Even as Oregon officials ask people to forgo traveling for Thanksgiving, some people around the state are gearing up for a long weekend of turkey and potatoes with friends and family far from home.
But those who travel through PDX this year will find a different experience than they’re used to.
PDX’s sit-down restaurants — the ones that remain open — will offer only grab-and-go food. And some of the airport’s most popular destinations, including Blue Star Donuts, Burgerville, Country Cat, Kenny & Zukes, Peet’s Coffee, Starbucks and Tamale Boy, are temporarily closed.
The airport is also requiring face coverings and asking that people pick up travelers outside, instead of waiting inside.
The airport expects to see far fewer travelers this year. In the past several years, as many as 56,000 people have passed through PDX on a single day around Thanksgiving. This year, the Port of Portland expects the peak day will be Sunday and only about 25,250 people will fly on that day.
As the holiday season ramps up, unlike some airports around the country, PDX has only seen a marginal increase in visitors.
“This past weekend, we saw marginal upticks in the numbers,” said Kama Simonds, the spokesperson for the Port of Portland and PDX. “Instead of being 65% down as has been the case for some time, we were 62% down on Saturday and then 64% down on Sunday.”
Simonds said one thing to note about the forecasted numbers was that the estimate was created before Gov. Kate Brown put a “freeze” on activities in Oregon.
“That’s a wild card for us,” she said. “We know travel during a pandemic is a very personal decision and we’re not sure if or how people will alter their holiday plans based on the travel advisory.”
