No. 9: Portland International (Oregon)
15 million passengers per year
You’d expect an airport in the crunchy Northwest to go all-out for the environment. Portland doesn’t disappoint with a paved bicycle-and-walking path that links local hotels, businesses, and regional hiking and biking trails to the airport. The airport offers free covered bicycle parking adjacent to the terminal too.
Our judges also laud Portland’s recycling of cooking oil into biodiesel fuel, the abundance of live trees in the terminals, and the musicians—mostly local—stationed throughout the airport to lower the stress level. “Loudspeaker noise on top of ambient noise is really hard on your senses,” Lanou says. “The whole traveling experience is a lot easier when you know you don’t have to listen to just PA–system announcements.”
Not surprisingly, Portland’s Laurelwood brew pub offers certified-organic beers. And the airport gets high marks for on-time departures: 80-plus percent in the latest Transportation Department annual reporting period.
America's Healthiest
America's Healthiest Airports
If you’re traveling over the holidays, chances are you’re not looking forward to spending time in a crowded, stressful airport. Faced with the prospect of long waits, deafening public-address systems, and indigestion, you may quickly lose that festive feeling.
Last Updated: November 24, 2008
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