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Comment by swalling | Hacker News Reader

The wood is pretty, but as someone who uses this terminal, the key improvement is that they raised the ceiling and significantly increased the amount of natural light. Here's a good photo of what it looked like before: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portland_Internation...

The major functional drawback is that wayfinding for both arrivals and departures is much worse. The overall flow of foot traffic is way more confusing than say, the newer terminals at SFO.

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This is Phase 1. Phase 2 will replace the rest of the terminal structure (the part that was open during Phase 1 construction) and directly connect foot traffic to the gates. The long outer walkways are temporary and their walls will be removed.

Ah! I thought it was done, but that makes more sense now that I looked at https://www.pdxnext.com/Stories/Details/main-terminal-openin...

It's a lot like Frieza or a battle with Gandondorf. We got more phases before it shows it's real form.

That's good to hear. I had assumed there must be more planned (partly because some parts are still boarded off) because the current walk distance from security to the gates is just awful; but it's good to hear confirmation.

In addition to the great lighting, the new design also has much improved acoustics. The sound dampening is impressive. I can have conversations without straining to pick up words through the din of echoes, and the ambience has a nice warm sense of quiet.

FAA through the National Academies did a research study a few years ago [1] to provide guidance on improving the intelligibility of PA systems and also improving the overall acoustics of airport terminals. The idea is that this guidance would be used for terminal renovations and new construction. It looks like they may have put this to use! (I was on the team but not an author of the final report).

https://crp.trb.org/acrpwebresource2/improving-intelligibili...

I'm really glad that recognition of acoustics in airport design is gradually gaining steam. As a Seattle resident I'm pretty jealous of people who fly through SFO regularly, because that airport is a joy to wait in because of how quiet it is. Now apparently I get to be jealous of PDX as well.

Does any of the famous carpet still remain?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_International_Airport...

The old carpet was replaced but the renovations are planning to lay out new carpeting with the original design, according to the Wiki article.

Wow. That is an impressive rabbit hole to explore.

> She also said that the Port of Portland "understand[s] that people have an emotional connection to the carpet".

Not a phrase I expected to read today.

Pittsburgh Airport also has some fairly "famous" carpet. I wonder when they will rip that out. I have fond memories of it!

> Features "mood-enhancing colors"

We hate your "mood-enhancing" attempt and obsessively collect the old carpet so our living rooms can have actual mood enhancement from the carpet we actually liked. Such demand businesses "could request 1,000 square yards (840 m2)" (out of approx 100,000 m2). Only four (4) were actually made available. [1] Still goes for decent ($200 / sq. ft.) prices online [2] and people still freak out when they spot it somewhere. [3]

[1] https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/pdx-carpet/

[2] https://www.ebay.com/itm/176478315730

[3] https://www.reddit.com/r/Portland/comments/10aikmb/old_schoo...

> 2022, iconic carpet would be returning to the airport after the terminal was remodeled.

Anyways, rabbit hole relevant. "For long you live and high you fly"

I'm one of those people. My mom was an executive who traveled to DC practically weekly, so I have fond memories of going go PDX often go see her off and pick her up with my dad. That carpet features in those memories.

https://www.thrillist.com/travel/atlanta/marriott-marquis-ho...

It's new carpet but with that same design.

That wiki article reads much like a press release that I'm surprised that it has been allowed by the edit police

I believe the other improvement people don't pay attention to is the new TSA scanners you don't have to take your laptop out.

Sounds like the same scanner tech that has been deployed at some Australian airports.

Flying out of Melbourne 18 months ago and I'm getting ready to take my laptop and water bottle out. Nope, firmly told to keep it all in my bag. They still pulled me aside, but had a cool 3D model of the inside of my bag.

Of course they ruin the efficiency advantage of that by then putting us through body scanners. If you're not in the ideal BMI range the thing needs to fail three times before they ask you to grope yourself and then do a swipe/scan of your hands.

Ahh is that why. I'm pretty heavy too and I've been groped way too much in Amsterdam too :(

Hah! When flying back to the states through Heathrow, some years ago, the TSA gentleman frisked me so well I jokingly asked him if I owed him dinner. He very briefly cracked a smile, then told me to move along.

I got dinged by the hand wipes for "positive explosive residue". My only guess about that it could have been was I was still using the nicotine pouches at the time and they do have an interesting powder on them. They said it happens pretty often, but I was pretty wigged out and I'm usually a very calm traveler.

