Portland International Jetport | PWM

[Portlander]

Drove over to the airport and took these photos just for you Mark. Old light blue paint scheme on the left and new dark blue paint scheme on the right. The change was made for two reasons. First, all of the steel tubing was rusting and needed sanding and other corrosive maintenance as evidenced by this photo. Secondly, the new terminal expansion, garage and entrance to the rental car lobby was painted in the dark blue so PWM decided to paint the older portion of the terminal the new color for uniformity. The ship's rigging theme above the canopy that you like has not been altered! This project has been stalled due to numerous weather and COVID related issues and will hopefully be completed in the fall.

 

[Portlander]

From a distance, the new color does appear to be kind of gray or am I starting to go color blind.

 

[mainejeff]

TC, there was no mention of any party not wanting to do this. I've planted the seed and these changes take time and I don't see anything happening until the baggage claim improvements are nearing completion. The grey painting of the exterior trim (to replace the blue) on the front of the terminal near baggage claim still has not been finished and that "minor" project has been going on for over a year. There is no such thing as an easy fix in today's world!

Nothing is an easy fix in the USA…and more specifically, Maine…other parts of the world seem to get things done more quickly and efficiently. Here we listen to every loudmouth…even if they are not a stakeholder.

 

[TC_zoid]

I do wish the Jetport would find some funds to put an expansive overhang at baggage claim pickup to cover awaiting cars and traffic. Last winter (or the one before, I think), I had a friend pick me up in a howling wind with a wind chill at maybe zero degrees. Maine, the way life should be... brrrrrrrrrrrr. Most or many airports around the U.S. provide some protection from the weather. Even all or most of LAX has this, and that weather is rarely cold and rainy. I guess it's something about being a hardy Mainer? I remember way back, maybe mid 80s (or maybe up until the addition), and the primary entrance to the terminal had automatic opening doors (two side by side) and not a vestibule kind of arrangement, so that when you went inside the doors would open and stay that way as long as someone was triggering the sensor. The temperature inside would then go down twenty degrees in less than 60 seconds! The Concord Coach bus station does this too, with the doors that open for the Portland/NYC bus gate. Why? Why? Someone please explain this masochistic behavior to me.

 

[Portlander]

TC, this photo is from yesterday. There is a narrow overhang protecting people on the sidewalk from the elements and a much larger overhang covering the vehicles that are legally parked along the curb AND a portion of the far right travel lane where stopping is prohibited. It may not be as expansive as you would like but the airport has clearly made an effort to shield the flying public and the individuals who are picking them up from weather.

In addition, I'm not aware of any other Portland sized airport that has a free parking lot just steps from baggage claim where you can wait to pick up your arriving party. Also, the first hour in the garage is free if you chose to park there which allows you to enter the terminal to greet your visitor(s) without getting a snowflake or drop of rain on them. Not sure why you have a tendency to compare Portland to Boston, LA or the other large cities that you visit during your world travels but I surely appreciate your passion and the extensive knowledge and experiences you always share with us.

 

[Cosakita18]

It seems like American dropped their weekend PWM-Miami from the upcoming fall and winter schedule. That could easily be another route picked up by Breeze

 

[Portlander]

31 mainline flights on 8 different airlines out of the jetport today with 44 flights overall!

 

[TC_zoid]

I've been to this airport, and it's what I would call a drop-off and pick-up covered experience! (the other "Portland").

 

[Portlander]

It's beautiful TC, but you are comparing the financial clout of the 33rd busiest airport in the country to the 95th.

 

[TC_zoid]

It's beautiful TC, but you are comparing the 33rd busiest airport in the country to the 95th.

No, I am not. I'm simply showing something ideal. Never, would anything like this be built in Portland, ME. Portland, OR did because of their substantial rainfall, I'm assuming. I'm saying that covering the complete area outside of baggage claim is good for passenger comfort and a good first impression for visitors. The same goes for car rentals. Portland gets it right. In Bangor, you have to pick up your car in an outdoor parking lot, and in winter, brush all the snow off of it. The driver side outside baggage claim in Portland is somewhat exposed to the elements. And if getting a cab, it's uncovered for the passengers needing a ride.

 

[Dr. StrangeHat]

It's really all relative. Ever fly in or out of Omaha? It serves more than double the amount of passengers as PWM, serves a city seven times the size of Portland, and serves a metro area twice the size of Portland. It's one of my least favorite airports in the country, especially because of the drop-off, pick-up, Uber/Lyft pick-up, etc. situation. You're very exposed to the elements, and Omaha in the winter is not exactly a fun place to be.

 

[PWMFlyer]

MHT comparison seeing we are on this subject of outside coverings.

 

[PWMFlyer]

Terminal E, you want to talk about coldness and snow...

