Airport Experience® News - Conference Issue 2026

LATEST BUZZ

Other materials tell similar stories. Sankofa Lumber , one of more than 125 local small businesses contributing to the Phase 2, used upcycled wood from the airport’s own roof to create wall panels for concessions. Flooring choices now include terrazzo and hardwood in high-traffic areas which improve accessibility for travelers using wheelchairs or rolling bags. When the terminal is fully open, the new terminal space to explore will include new meeter-greeter areas at both ends of the building, expanded restrooms and a reimagined exit path to baggage claim with large windows, hanging plants and natural light. By the end of construction, more than 5,000 living plants will fill the terminal, many suspended from the ceiling to recreate the look and feel of a Pacific Northwest forest. Travelers arriving in 2026 will walk through an airport designed not only for flow but for visual experience. A 56-foot installation from local artist Yoonhee Choi mixes colorful shapes with intentional blank space. It is her first public art commission and her first work in glass. Two digital video walls created by local artist Ivan McClellan run along both TSA checkpoints. The displays use real-time data such as time of day, weather and passenger volume to generate an evolving 24-hour visual story. Natural light pours through 49 skylights. The building doubles terminal capacity while reducing energy use per square foot by half. Passenger Amenities Two new passenger lounges will open later this year. A Portland branch of the Escape Lounge network and a new Alaska Lounge at the terminal’s south end will give travelers more space to relax. The stadium seating zone introduced in Phase 1 will remain a popular gathering point for families. Van der Meulen notes that space exceeded expectations. “We didn’t expect the stadium seating area located pre-security to be so fully utilized” she says. “In Phase 2 passengers will be pleased to have a shorter walking distance from their arrival gate to the exit.” Right: Tender Loving Empire and Hopworks are two local brands available to PDX travelers. More concessions are scheduled to open this year. All will be local brands, in keeping with the airport’s all-local program.

Travelers will find 14 new shops and restaurants coming online over the next several months. Local businesses that opened kiosks in 2024 include Powell’s Books and Straightaway Cocktails . These will expand into full-size locations. Newcomers like Kure Superfoods , Lola’s Cafe and Pilot House Distilling will debut alongside new grab and-go concepts. Also coming are four new newsstands and local names with compelling backstories. At Paper Epiphanies , a feminist stationery and gift shop, all products are made by women to empower women. It is one of the 60% of new concessions that include

woman or minority ownership. And Loyal Legion will pour 96 Oregon beers on tap from a space with clear views of the runway, no ticket required. Van der Meulen says the baggage claim area offers another example of thoughtful risk-taking. “We could have taken the easy route and left the layout alone” she says. “But we knew this was the one chance to reshape the entire flow and make it feel like part of the journey not just the end of it.” In other words the new PDX is not only bigger. It is better. It is also unmistakably Portland.

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AX NEWS MARCH 2026