Portland Airport is the largest airport in Oregon state and accounts for 90% of passenger and 95% of air cargo for the state. It is often referred to as PDX, its IATA airport code. It is 12 miles away from downtown Portland in Multnomah County towards the southern side of the Columbia River.
Portland is well connected to major hubs in the United States. It also offers non-stop flights to international destinations like Netherlands, Mexico, Japan and Canada. It is a major hub for Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines. In terms of number of weekly flights Portland to Seattle – Tacoma is the nineteenth busiest route in the world. It has one main terminal building roughly H shaped and five concourses. Oregon is one of the few US states where there’s no sales tax and this is also true at Portland airport. It has a shopping mall behind the ticketing counters where shops and restaurants are open every day.
In 1927, the first airport in Portland was built on Swan Island. But pretty soon it became obsolete as it was ill equipped to handle large passenger and cargo loads. By 1936 the preparations for constructing a new airport started and by 1940 the current airport was completed. This construction provided much needed relief during the great depression.
Most transportation providers run car rental shuttles, airport shuttles, taxis and long haul shuttles from the airport to downtown Portland which is approximately 20 to 40 minutes driving distance. The pick up area for these is located in the central part of the airport near the terminal’s lower roadway on the departure and baggage claim level.
Portland is known for its parks and gardens. Few tourist attractions are the Classical Chinese Garden, the Japanese Garden, Oaks Amusement Park, Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, Willamette Valley, Ira Kelley Fountain Park are few of the most visited tourist spots. Portland also boasts of many museums and historical buildings like Pittock Mansion, Powell’s City of Books, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland Art Museum, Japanese American historical plaza amongst others.