Denver airport will be busiest on these days around spring break
DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver International Airport is expecting a record number of travelers over the next few weeks thanks to spring breakers and skiers taking advantage of the final weeks of the ski season.
Between March 12-30, the airport said it is expecting over 1.2 million passengers to go through the TSA checkpoints, a 6.7% increase from the same period last year.
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The increased traffic can be attributed largely to two things: students and families traveling for spring break, and skiers making their way to hit the slopes before the ski season ends.
When will the airport be the busiest?
DIA said some days will be busier than others though. March 15, 17 and 22 are expected to be the busiest days in the coming weeks. Each of those days are projected to have some 80,000 passengers going through security, according to a release from DIA.
Here is what the airport is expecting this year:
2023 Actual Volume | 2024 Forecasted Volume | ||
March 12 | 66,678 | March 12 | 55,632 |
March 13 | 62,816 | March 13 | 61,750 |
March 14 | 54,378 | March 14 | 71,579 |
March 15 | 62,547 | March 15 | 80,883 |
March 16 | 69,155 | March 16 | 78,343 |
March 17 | 73,106 | March 17 | 81,687 |
March 18 | 68,195 | March 18 | 71,895 |
March 19 | 73,592 | March 19 | 59,625 |
March 20 | 69,130 | March 20 | 63,034 |
March 21 | 58,456 | March 21 | 72,390 |
March 22 | 60,610 | March 22 | 81,252 |
March 23 | 67,028 | March 23 | 78,872 |
March 24 | 73,865 | March 24 | 75,405 |
March 25 | 66,841 | March 25 | 64,723 |
March 26 | 68,550 | March 26 | 54,442 |
March 27 | 62,234 | March 27 | 55,804 |
March 28 | 52,348 | March 28 | 65,104 |
March 29 | 51,670 | March 29 | 66,993 |
March 30 | 56,612 | March 30 | 60,414 |
When will security be the busiest?
The airport is warning travelers that the increased traffic could result in longer security lines and advises travelers to show up two hours before their boarding time.
Security lines could be especially long during the peak times, which the airport expects to be between 4 to 5 a.m., 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.
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Options to get through DIA security quicker
Luckily, the Denver airport has some security options that could help during busy times.
Passengers can reserve a spot in the TSA line at the Denver airport in advance thanks to a fairly new security appointment program. There is a line at the A-bridge security checkpoint designated for screening reservations, and it is available daily from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There is also a new security checkpoint at DIA that replaced the North Security Checkpoint. The new checkpoint, the West Security Checkpoint, is supposed to get people through at a quicker rate than others.
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This checkpoint is located on level 6 near the check-in counters and is open from 4 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. daily.
Soon, new faster terminal train cars will give travelers a speed boost getting to their terminal. Those cars are expected to be operating by this summer.
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