Most people are within BMI range, I for one, actually enjoy the benefit. And as long as the majority of the people benefit from it I prefer it this way then the other way around.

It is a little different, so you get to see the machine work. It actually does a 3D rendering of all the contents in the bag and the person running the scan can pull out the items without even opening the bag. It is wildly crazy futuristic tech.

I saw them look at my tiny notebook and go what is that then swiped it to the side and spun it around in a 3D space.

2 billion dollars to upgrade the airport wasn't just for the looks.

You're lucky you get to use those.

In Holland they had those at Schiphol Airport and we were able to leave liquids in our bags and the 100ml limit was removed. But the EU ordered it to be reintroduced because they wanted the rules the same within Europe.

Edit: This previously said we could no longer keep the laptops in our bags but this part was not affected, I've amended this post to avoid confusion.

A couple of days ago this was not the case, they use CT machines and did not require anything to be taken out of bags.

Yeah it's a new EU law that takes effect soon. I'll look it up, one moment.

Edit: Ok oops I was wrong, it was about liquids. This had been relaxed with the new scanners too but it had to be re-tightened on EU orders. https://www.trbusiness.com/regional-news/europe/dutch-airpor...

CDG in Paris did not need me to take out the laptops, so I'm not sure it's the EU fault for Schiphol

Yeah I was confused, it was the new liquid rules that were a problem. Sorry.

I'm glad the laptops can still stay. I don't travel with liquids so much (I just have toiletries at the places I go to already) but electronics I have a lot.

Yeah, I saw your other comment just after posting. I didn't know there was a movement to increase the volume for liquids. Hope it gets done soon

> But the EU ordered it to be reintroduced because they wanted the rules the same within Europe.

This is incorrect, though there was so much confusion around the reporting on this that it's not surprising that people got this impression. The EC allowed the scanners in the first place, but has reinstated the 100ml rule because they don't work properly. This is implied to be a software problem, and the reinstatement is implied to be temporary, but there's no timeline to lift the restriction again.

Vaguely coherent, though still not great, explanation here: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/08/23/100ml-limit-on...

As you have figured out this change was only about the liquids to adhere to EU standards, I of course dislike it as somewhat frequent flyer, but it makes sense to make a standard.

Now if only I could leave my laptop in everywhere, that would be nice. I never fly without my laptop and it gets old quite fast somehow having to figure out if I should take it out (and spent 5 minutes putting it back in, which sucks if it was not required) or try to take it out when people are waiting on you. I just wished airports would put clear signs up what you have to take out so I can prepare before I get to the belt.

> people don't pay attention

Let's start from the fact that people never asked for TSA. It was imposed on them and never went away.

There's nothing more permanent than a temporary government measure...

Almost nobody wanted TSA to be temporary. It was created permanently with near unanimous support, 2 months after airlines' own security had quite an infamous failure.

They're back to making me take my belt off, though. I had purchased a belt with a plastic buckle specifically for this purpose...

If you had TSA Precheck -- which if you fly more than a couple of times a year is well worth it IMO -- then you already didn't need to take your laptop out (or shoes off). (On the other hand I see no point in CLEAR over Precheck)

The only point I see to CLEAR is to cut the line in airports where everyone has precheck.

makes sense but so far I haven't experienced that -- well, one time the precheck line was longer than the regular line (so I just went to the regular line)

but maybe for travelers who regularly travel at super busy times (i.e., flying out of DC on a Friday evening) benefit from CLEAR

This varies from airport to airport in my experience. I’ve had precheck for almost a decade by now and have been through several precheck scanner lines where I’ve had to pull out laptops.

You don't need TSA precheck at PDX because the airport is sooooooooooooo fast.

> … wayfinding … is much worse

I assumed they would have detached any signange hanging from the ceiling before lifting it. The text would be too small to read otherwise.

How much in additional HVAC costs result from having high ceilings though?

Portland has pretty mild weather. Probably not much.

society should have _some_ nice things, not everything needs to be cost optimized to the extreme with a microscope. :)

On the bright side, they used timber for almost all of the construction here which is effectively a “carbon sink”, which is unusual for an airport.

The indoor trees are wild!

Oh yeah that was a dark hole. Brr.

Much better now.

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