Five Great Things About Portland Airport

Yeah, PDX is one of the best airports in the country, IMO.

Wait. People take public transit in LA?

See, this is why I love PDX and am eternally glad that it is the main airport I fly out of (though that very well my change depending on what happens when I graduate). It almost makes me sad that lately I’m mainly there late at night for the 12am Jetblue PDX-JFK flight because PDX also has (wait for it…) real food.

Is the MAX train at PDX a new(ish) thing? Last time I flew there the train didn’t make it out there and was a common complaint of my friends living there. And isn’t PDX relatively small in terms of traffic volume? I use PVD in lieu of BOS just to avoid the big airport hassle.

My biggest complaint about airports is the lack of food. When in unfamiliar cities I never like to risk eating a good meal before hitting the airport in fear of not knowing the time it takes to drop a rental car and get through security. Then once “inside” I’m left with the options of Burger King or McDonalds. Even huge “layover” airports like Atlanta have dismal dining options. I fly out of MSP and have yet to see another airport compete on quality & selection of food.

Just arrived in PDX a few days ago, and I think it’s the only airport in the US I really like. Now if only LH could build a real lounge here instead of using the dreadful UA RCC. I’m not even using it anymore when flying back home because I can at least get free wifi down in the concourse while I’d have to pay in the lounge :(

By default I would bet most guys push down on the handle rather than up. They should have made it down for less water instead of up.

I can’t believe they still haven’t extended the green line to LAX, I thought it was dumb not to have it go there when it was first built. But give it time, look how long it took BART in the San Francisco area to get extended to SFO.

Here are a few more: Sushi and wine bar before and after you fly, and no sales tax!

The TSA in Portland also is out in the open. You can watch them inspect the bags if you want to. Compare that to Washington DC. Several years ago the Washington Post reported that thefts from bags were rapidly increasing, and TSA was the main reason why. So how did the TSA respond in Washington? To move the TSA inspection behind closed doors where the public wouldn’t be able to watch. That prompted me to write a letter to the Post citing the case of PDX where the public can watch their bag opened, inspected and then closed. The ultimate deterrent to theft by the TSA. The nation’s capitol moved in the opposite direction, so thefts would increase.

I also commented that I hoped the TSA would steal out of a suitcase from the Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee or the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The resulting hearings by the House or Senate would cause a stop to theft fairly quickly, as the head of the TSA would be grilled and verbally tortured as result. The Post called and said they loved the letter, especially my hope that a leading politician would have that problem with the TSA.