More than 360,000 passengers expected at Denver International Airport over Memorial Day Weekend
Denver International Airport is expected to have more than 360,000 passengers pass through over the Memorial Day Weekend. The time period most important to the airport is May 21 through May 25.
The Transportation Security Administration provided CBS Colorado with a breakdown of how many passengers are expected each day:
- May 21: 80,300
- May 22: 83,300
- May 23: 63,500
- May 24: 59,675
- May 25: 81,260
TSA says they want to make the busy travel season as easy and painless as possible. Their goal is to have passengers in standard TSA get in and through the checkpoint in less than 30 minutes. For those who use TSA Precheck, they will try to get passengers in and through the checkpoint in less than 10 minutes.
TSA says they are fully staffed with 17 lanes in both the East and West Security checkpoints. Depending on volume, both sides should be open.
TSA says they run into line backups because of people carrying prohibited items and not having their ID ready. These items include liquids of more than 3.4 ounces, knives, and other weapons. Passengers are reminded that they cannot bring any self-defense weapons through the TSA checkpoints.
TSA says if you want to make your flight on time, you only have one option.
"Nine times out of 10, passengers will surrender their prohibited items to the TSA officer," Daniel Velez, Spokesperson for TSA, said. "TSA never confiscates any prohibited items. We leave it up to the passenger. If you want to catch a plane, you either have to surrender it or find another way, but it's not going to be in your carry-on bag."
TSA always recommends getting to the airport at least two hours before your flight. Passengers can use Flydenver.com to see how long it takes to get through the East and West Security checkpoints.
