DENVER – Dec. 20, 2017 – As the holiday travel season continues, Denver International Airport (DEN) is bringing back holiday entertainment and providing a series of travel tips to help create a seamless and relaxing travel experience.
Preliminary passenger forecasts show an estimated 1.19 million passengers will pass through DEN from Dec. 19-25. From Dec. 26 through Jan. 1, the airport expects about 1.24 million passengers. The holiday numbers represent about a 1-percent increase compared to the same time last year. Friday, Dec. 22 is likely to be the busiest travel day of the holiday weeks, with an estimated 189,000 passengers. This day ranks about No. 53 on the list of busiest days in DEN history.
Additionally, to help move the security checkpoints as efficiently as possible during the busiest travel time, the airport is planning to provide additional staffing at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints this holiday travel season for non-security tasks, such as moving bins, managing lines and passenger divesting. The airport will provide contracted security staff who will provide assistance during the peak travel times throughout the day. This assistance will take place from Dec. 17 through Jan. 3. TSA will provide training and oversight for these workers, who have all passed an airport background check.
Other DEN services and entertainment to watch for this holiday season include:
- Holiday entertainment – including choirs, musicians, pianists and dance groups – will take place inside the Jeppesen Terminal from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from Dec. 18-24.
- Strolling contemporary carolers will also be making rounds in the airport from Dec. 18-24.
- The free ice skating rink – located on the open-air plaza near the Westin Denver International Airport, is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily through Jan. 7, including free ice skate rentals and music.
- Passengers can pick up a free holiday card with candy at the airport information booths through Dec. 25.
- The Westin Denver International Airport hotel – reservations are available online.
- The Canine Airport Therapy Squad, or CATS, in which certified therapy dogs (and one cat!) roam the concourses for travelers to pet, hug and relax with before takeoff.
- More than 190 shops and restaurants to choose from, including great Colorado flavors like Root Down, Modern Market and Elway’s, along with newly added brands such as Roasting Plant and Smashburger.
- Wayfinding touch screens are positioned throughout the concourses. These digital directories provide flight and gate information, directions to nearby shops and restaurants and other helpful information.
- Additionally, DEN is offering a variety of travel tips for passengers traveling during the holiday season:
Packing
- Travelers may bring one carry-on bag and one personal item (purse, laptop, etc.) through security.
- Last summer, TSA announced the implementation of stronger screening procedures for carry-on items that would require travelers to place all electronics larger than a cell phone in bins for X-ray screening in standard lanes. TSA is now rolling out these new procedures at airports around the country in the coming weeks and months.
- In addition, TSA officers sometimes will suggest that passengers remove other select items, including food, from their carry-on bags. This is not required, but helps X-ray operators get a clearer view of the contents of the bag. We encourage passengers to listen closely to the instructions given by TSA officers at the checkpoint.
- The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) restrictions on taking liquids and gels through security remain in place. For more information on security screening and smart packing tips, visit www.TSA.gov.
- Leave holiday gifts unwrapped; TSA may open wrapped packages to check the contents.
- Know your airline’s checked bag policies and fees in advance.
Before You Leave for the Airport
- Please plan accordingly and allow for extra time at the airport. A good rule of thumb is to be inside the airport two hours prior to your flight departure time. This should allow for plenty of time to navigate flight check-in, security lines and travel to your gate.
- Before you leave the house, check with your airline to confirm that your flight is on time and check-in online if possible.
- Check parking availability at www.flydenver.com. Parking
- For real-time parking information while you’re on the road, watch for electronic signs along inbound Peña Boulevard or call 303-DIA-PARK, option 1.
- The East and West garages are available for $3/hour or a $24/day maximum. Lower daily rates are offered at the Pikes Peak and Mt. Elbert shuttle lots for $8/day.
- The East and West Economy Lots, located next to the Jeppesen Terminal garages, are available for $13/day.
- For a guaranteed close space, reserved parking is available in either garage for an additional fee of $4 per day, by visiting www.DIAReservedParking.com.
- 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.
- We offer free vehicle services for our customers including jump starts, tire inflation, and car key retrieval if they’ve been locked in your vehicle, and we’ll even provide assistance if you need help finding your lost vehicle. For any of these services, call (303) 342-4645, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Checking-in
- If you didn’t check in online before leaving home, save time with self-service check-in kiosks near airline counters.
- Even if you checked in online or at a kiosk, passengers checking bags still need to go to a ticket counter to hand off luggage to the airline.
- Many airlines now offer smartphone apps for mobile check-in and flight information. • Arriving via the RTD A Line? Check your bag and print boarding passes right at the DEN station train platform!
Picking up
- Check with your friend or family member’s airline, or visit www.flydenver.com, to confirm that the flight is on time before leaving for the airport.
- Curbside parking at Jeppesen Terminal is prohibited. Avoid the congestion on the passenger arrival level by parking in the East and West Terminal Garages for just $3/hour. With nearly 15,000 combined parking spaces, the garages provide convenient access to the terminal and are generally open during the holiday travel season.
- The Final Approach cell phone waiting lot is located at 7684 N. Wenatchee St, approximately three miles west of the Jeppesen Terminal along Peña Boulevard. It can be easily accessed via eastbound Peña Boulevard to 75th avenue and northbound Gun Club Road; westbound Peña Boulevard to Wenatchee Street; or from East 78th Avenue. Signs are posted along all access routes. This facility includes dining options and free Wi-Fi.
- Parking or stopping along any airport roadway is illegal and dangerous and violators are subject to ticketing.
Traveling with children or persons 75-years-old or older
- Traveling with children? Check out http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/traveling-children.
- If you are 75-years-old or older, you may leave on shoes and light jackets through security checkpoints. http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/screening-passengers-75-and-older 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 super-fast and free Wi-Fi Internet access, phone charging stations and free global calling throughout the airport.
Simply ask for help
- DEN’s volunteer Ambassadors – easy to spot in their custom Spyder blue vests – and Customer Service staff are available throughout the terminal and concourses to provide directions and information.
- Passengers without Internet access can use these helpful airport telephone numbers:
– 303-DIA-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
– Chat live with a real person online at flydenver.com
– Tweet your questions to us @DENairport
