JULY 2008: AROUND THE STATE
PDX ranks high with travelers
despite flight cutbacks
PORTLAND Three
airlines recently announced plans to reduce flights at Portland
International Airport (PDX). American Airlines is cutting one
flight a day to Dallas/Fort Worth; and Horizon at the end of
August will cut flights between Portland and Seattle from 31 to
21 per day (five in each direction). United Airlines announced
cutbacks in early June but did not specify the number of PDX
flights affected.
It comes at a time when PDX will be handling a record number of
travelers this summer. Annually, it is now at about 15 million
passengers. But despite the crush, the nipped flights and
ongoing construction, several surveys put PDX at the top of its
class. It was ranked No. 3 in on-time departures for 2007 by
the U.S. Department of Transportation and this past winter, the
Transportation and Security Administration named PDX the
agency’s Western Area Airport of the Year for
“exceptional courtesy and attentiveness to passengers
while offering the highest quality of airport security.”
In October, Condé Nast Traveler magazine picked PDX as
the best U.S. airport for the second year in a row. PDX
received the top overall score from business travelers who
rated airports on their location/access, ease of connections,
customs/baggage, food/shops/amenities, comfort/design, and
perceived safety/security.
One poke in the eye was by an online survey this spring by J.D.
Power and Associates that ranked PDX No. 19 on a list of 21
medium-sized U.S. airports, scoring at the bottom in overall
airport satisfaction, airport accessibility, terminal
facilities, and food and retail services.
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