Thanksgiving Travel Ease Showcases Functionality of TSA Lane Reconfiguration at Denver International Airport

DENVER – Nov. 30, 2021 – Several changes Denver International Airport (DEN) made in collaboration with TSA resulted in a highly successful Thanksgiving travel period. From Monday, Nov. 22 through Sunday, Nov. 28, TSA metrics for average maximum wait times at DEN were less than 20 minutes, which was below the average for the busiest 20 airports across the nation. Travelers registered for TSA PreCheck experienced wait times of less than 5 minutes. This was greatly reduced from the long lines passengers experienced this past September and October.

“By working alongside our partners at TSA, we were able to make a significant difference for passengers traveling this holiday season,” said DEN CEO Phil Washington. “We will continue to strive to make enhancements that improve travelers’ journey through DEN, not just over the holidays, but every chance we get.”

Some of the changes made that resulted in reduced lines and a more positive travel experience include:

• Relocating TSA security lanes. TSA PreCheck, a combo of TSA PreCheck and Clear, and Premium Passenger lanes are designated to the North Checkpoint. The South Checkpoint is dedicated to standard screening passengers, there is one Clear lane at this checkpoint, and this is also our 24/hour checkpoint. The A-Bridge Checkpoint is dedicated to standard screening.
• Expanding checkpoints by adding two screening lanes.
• Expanding the volunteer program and adding onsite employees during the holiday, allowing the airport to deploy team members to assist in line management and wayfinding for travelers during high-volume peaks at the airport.
• Restoring live TSA security checkpoint wait times to the homepage of the DEN website for passengers to check before they arrive at DEN. Soon monitors will be placed around the terminal for passengers to see live wait times in person.

Throughout the holiday week, Nov. 22-28, approximately 425,000 travelers passed through DEN TSA checkpoints. The busiest days throughout the period were Tuesday, Nov. 23 with more than 68,000 passengers, Wednesday, Nov. 24 with more than 69,000 passengers and Sunday, Nov. 28 with more than 73,000 passengers traveling through DEN TSA checkpoints.

From Nov. 22-28, TSA throughput in Denver was down 7% vs. the same week in 2019, which was 5 points ahead of the U.S. overall.

DEN reminds passengers that there are still many busy travel days ahead and to be in the airport at least two hours before their boarding time.

Denver International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world. DEN is the primary economic engine for the state of Colorado, generating more than $36 billion for the region annually. For more information visit www.FlyDenver.com, check us out on YouTube and Instagram, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign up for DEN’s monthly newsletter Nonstop News.

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