Denver International Airport Offers Tips For A Smooth Summer Travel Experience

DENVER – June 27, 2016 – With the busy summer travel season underway, Denver International Airport (DEN) is providing a number of services and tips that will help passengers have a smooth traveling experience. The airport has seen eight consecutive months of record-setting passenger traffic, and the summertime is historically the busiest time of the year.

The July Fourth holiday week is one of the busiest times of the year at DEN, and this year the airport is projecting record-setting traffic with about 1.2 million passengers from June 28 through July 4 – about 13 percent more than the same time last year. Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest days during this time period, with more than 180,000 passengers each of those days, compared with DEN’s average daily traffic of 148,000 passengers. The airport projects the busiest times at the TSA screening checkpoints to be from about 5-10 a.m., and from 1-4 p.m. Passengers are encouraged to arrive early.

The airport is also projecting record-setting passenger traffic from late June through the end of July. Many of the airport’s busiest days have already come from this summer, including four of the top five travel days on record:

• Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015 – 182,743 passengers
• Friday, June 24, 2016 – 181,320 passengers
• Friday, June 17, 2016 – 180,474 passengers
• Thursday, June 16, 2016 – 179,630 passengers
• Thursday, June 23, 2016 – 179,584 passengers

Top Five Travel Tips

• Arrive at the airport early! DEN generally recommends being at the airport and at the TSA screening area at least two hours prior to boarding time. Add in some additional time for parking or passenger drop off, airline check-in and baggage check services as needed.
• Skip the traffic and use the University of Colorado A Line commuter rail, offering a direct link from Denver Union Station to the airport in just 37 minutes ($9/day).
• Driving? Check flydenver.com for the latest, real-time information about parking availability in all on-airport lots. The Pikes Peak and Mt. Elbert shuttle lots are just $8/day and are one of the most popular choices for summer vacationers. Short-term parking is available in the East and West garages for $4/hour. This area is intended for passenger pick-up and drop-off. Guarantee yourself a garage parking space by reserving one ahead of time at www.DIAReservedParking.com. Reservations can be made up to one year in advance and cost just $4/day in addition to regular garage rates. DEN offers free vehicle services for our customers including jump starts, tire inflation, and car key retrieval if they’ve been locked in your vehicle. For any of these services, call (303) 342-4645, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Plan ahead for security screening by knowing the TSA rules for liquids, gels, aerosols and carry-on items. Travelers may bring one carry-on bag and one personal item (purse, laptop, etc.) through security. Put medications and other required items in your carry-on bag.
• Expedited screening is available via TSA Pre✓™ status, an optional, paid TSA program. Passengers can sign up for TSA Pre✓™ following an application process inside the Jeppesen Terminal application center, located on the east side of level 5, near the south screening checkpoint.

Dine, Shop and Relax

• The Westin Denver International Airport hotel is now open and accepting reservations online.
• The Canine Airport Therapy Squad, or CATS, has friendly dogs roaming the concourses for travelers to pet, hug and relax with before takeoff.
• DEN has more than 140 shops and restaurants to choose from, including recent additions such as Kiehl’s and Urban Decay, two new Denver Duty Free stores, the Coors Silver Bullet Bar, Tapas Sky Bar, Victoria’s Secret, No Boundaries outdoor gear, Modern Market and more.
• New wayfinding touch screens are positioned throughout the concourses. These 10 digital directories provide flight and gate information, directions to nearby shops and restaurants and other helpful information.

Technology tools

• Get flight status information, road conditions, parking lot availability, security wait times, airport maps, ground transportation and more at www.flydenver.com.
• Follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook for frequent airport updates.
• DEN offers fast, free Wi-Fi Internet access, phone charging stations and free global calling throughout the airport.

Simply ask for help

• DEN’s volunteer Ambassadors and customer service staff – easy to spot in their Spyder Active Sports blue-plaid uniforms – are available throughout the terminal and concourses to provide directions and information.
• Passengers can also use these helpful airport telephone numbers:
  303-DEN-PARK (342-7275) – Select “option one” for information on parking availability in DEN lots
  303-342-4059 – Information on DEN ground transportation
  TEXT 720-370-9002 – General airport questions
  303-342-2000 – DEN Customer Services
  1-800-AIR-2-DEN – DEN Customer Services for out-of-town travelers

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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