includes two massive, central stadium seating areas topped with benches that look like river stones and twigs.

“It was designed to be a public meeting place,” Granato explained. “There are always large groups that go through, whether it’s sports teams or families, so we figured this is a good place for people to congregate before going through security.”

The return of the famous PDX carpet

The classic and beloved Portland Airport carpet also made a comeback with the new terminal. Originally designed in 1987, the custom-made teal floor covering with pops of red, pink, and purple (meant to look like an abstract control tower and runways) was replaced in 2015, much to the disappointment of locals.

“When we did focus groups early on, we asked people what they would like to see at the airport, and they said they’d like to keep the heart and soul of it,” Granato said. “The carpet was a big deal to them.”

The reproduction, which PDX said took seven tries to get right, can be found like Easter eggs throughout the space, including under a grand piano next to Missionary Chocolates and at the top of the stadium seating.

Travelers also can find its location on the Fly PDX online terminal map by selecting “The Carpet” in the search bar.

The chance to meet with therapy llamas

Another feature of the new PDX: therapy llamas. “The llamas and alpacas visit PDX to soothe and delight travelers as part of the airport’s broader pet therapy program. They usually visit a couple times per month, and passengers love it. It’s a uniquely PDX way to spread joy to travelers,” an airport spokesperson told Afar.

The llamas and alpacas will make special appearances for events such as during the holiday season and a recent summer street fair in July. Want to know when the camelids will visit PDX next? You can follow the airport on Instagram for tips on future visits from the furry friends.

Art that reflects the Pacific Northwest

Above each security line there are video walls showcasing beautiful images of the Pacific Northwest, such as Mount Hood on a bluebird day and the Columbia River Gorge bathed in wildflowers, shot by local photographers and videographers. There’s no audio or advertisements—Granato said they wanted the screens to help reduce the stress associated with standing in line. The videos also adapt to what is happening in and around the airport. For instance, when it is raining outside, there will also be rain featured on the video walls.

Elsewhere in the terminal, local artist Yoonhee Choi was tapped to create two 56-foot-long, 11-foot-high glass walls decorated with whimsical, abstract patterns (partially inspired by the blue and green speech bubbles around texts) that are visible from each security checkpoint. And L.A.-based artist Sanford Biggers constructed two large-scale sculptures inspired by his quilt-based works that are suspended from the ceiling in the passageway connecting the concourses.

Stumptown Coffee, Pendleton, Powell’s Books, local craft beer, and more

Two dozen stores and restaurants have been or will be added to the new terminal space, each in its own stand-alone timber shop. All are local to Portland, and half are women- and minority-owned businesses.

Already, it includes retailers like Pendleton (a wool clothing and blankets company), Hello From Portland (a souvenir shop featuring locally made jewelry, stickers, foodstuffs, and gifts), and Powell’s Books (a famed bookstore whose airport outpost closed during the pandemic).

Some of the terminal eateries include Grassa, a handmade pasta company, and the Country Cat, a salads and sandwiches spot. For those in need of caffeine, there’s Stumptown Coffee Roasters and Portland Coffee Roasters. And lovers of craft beer can head to the 1,000-square-foot Loyal Legion Beer Hall, which overlooks the airfield and features 96 taps (and, eventually, a speakeasy). Note that Powell’s, as well as Freeland Spirits distillery and the canned cocktail company Straightaway, will be in temporary kiosks until their permanent shops are built during the second phase of construction.

Unique to PDX is a program to help small businesses, which historically haven’t been able to operate in airports due to the high cost and the long lease terms. (In PDX, that’s usually seven-year contracts for retail and a decade for food and beverage.) Two shop spaces have been allocated for retailers to use for one year as a kind of incubator, after which time, the hope is that they can move into permanent spaces in PDX or other airports. (Bambuza Vietnamese Kitchen & Bar, which currently operates in Seattle and Portland’s airports and has a forthcoming Salt Lake City airport location, got its start at PDX.). Missionary Chocolates and Orox Leather are the leaseholders for the first year at PDX.

If you get déjà vu walking through the concessions area, that’s intentional. It was designed to mimic Portland’s most popular shopping areas, like 23rd Street and Mississippi Street, with the same building heights, signage placement, and tree and light pole spacing.

Added bonus: You don’t have to be flying to visit the above airport shops or restaurants—all of the new concessions are presecurity.

“People love to come to the Portland airport and meet their party, I think more so than other airports,” Granato said. “It was important to us to create a space for locals, too.”