The biggest passenger circulation change since baggage screening moved out of the ticket lobby is currently underway at Portland International Airport.

Here’s what you need to know about our new exit lanes to keep traffic moving smoothly…

An exit lane breach control system maximizes the flow of travelers through the terminal while maintaining high safety standards. The one-way exit corridor guides the flow of arriving passengers to the public side of the airport without the need for staffed security personnel and is loaded with smart technology including doors that lock and alert police in an emergency; safety features to ensure no one gets stuck; and floor sensors for dropped items. PDX is the first airport in the nation to implement the current version of this security system.

Meeters/greeters, meet espresso. When you exit the concourses, you will be greeted by friends, family…and great coffee. Starbucks is serving meeters/greeters waiting on travelers from concourses A/B/C; those at concourses D/E will have easy access to Portland Roasting. In addition to new concessions, meters/greeters enjoy waiting areas in the ticket lobby that are filled with natural light and monitors that display flight arrival times.

Watch out for escalators! You may have noticed the reversal of several escalators between the ticket lobby, baggage claim and the pedestrian tunnels. This is a ripple effect from the main change – to ensure that the first escalator D/E travelers reach when exiting the airport is heading down to baggage claim. In the future, the hope is to add escalators at the north and south ends of the ticket lobby so that the flow of traffic goes directly into baggage claim.

We did the research and planned ahead. All of these changes were made after extensive research with a team of engineers who studied airport volumes and traffic patterns. While they determined that our volumes don’t require an exit lane breach control system with three lanes just yet, it made sense to plan for the future. Since the lanes operate independently, if one is out for service, the other two can stay in use. The new exits also create more space at the checkpoint for future Transportation Security Administration lanes.

There’s a lot of changes, so expect wayfinding signage and even designated staff to help with directions and ensure travelers get where they need to go.