Labor Day travel puts new $2B PDX terminal to the test

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — More than 17 million people are expected to be screened at U.S. airports over the Labor Day travel week.

The TSA said Friday may have been the busiest day with more than two million people flying, making it one of the top 10 busiest travel days ever.

The holiday weekend could also serve as a test to the $2 billion renovation of PDX’s main terminal.

PDX has been hyping up the new terminal as they focused on the trees, the wood, the carpet, and new security screening upgrades, but the holiday will be the first for the new terminal.

“We’ve been hiring new Transportation Security Officers. We’ve been training,” said TSA Spokesperson Sonny Lorrious when asked what the agency did to prepare.

However, more than a hundred delays at PDX disrupted travel plans for others.

“My flight already got delayed three times. So, they rebooked me,” Michael Boidock of Charlotte told KATU.

RELATED | Sea-Tac airport braces for Labor Day rush amid recovery from cyberattack

Many like him took advantage of the newly renovated main terminal.

TSA said Portland now has the newest technology the agency offers.

So, does it make going through security faster?

“We believe it’s going to be faster because the passenger doesn’t have to take every item out of their bags,” Lorrius told KATU.

He said that means no longer worrying about your bag being pulled to the side.

One family told KATU that they would have liked to see money spent on improving traffic into the airport.

“Well, we actually missed our first flight. There was too much traffic. A lot of traffic going into the airport,” said Erica Medina from Battleground.

To avoid that, the TSA recommends people arrive at the airport at least two hours early.

In the meantime, according to Flight Aware, there were 116 delays at PDX and just two canceled flights, on Friday.

Nationally, there were nearly 8,000 flights delayed and 434 flights canceled.