DIA, TSA prepare for busy Thanksgiving travel season

Lines for holiday travelers at Denver International Airport on November 22, 2016.

Denver International Airport and the Transportation Security Administration are preparing for a busy couple of weeks as Thanksgiving travel picks up.

From Friday, Nov. 17 to Monday, Nov. 27, TSA in a news release said it expects to screen nearly 800,000 passengers through DIA checkpoints, a 13% increase from 2022.

“In preparation for the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, TSA has been working with our airport and airline partners at DEN to develop a comprehensive plan that ensures we will be ready for the increase in departing travelers who need to be screened,” TSA Federal Security Director for Colorado Larry Nau stated in the release. “Our TSA officers will be working extended shifts and be joined by national TSA staffing resources so we can keep the security lanes open and operations going smoothly.”

The three busiest days at the Denver airport during the Thanksgiving travel period are projected to be the Tuesday and Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Both airport and TSA officials have several ways they’ve prepared for the influx of passengers and recommendations for planning ahead.

When passengers arrive at the airport, all nonvalet parking lots will be open, and the 2,400 parking spaces in the East Economy Lot that were closed for repairs will be open in time for the holidays.

The Pikes Peak and Longs Peak shuttle lots are available at $8 a day.

There are also 36 electric vehicle charging stations available at no extra charge than standard parking rates on Level 1 of the parking garages.

For parking lot safety, increased Denver police patrols will monitor lots, and anyone who needs to report suspicious activity can call 303-342-4211.

Security lines are expected to be longer than usual, and passengers should arrive at the airport at least two hours before their scheduled boarding time.

Passengers with TSA PreCheck can use one of four new lanes near the primary standard screening South Security Checkpoint. The new lanes are open from 4 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and are located near Baggage Claim 7.

The North Security Checkpoint is the primary checkpoint for TSA PreCheck passengers and is open from 4 a.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Colorado residents with TSA PreCheck can prepare for their security checkpoint by downloading their digital Colorado driver licenses or photo IDs to use at the North Security Checkpoint. Digital IDs are available to download on Google and Apple wallets.

All passengers can prepare for TSA PReCheck by having their Known Traveler Number and date of birth confirmed in their airline reservations.

For standard passengers, the South Security Checkpoint is open 24/7, and the A-Bridge Security Checkpoint is open from 4:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.

DEN Reserve, a free service that allows passengers to reserve dedicated security time slots, is also available on the bridge.

Travelers can book a dedicated airport personal assistant to help them during most of these steps, when they arrive at the airport, all the way to check-in, and to assist arriving passengers with picking up their baggage and getting to their next mode of transportation.

The new service, called DEN Travel Assist provided by SkySquad, is available at FlyDenver.com/DENTravelAssist starting at $59.

Passengers can reach out to DIA’s customer service team by calling 720-730-4359.

Passengers can also check parking lot capacities and security wait times at FlyDenver.com.