DESTINATIONS portland air-travel-34

TRAVEL TIPS

Air Travel

It takes about five hours to fly nonstop to Portland from New York, four hours from Chicago and Atlanta, and 2½ hours from Los Angeles. Flying to Seattle takes just under an hour, and flying to Vancouver takes just over an hour.

Portland contains, by far, the largest airport in the state, and most visitors fly here and rent a car to reach other parts of the state. However, you’ll find decent-size airports served by most major carriers in a few other parts of Oregon, notably Bend, Eugene, and Medford/Ashland. Portland Airport is served by all major airlines as well as several smaller regional carriers.

Transportation Security Administration. The agency has answers for almost every question that might come up. It is the most direct resource for confirming what can and cannot be carried on to a plane. 866/289–9673; www.tsa.gov.

Airports

Portland International Airport (PDX) is an efficient, modern airport with service to most major national and a handful of international destinations. It’s a relatively uncrowded facility, and both check-in and security lines tend to proceed quickly. It's also easily accessible from downtown Portland, both by car and public transit.

Portland International Airport. This is the city's—and the region's—major airport. You'll find a pretty good selection of local restaurants and shops inside the terminal. 7000 N.E. Airport Way, Portland, Oregon, 97218. 877/739–4636; www.pdx.com.

Ground Transportation

Taking the MAX, Portland's light rail train, to and from Portland International Airport is straightforward. The Red Line MAX stops right at the terminal, and the approximately 35- to 45-minute ride downtown costs $2.50. Trains run daily from early morning until around midnight—MAX won’t be available to some very late-arriving passengers, but it generally runs early enough to catch even the first flights of the day out of Portland, which typically depart around 6 am. You purchase your ticket before boarding at one of the vending machines located in the terminal and at every MAX stop; tickets are also good on TriMet buses and the Portland Streetcar, and transfers within two hours of the time of purchase are free.

Contacts

TriMet/MAX. Portland, Oregon. 503/238–7433; www.trimet.org.

Flights

Portland is served by all major airlines (American, Delta, Southwest, United), with nonstop flights to most of the nation’s major hubs as well as a number of smaller airports up and down the West Coast. Both Southwest and Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air are good bets for regional flights to other airports in the western United States—often they have pretty low rates, too. Other airlines serving PDX include Air Canada (with service to Calgary and Vancouver), Frontier (to Denver and St. Louis), Hawaiian Airlines (to Honolulu), jetBlue (to Boston, Long Beach, and New York’s JFK), SeaPort (to the smaller Oregon communities of North Bend/Coos Bay and Pendleton), Spirit Airlines (to Chicago O’Hare, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Las Vegas, and San Diego), and Virgin America (to San Francisco). Delta is the only carrier with nonstop flights from PDX to outside North America, with service to Amsterdam and Tokyo.

Airlines

Air Canada. 888/247–2262; www.aircanada.com.

Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air. 800/252–7522; www.alaskaair.com.

American Airlines. 800/433–7300; www.aa.com.

Delta Airlines. 800/221–1212; www.delta.com.

Frontier Airlines. 800/432–1359; www.frontierairlines.com.

Hawaiian Airlines. 800/367–5320; www.hawaiianairlines.com.

jetBlue. 800/538–2583; www.jetblue.com.

SeaPort Airlines. 888/573–2767; www.seaportair.com.

Southwest Airlines. 800/435–9792; www.southwest.com.

Spirit Airlines. 801/401–2200; www.spirit.com.

United Airlines. 800/864–8331; www.united.com.

Virgin America. 877/359–8474; www.virginamerica.com.

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