PDX passenger volumes are near pre-pandemic levels as Thanksgiving rush approaches

Portland International Airport may finally have recovered from its case of long COVID.

Nearly 1.7 million travelers passed through PDX last month, according to preliminary figures. That’s just a few thousand shy of the number that flew through Portland in October 2019 — the smallest gap of any month since the pandemic.

Air travel has been much slower to recover at PDX than nationally. The Port of Portland, which runs the airport, says that’s because Portland doesn’t have many connecting flights to boost passenger counts and because business travel has fallen off. Some businesses are spending less on travel, favoring less expensive virtual meetings, and Portland is enduring an  economic malaise that has lasted far longer than in other cities.

From January through October, PDX passenger volumes remain down about 7% from 2019. But airlines seem to believe the recovery will be sustained and haven’t been waiting around for Portland’s comeback. The port says carriers have increased seats in and out of Portland about 3.8% from 2024. Airlines have added several new domestic destinations and more flights to Europe than Portland had before the pandemic.

PDX passenger volumes have been picking up all year and Alaska Airlines, Portland’s busiest airline, is carrying 20% more passengers than it did in 2024. Alaska is adding flights next year to Baltimore, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Idaho Falls.

The port expects Thanksgiving passenger numbers will be up only slightly from 2024 but it still figures to be one of the year’s busiest weeks at PDX. The port projects Dec. 1 will be the busiest day, with nearly 59,000 people passing through the airport.

The port recommends arriving two hours early for all flights this week, leaving time to park and get through security. (You can gauge how full the parking lots are on the airport’s website.)

This is Oregon Insight, The Oregonian’s weekly look at the numbers behind the state’s economy. View past installments here.

©2025 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.