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Lesly Reyna Castillo Defines Kindness at PDX
Lesly Reyna Castillo (she/her) with Southwest Airlines was nominated for a customer service award by Port of Portland's Graham Ignoffo:
"There was a medical emergency on an inbound flight – a passenger on board was quite ill and flying into PDX with her young daughter. Lesly stayed with the little girl while the medics worked on her mom. Lesly did an amazing job talking to the child, playing with her and keeping her occupied and happy in a difficult and frightening situation.
She helped the child talk with the airport operations specialists, the Portland Airport Fire and Rescue team, and the medical response crew so she could understand what was going on, know that she was safe and that we'd take care of her and her mom. Lesly was vital to this situation being successful. Without her and the other Southwest Airlines employees that helped, this situation could have been a disaster."
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What’s New with PDX Next: Ticket Lobby Work Baggage Claim: Last Wednesday, Feb. 14, the Alaska Baggage Office relocated to a temporary location near baggage carousel 3.
Concourse C: Starting today through Friday, March 1, there may be elevated noise levels periodically as crews remove part of the façade from the exterior of the building. All work is outside, but noise levels will be most noticeable near Lardo, Stumptown and Capers.
February Forum: Mark your calendars for next Tuesday, Feb. 27, at 10:30 a.m. to get the inside scoop on construction at PDX. Jen Reynolds from the Port of Portland along with Pat Bifone and Bri Leiblie of Hoffman-Skanska share the latest construction updates and answer your questions about PDX Next in just 30 minutes. If you'd like to join the meeting, email PDX People Communications before Monday, Feb. 26, for the meeting link.
Looking for more PDX Next information? We're keeping you in the know on what's new on the PDX People website. Have questions or suggestions about construction? Email hello@pdxnext.com or call the construction hotline at 503.460.4339.
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What to Expect When the New PDX Starts Opening
This May, we’re looking forward to showing you what we’ve been up to. Soon you’ll be able to wander amid the trees and admire the clouds through the skylights in the Douglas fir roof. We’re adding even more local shops and restaurants to the airport and bringing back some favorite PDX features like the iconic carpet and the passageway between all four concourses.
Think of the late May opening as a “Wow!” in progress: We’re rolling out PDX’s new designs in two phases so you can see the good stuff as soon as it’s finished. It also allows us to upgrade PDX without any closures or flight delays – and reduce the carbon footprint of the construction while we’re at it.
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Guess Who’s Coming to PDX? Hint: They LOVE Pink
We have a little crush on this local shop coming to PDX. They bring mega girl power and sustainably made greeting cards designed exclusively by women artists…it’s PiPH by Paper Epiphanies! Check out their super cute short video introduction. We’ll be sharing more of these fun shorts to tell you all about PDX’s 12 new local shops that start opening in May.
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Over $8 Million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funds Headed to PDX
Last Thursday, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced that $8,214,286 in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds will be heading to PDX. The funding comes from Fiscal Year 2024 Airport Terminal Grants program, intended to fund safe, sustainable and accessible airport terminals, on-airport rail access projects and airport-owned air traffic control towers. At PDX, the funds will be used to replace up to nine passenger boarding bridges that have reached the end of their useful life.
As Port of Portland Executive Director Curtis Robinhold said, “We’re committed to a PDX that operates sustainably and is safe and welcoming to everyone who passes through it. This investment will allow us to double down on that commitment for the new PDX, with new passenger boarding bridges that are safe, reliable, energy efficient and accessible for all passengers. We’re thankful to our delegation for their continued support to make sure our region’s airport continues to meet travelers’ needs.”
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Celebrate Black History Month with PDX People
February is Black History Month, a time dedicated to acknowledging the invaluable contributions of Black individuals from across the diaspora and celebrating the richness and depth Black people and culture add to the world.
This month, we’re focusing on the intersection of African Americans and the Arts. Around the airport, we’re thrilled to showcase the exceptional talent of local Black artists all month long.
Last week, we were honored to host Alonzo Chadwick, who shared his incredible vocal range and amazing voice with the PDX community. This week, we'll welcome singer and guitarist Nafisaria Mathews on Thursday, Feb. 22. Her sultry voice has graced many stages with artists including Esperanza Spalding, Liv Warfield, Portland Cello Project and Mz.Etta's World, to name a few.
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Be Knowledgeable for Heart Month
Imagine for a moment that a traveler had a medical emergency nearby. Would you know how to help?
If not, take advantage of Heart Month in February – the perfect time to get up to speed on important resources right here at the airport.
Our Portland Airport Fire and Rescue team offers CPR classes and will show you how to use an automated external defibrillator, also called an AED. If you haven’t used one before, the portable electronic device automatically diagnoses life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and treats them through defibrillation, allowing the heart to reestablish an effective rhythm.
Even if you’re not trained in CPR, anyone can use an AED – just follow the simple audio and visual commands on the machine. To help you know where to find an AED in case of emergency, take a moment to familiarize yourself with this map of AED locations in the airport.
Remember, more than 360,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in the United States. Immediate CPR and use of an AED can more than double a victim’s chance of survival.
Want to learn even more?
- Learn the difference between a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest.
- Check out the American Heart Association’s interactive cardiovascular library.
- Listen to the "Don't Drop the Beat" playlist on Spotify. The American Heart Association teamed up with the Elevance Health Foundation to teach Americans how to perform hands-only CPR. All songs on this playlist – and Pandora's Elevance Health Foundation Station –are between 100 - 120 beats per minute, the same rate at which you should perform compressions when administering CPR.
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Willamette Week: Therapy Llamas Strut Our Airport Hallways
We first called upon llama wrangler Shannon Joy's services a few years ago for an airport employee celebration to mark the opening of Concourse E, and the llamas instantly became the most popular staple of every internal event. It was only a matter of time before the llamas’ powers of pacification spread to airport visitors overstressed by Yuletide travel. In great news, the llamas and alpacas will be back in 2024 at a more regular cadence as part of the ongoing therapy animal program.
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PDX in Pictures
Last week, we said “thank you” to the friendly PDX People in the drivers’ seats – shuttles, rideshares, taxis and busses. These folks are the first and last part of the PDX experience for many travelers, which is why it’s so important to celebrate them. We had swag, fun and donuts at the ground transportation hold lot where everyone had a wheel-y great time!
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