Portland International Airport Drops In New J.D. Power Rankings

PORTLAND, OR — It might just come down to who you believe: J.D. Power or Travel + Leisure.

J.D Power released a survey last week that ranked Portland International Airport as the 11th best large airport in the country. That's a drop from just two years ago when they were ranked number one by the same group.

On the other hand, just last month, Travel + Leisure, the popular travel magazine, listed PDX as the best domestic airport in the country. Again.

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In both cases, the Port of Portland doesn't quibble with the results, pointing out that both organizations made valid points about work shortages and ongoing construction projects and the efforts to overcome them.

J.D. Power pointed to food, beverage, and retail options being limited as airports struggle.

Airport spokeswoman Kama Simonds concedes that point, saying, "this is accurate at PDX. Our concessionaires have many open positions to fill and as we slowly emerge from the pandemic, they are working hard to have business operations mirror flight schedules. This leads to truncated hours, which surprises people who haven’t flown in a while."

As for J.D. Power's assertion that construction projects being problematic for travelers, Simonds points out that, "we have multiple major construction projects taking place, including in the main part of our terminal. We’re working hard to make sure folks know what to expect at PDX – and bring smiles to their faces in spite of the disruptions."

PDX has set up a website where people can check on the status of projects.

When Travel + Leisure awarded PDX its top spot last month, the magazine cited "its overall design, its amenities, its accessibility, and its cleanliness."

In each situation, PDX was up against similar sized airports, mostly large airports that focus on domestic travel.

Simonds says that while it's nice to receive awards and be honored, "these awards and be recognized among our peer airports but these awards don’t drive our actions. The people working at PDX inherently have big hearts and an amazing sense of customer service.

"They continue to show up to work through a global pandemic, wildfires, winter weather and extreme heat in an effort to make each traveler’s journey better."