231–240 of 276 posts
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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.
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)
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the same people telling me to save on my carbon emission are the ones who are ok with free trade to have stuff made thousands of miles away (in jurisdictions with very lax environmental laws) that could be made right here and employ blue-collar workers. Those container ships arrive full and leave empty. What's the CO2eq of that?
Those are not the same people.
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> 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...
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Does any of the famous carpet still remain? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_International_Airport...
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.
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 just flew through there and saw the renovation for the first time, and it is an absolutely stunning transformation. Just incredible. I loved it. The whole thing. From the ceiling to the ticketing islands to the reworked security to the amphitheater style seating areas at the terminal exit where friends & family can await your arrival. It feels spacious, natural, functional, and hospitable.
> It feels spacious, natural, functional, and hospitable. If we want to solve the climate crisis, this is everything an airport should not be.
I agree it looks nice, but dressing up an airport in sustainable materials won't materially change the fact that a flight Boston - NYC (one-way!) blasts through ~0.7t[1] of CO2eq of your yearly budget of 1-3t[2]. It won't change the fact, but I'm sure it'll make it easier to forget or ignore. [1] https://co2.myclimate.org/en/portfolios?calculation_id=75775... [2] e.g. https://ieep.eu/publications/carbon-inequality-in…
I'm extremely pro-rail but Portland is not the city to bash for short haul domestic flights. Amtrak Cascades is very popular for trips to Seattle.
That is to say.. people will take trains as long as they're truthfully better. We should work on making them better. Even the lovely people of Portland, as concerned as we are about the environment, don't take the train out of the goodness of their hearts.
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…
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.
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Such a notable carpet it even has its own wiki article! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portland_International_Airport...
One of the host hotels for Dragon Con in Atlanta is the Marriott Marquis, which until several years ago had a very iconic carpet that has been since been replaced with something boring. Many people who spent many hours staring at the old carpet while in line for panels missed it very much and founded the Cult of the Carpet[0]. It has "priests" that wear robes with the pattern, you can buy bags and t-shirts with the p…
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I can't speak to international arrivals (though I can to the rest of the airport, it's gorgeous), but while PDX is international it only has 5 direct international flights other than Canada. Hardly going to be the focus of the airport.
I suppose with such a large investment though, they'd want to plan for that possibly changing eventually, no? I'd be flying from/to Canada anyway, but if it was a viable and better option compared to others like SF, they'd get my business instead, not that there's much business to give