Portland Flights

At the Portland International Airport (PDX), be sure when you approach the security area to look for a line to show either your 1st class or Frequent Flyer (yes, Frequent flyer) card and you can avoid any long lines.

I had never seen this before and after waiting 20 minutes to reach the entrance to the security line, I both heard and saw this method being used. Had I known that 20 minutes earlier, I could have been at the gate reading a newspaper or something instead of standing in line.

Arriving into Portland's airport is so easy and efficient, it happens to be one of my favorite airports to navigate. Easily accessible to the city center by the lightrail system (MAX).

I'll note that for the traveler who is usually late or in a rush, this is one of the best airports regarding the security lines. We have breezed threw with no more than 20 people on any given time waiting for the security check. There is a really great restaurant (with happy hour) and your usual gift shops.

The airport is connected to the lightrail system (MAX) and has cheap rental cars. It is a very good airport for the Mileage Runner as well as the general traveler. Security lines here in my experience do not exist. Never have I waited more than 5 minutes to go through security. There are a couple good restaurants. Cheap coffee and the bathrooms are fairly clean.

Wow, if you want to see mountains, just fly into Portland. 99% of the time you approach from the east down the Columbia River Gorge. As you descend, you are eye ball to eye ball with the summits of Mt. Adams on the right, and Mt. Hood on the left. You might also be able to see the remnants of Mt. St. Helens on the right plus a distant view of Mt. Ranier near Seattle.
Taking off from Portland you might swing around over Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams with Mt. Hood on right. I don't know of any other airport with this much scenery. Also, if you look closely on the approach you can seen the many extinct volcanoes to the south; Mt. Washington and Jefferson plus the Three Sisters near Bend. Of course this surmises you will be arriving on a clear day. As you may be aware we do have a bit of rain, clouds and fogs around here, so count your blessings if you get a good view.
Also, once inside the terminal you will find a nice, peaceful setting, with shops, and restaurants. The setting is less hectic than in larger airports. Security lines are usually short and the workers are usually friendly.
Parking is the usual at most airports. Short term is in a structure next to the terminal. Long term is next door plus the economy lot is accessable by shuttle bus. Interstate I-205 is the best way to access the airport, however, you can also take Max from the 102nd St. station, or access from Sandy Blvd.

Portland has a major airport (PDX) that is in North Portland, the industrial section of town, bordered by the Columbia River. You can get there by car and MAX (the red line light rail train).

PDX nearly lost its international status. But you can now fly to Germany on Lufthansa, Northwest Airlines flies nonstop to Tokyo and Mexicana will take you to Guadalajara. Other international travel may force you to go through one of the other major airports, such as SFO or LAX, say, if you're headed to the South Pacific.

You can also fly direct to Hawaii. Check the web site's non stop search page to see what carriers fly in to PDX direct: http://www.flypdx.com/NonStop/Search.aspx
You can also check arrival and departure times at the web site: http://www.flypdx.com/flights.aspx

Jet Blue is new to PDX and flies to New York. United, Alaska and Southwest airlines are all good ways to get around the west coast. There are also airlines that will take you on shorter flights around the state to Eugene or Klamath Falls.

If you are flying into Portland, you will be landing a little south of the city at Portland's International Airport. It is a hub for Alaska Airlines, as well as serving Air Canada, America West, American, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Southwest and Northwest. Internationally, it also serves Mexicana, Lufthansa, United and also goes to Hawaii.

It is located about 30 minutes south of downtown, so make sure you have made arrangements to rent a car, take a taxi, or hitch a ride into Portland!

Located along the banks of the Columbia River, Portland International Airport has flights to most major U.S. and Canadian cities.

We have a very user friendly airport.
Portland has a really good public transit system and a brand new light railsystem called MAX.
Bicycles are also very popular in the Portland area.