In Our View: New services take off at Portland airport

As many as 20 percent to 30 percent of the population say they are apprehensive about flying, and somewhere between 2 percent and 10 percent have an actual phobia, according to the mental health website Psych Central.

So it only seems like the entire population of Oregon and Southwest Washington is at Portland International Airport this week, jostling for economy parking, looking for a spot in the airport’s awkwardly designed cellphone lot, or standing in the security screening line serving the B and C concourses. (Frequent flyer tip: use the D and E concourse line, which is usually shorter, and walk back via the post-security concourse connector.)

These are some of the busiest days at Oregon’s busiest airport. By the time 2019 ends Wednesday, some 19.8 million people will have passed through the airport, and probably 17 million of them will have taken selfies of their feet on the green carpet.

How busy is busy? The airport’s owner, the Port of Portland, estimates that between Dec. 19 and Dec. 30, an estimated 650,000 travelers will use the airport, with even the lightest days attracting at least 50,000. That’s roughly the capacity of the University of Oregon’s Autzen Stadium, and the equivalent of 280 Boeing 737-900ERs, which is the biggest plane flown by Alaska Airlines, PDX’s biggest tenant. Many days you can catch planes anytime between 5 a.m. and 11:59 p.m.

The cost of the airport is offset largely with user fees added to the cost of airline tickets, and by rents paid by airlines and other tenants. The airport is touting that it has recently improved connectivity and the speed of its free Wi-Fi network, and installed a “neutral host distributed antenna system,” which should boost cellphone reception and reduce dropped calls.

If you can’t remember where you parked, but you did remember to download the Park Assist app, you can enter your license plate number and it will tell you where your car is. Finally, the port is touting new signage in the restrooms so you can shoot a text message to the janitorial supervisor if it’s dirty.

As air travel continues to grow, there will be even more flights and passengers. Recently British Airways announced nonstop service from London-Heathrow airport to PDX, four days per week, beginning June 1. BA’s arrival will also mark the first regular service to Portland by Boeing 787 aircraft, which have supplanted the older, bigger 747 as a staple of international transport.

Other new service recently established or announced include flights to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Tokyo’s Haneda airport. New nonstop domestic flights include Madison, Wisc., Nashville, Tenn., and San Luis Obispo, Calif. PDX already has more than 70 nonstop destinations ranging from Kaui, Hawaii to Keflavik, Iceland.

One downside of the growth is the increased crowding. The overwhelming popularity of rideshare services has caused the airport to rethink its pickup areas and strategies, which has helped to reduce the perpetual traffic jam on the lower level.

Inside the airport, two major construction projects are underway. At the north end, Concourse E is being expanded, and will accommodate Southwest Airlines when it is completed next year. On the south side, Concourse A is being demolished to make way for a bigger Concourse B, which will eventually handle flights to Alaska’s smaller destinations such as PAE and MFR and FAT .

The freedom and ability to travel in comparative comfort is a modern right, and PDX is increasingly where that right is exercised.