 

[TC_zoid]

In Switzerland, drop-off and pick-up is covered and somewhat heated. And they give you a complimentary cup of hot Swiss chocolate with marshmallows floating on top. That country is like a movie. Utopia.

 

[markhb]

Compared to some of those others, PWM is a slight step above. The departure drop-off section has a lot of coverage from the security wing and a pretty fair awning over the spaces that aren't under that. Baggage claim is the real issue, at least to me, since the internal configuration of the Jetport has changed enough that the two large awnings that connect the terminal entrances to the garage now handle entrances that are far-less used; one leads to the Big Empty Zone and the other is probably mainly used by passengers who don't have checked luggage (come down the escalator and straight out the door). I'd have a fresher handle on it if my flight home hadn't gotten cancelled in May leaving us to book new tickets to Boston instead.

 

[matt.greeson]

Compared to some of those others, PWM is a slight step above. The departure drop-off section has a lot of coverage from the security wing and a pretty fair awning over the spaces that aren't under that. Baggage claim is the real issue, at least to me, since the internal configuration of the Jetport has changed enough that the two large awnings that connect the terminal entrances to the garage now handle entrances that are far-less used; one leads to the Big Empty Zone and the other is probably mainly used by passengers who don't have checked luggage (come down the escalator and straight out the door). I'd have a fresher handle on it if my flight home hadn't gotten cancelled in May leaving us to book new tickets to Boston instead.

A related Jetport pet peeve of mine is that the exit up the escalator directly to the garage level 3 (which puts you out by TSA) is often closed very early in the evening so you have to walk allllll the way to Gate 1 and then around rather than a quick exit to the garage.

 

[DesertMaineiac]

I flew in and out of PWM the other week, and I will say I had never seen that terminal busier! Nearly every gate occupied in the afternoon and the crowds in the gate area/hold rooms to match. Lines and waits at Burger King, Shipyard, Linda Bean's and Starbucks. I am not sure what the peak hour capacity the airport was designed for, but it had to have been at or near it. The other interesting thing was the size of the aircraft at the gates. We came in on a packed 190-200 seat A-321 next to larger version 737's lining the ramp. Gone were the numerous regional jets that used to occupy the gates. I get that the demand is seasonal, but Jetport management has done an admirable job on air service development and airlines are upguaging aircraft to meet demand without additional flights. Still curious to see if Frontier pulls out and if Breeze keeps trying new routes to gain a foothold in the market, so I'm always interested to see what insight our insiders on this site hear.

Random impressions: The stuffed wildlife coming down to baggage claim seems a bit campy, but plenty of people I noticed took their picture in front of it as their first impression of arriving in Maine. The airport also does a good job of letting you know you've arrived in Maine based on advertisement and messaging, which is a nice change from much of the homogenization you see at other airports where you're not sure where you are.

The ticketing, security checkpoint (especially), and higher number gate areas still provide a favorable impression of the Portland region. The rest of the terminal definitely shows its age in a number of areas as some posts here have pointed out, from the bathrooms in poor condition to countless ceiling tiles being discolored from likely water leakage. I felt bad for all of the United passengers crammed into the Gate 1-3 corner. We've written about the possible mural improvements coming into baggage claim enough to have it noted.

The FIS will come when funding comes. Very curious to see what improvements can be done to the baggage claim. Anyone know if the plan is to add another baggage carousel and raise the roof (if possible) to give a more open feel? Would they use the existing baggage claim space, or would they actually build onto the end of the building toward the air traffic control tower to expand?

 

[Portlander]

Nice review DesertMainiac. The current baggage claim area will remain the same as far as it's physical layout and three new incline plate carousels will be added which are smaller in size so that area will not feel as congested when waiting for your luggage. The actual expansion will come from a portion of the restaurant space (Shipyard) which will allow for a fourth carousel to be added when the funding becomes available. I expect that new carpet, paint and signage will also be part of the project. As far as the United concourse area, the master plan shows the east end of the terminal being expanded towards the former upper level restaurant (future administration offices) and the current regional jet extension ramp (Gates 1A and B) will be replaced with new full size jetways in the future. PWM actually had 32 mainline flights on 8 different carriers one day last week which is a record!

 

[NR2Portland]

Flew Breeze last week and our flight was almost completely filled. The airline is constantly filling over 80% of seats every flight. This will be a record breaking summer at the Jetport for sure. Federal Funding needs to and will come soon

 

[markhb]

I will be very surprised if Presque Isle doesn't rename their airport after Senator Collins when she finally retires. Presumably that will last longer than PWM being named after Ed Muskie (that lasted about a week IIRC).

Supposedly the Senate Appropriations Committee has completed their work on all the spending bills; it might be worth looking to see if there are any earmarks in there for the Jetport.