PDX Holiday Travel More Than Twice As Busy This Year As Last

PORTLAND, OR —Travel through Portland International Airport should be more than twice as busy as it was last year. Despite that, it will still be about 100,000 fewer people than passed through the airport in 2019.

That's according to the Port of Portland, which operates the airpot.

The port says that this holiday season, which runs from today through New Year's Eve, they expect about 552,000 people to fly in or out of PDX. They say that the bulk of those people will travel between now and Monday December 27 when an average of approximately 46,000 will pass through each day.

The busiest says should be today and next Monday when the numbers of people traveling through PDX should come close to 50,000 people.

The numbers are good news, according to Port officials.

While the numbers are nowhere near 2019 numbers, they are healthy level above last year's pandemic-choked totals.

The 46,000 expected daily average is well above last year's 18,000 daily, but below the 50,000 a day who passed through in 2019.

The 552,000 expected is well above the 224,000 who traveled through PDX last year but still below the 650,000 who were in 2019.

Officials say that they expect that the year end total should be 11.9 million. Again, more than 50 percent higher than last year's 7 million but around 50 percent lower than the 19.8 million visitors in 2019.

If you plan to travel this season, port officials have three reminders:

• Mask up. The federal mask mandate was extended to March 18, 2022; face coverings are still required inside at airports nationwide and onboard all airlines serving PDX;
• Even though PDX has a great reputation for being a smooth operation, people this season should arrive at least two hours in advance. It’s critical for travelers to give themselves enough time to navigate the travel process without stress or concern for missing their flights; and
• Double check your boarding pass. There is no longer a hallway connecting all gates past security. Confirm your departure gate so you only go through security screening once.