FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PORTLAND, ORE. (March 30, 2009) – Cast Your Vote for the Best Super Hero Video by Midnight Friday.

Three finalists are in the running for the top prize in the “Be a Local Super Hero” video contest promoting PDX’s nonstop services to Europe and Asia.  Selected from a field of 55 one-minute qualifying video entries, the three finalists are:

I want to go to Tokyo by Clint Fanney

Super William by William Bahrenburg

It’s What Super Heroes Do by Bryan Rosenberger

Fans are asked to cast their vote for the video which provides the best motivation for “flying overseas from PDX in a single bound” at www.flypdx.com by midnight on Friday, April 3.  Prize winners will be announced Monday, April 6, on KGW’s LIVE @ 7 program and on www.flypdx.com. The video receiving the most public votes will be the grand prize winner.

The grand prize winner will receive four coach tickets to the winner’s choice of Amsterdam or Tokyo on Northwest (a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines) or Frankfurt on Lufthansa, plus a pre-loaded credit or debit card with a cash value of $2,000 to cover other travel costs.

Second and third prize winners will each receive two coach tickets to their choice of the same destinations offered to the grand prize winner. 

“We had so many great videos submitted that our job as judges was extremely tough,” said Ted Cullen, director, Nike travel and events, who served on the panel of three judges.  “We wish we could give everyone a prize.”

So why a contest for super heroes promoting PDX’s direct service to Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Tokyo? 

Travelers who choose to fly on one of PDX’s great nonstop flights to or from Europe or Asia are real community super heroes.  Portland is fortunate to have one of the best airports in the country and even more fortunate to have three non-stop international flights via Northwest and Lufthansa.  In fact, Portland is one of only 12 metro areas in the country with both daily trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific nonstop service, and it is the smallest of the 12.

That same international air service generates a total airport and visitor direct business revenue of $241.5 million for the region — an important consideration as businesses, large and small, grapple with the economic downturn.  Not only do the flights save valuable travelling time, they are also the source of the growth in international travelers to our region which benefits hotels, restaurants and other tourist destinations.  The number of travelers between Europe and our region has nearly doubled since the new services began.