Gallery Update: Changes at PDX

When I mean "changes," I'm referring to a few new sights for PDX as far as airline service is concerned. The main reason I decided to get a late-afternoon spotting trip in today was because of Icelandair, the only European airline that has since re-started serving PDX earlier this year after last year's "dumpster fire."

When they first started connecting Portland to their Reykjavik hub in 2015, they used the Boeing 757-200, a long-time workhorse of the airline. However, the 757 is aging and Icelandair is in the process of determining what will permanently replace the type. Enter the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and MAX 9, which Icelandair first ordered in early 2013 and deliveries first commencing in 2018. Or so we thought; it was long thought that the 737 MAX would replace the 757 on the majority of Icelandair's routes. However, the 737 MAX still lacks in range where some of the longest 757 routes fly. And the worldwide grounding of the 737 MAX family that took place in started back in 2019 and only just ended recently certainly hasn't helped either, with Icelandair and Boeing reaching a settlement in late-2020 to reduce the carrier's MAX orders by four aircraft.

As of today, Icelandair has six MAX 8s in service with one yet to be delivered and three MAX 9s, with two still on order. Twelve total 737 MAX aircraft isn't enough to replace the 17 total 757s in the fleet. The airline is also considering ordering the A321neo and A321neoLR as a replacement for their aging fleet of Boeing 757s, or to run alongside their Boeing 737 MAX 8 or to even replace the MAX 8s entirely; Icelandair plans to make a final decision by the end of this year. In the meantime, Icelandair has been serving PDX three times a week with their 757s since they came back earlier this year. However, they recently announced a reduction down to twice-weekly services and equipment changes moving forward, with the 737 MAX 8 flying the 8-hour flights on the Reykjavik/Portland route starting today, hence the reason for this spotting trip. Portland is Icelandair's second-least frequently served U.S. destination and putting a 737 MAX 8 on this route would make sense (not to mention it's a more fuel-efficient and modern solution, in spite of a slight loss in seating capacity). In fact, Icelandair sent a 737 MAX 8 out to Portland on September 29 for a trial run!

In addition to going after Icelandair's new 737 MAX 8, I also got to see one of SkyWest Airlines' new Embraer E-175 in the American Eagle livery for the first time; under a capacity purchase agreement with American Airlines, SkyWest ordered 20 E-175s to fly exclusively for American Eagle in early 2020 and began receiving them in August. This marks the return of American Eagle-branded E-Jets to PDX since Compass Airlines ceased operations last year. And for the time being, we'll still see SkyWest's American Eagle-branded CRJ-700s operating alongside the E-Jets at PDX.

Portland (PDX) 63

Preview:

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8H4 (N8697C) taxiing out for departure as SWA2274 for Las Vegas.

Cessna 560XL Citation Excel (N567MC) arriving on 10L.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-832 (N394DA) departing on 10L as DAL1673 for Salt Lake City.

SWA2274 departing on 10L for Las Vegas.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-932/ER (N854DN) arriving on 10L as DAL741 from Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-790 (N560WN) arriving on 10L as SWA3382 from Oakland. Formerly with Alaska Airlines as N617AS.

DAL741 taxiing to the gate.

United Parcel Service - UPS Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (N288UP) parked at the cargo ramp. Arrived early this morning as UPS974 from Louisville and scheduled to return to the Worldport later tonight as UPS991.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N926WN) arriving on 10L as SWA4288 from Denver.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N956WN) "The Jack Vidal" arriving on 10L as SWA4743 from Kansas City. Aircraft is named in honor of Southwest's first Vice President of Maintenance, Jack Vidal.

United Airlines Boeing 737-924/ER (N68452) arriving on 10L as UAL473 from Denver.

UAL473 taxiing to the gate.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Delta Connection) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N273SY) departing on 10L as SKW3812 for Seattle-Tacoma.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 737-832 (N371DA) arriving on 10L as DAL1698 from Salt Lake City.

DAL1698 taxiing to the gate.

United Airlines Boeing 737-824 (N76523) arriving on 10L as UAL284 from San Francisco.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a American Eagle) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N504SY) departing on 10L as SKW3050 for Los Angeles. My first time seeing a SkyWest E-Jet in the American Eagle livery.

Delivered to SkyWest as part of their capacity purchase agreement with American Airlines just a month prior from Embraer. Also, American Eagle-branded E-Jets are back in PDX since Compass Airlines ceased operations last year.

SkyWest Airlines (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Embraer ERJ-170-200 E-175LR (N188SY) arriving on 10L as SKW3470 from Seattle-Tacoma.

Horizon Air (d/b/a Alaska Airlines) Embraer ERJ-170-200LR E-175LR (N648QX) departing on 10L as QXE2528 for Seattle-Tacoma.

SKW3470 taxiing to the gate.

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-271N (N931NK) departing on 10L as NKS1236 for Las Vegas.

Air Transport International - ATI (d/b/a Amazon Air) Boeing 767-338/ER(BDSF) (N307AZ) airborne off 10R as ATN3516 for Anchorage. Formerly VH-OGS with Qantas.

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N836VA) departing on 10L as ASA1414 for San Francisco.

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N839VA) departing on 10L as ASA1345 for Burbank.

Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-890 (N520AS) departing on 10L as ASA604 for Las Vegas.

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-7H4 (N243WN) arriving on 10L as SWA2901 from Las Vegas.

Alaska Airlines Airbus A320-214 (N638VA) departing on 10L as ASA455 for Seattle-Tacoma.

United Airlines Airbus A320-232 (N490UA) arriving on 10L as UAL1508 from Chicago O'Hare.

Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX 8 (TF-ICE) "Jökulsárlón" arriving on 10L as ICE665 from Reykjavík–Keflavík. My first time seeing a 737 MAX in the Icelandair livery, not to mention my first time seeing a MAX operated by a foreign air carrier! Starting with the 737 MAX, Icelandair introduced a simplified and revised livery.

The aircraft's name, "Jökulsárlón" refers to the famous glacial lagoon that's located on the east side of Iceland.

UAL1508 taxiing to the gate. Only my second time seeing the "evo-Blue" livery on the A320!

Boutique Air Pilatus PC-12/47 (N478SS) taxiing for departure as BTQ356 for Pendleton.

ICE665 taxiing to the gate. This airframe is also the very-first 737 MAX to be delivered to Icelandair.

Airframe delivered to Icelandair in March 2018, just a year before the worldwide grounding the 737 MAX fleet.

In typical Icelandair fashion, the airframe with remain at PDX overnight and depart back to Reykjavik tomorrow afternoon as ICE664.

While the 737 MAX 8 is a bit of downgrade in terms of available seats compared to the 757s, in terms of fuel efficiency and being more environmentally-friendly, the 737 MAX is a pretty significant upgrade on the PDX route for Icelandair. Still, I will miss seeing the 757s as they are a bit of a classic! And I can't even begin to imagine spending 7-8 hours in a 737!