DENVER — As temperatures rise, Denver International Airport is preparing for a surge of Spring Break travelers.
Keylen Villagrana, the airport’s Public Information Officer, advises families planning trips during peak travel periods to be prepared for heavy volume, and gives some tips for those looking for a stress-free experience.
“It's usually towards the end of the month, the last two weeks of March, that's what we’re expecting to be the highest volume of passengers,” said Villagrana. “We’re going to continue seeing more and more volume as the airport grows, which is great to see, but we need to make sure that we’re providing all the information that passengers need.”
Her number one tip for planning a trip is to check out flydenver.com. There, you can look at security wait times, which parking lots are available, and even reserve parking spots in a special section of the garage. You can also reserve spots online in the TSA security line through a program called DEN Reserve.
“It’s another option for people that might be tight on time, and it minimizes some of the lines that we can get, especially during peak times and heavy travel times,” said Villagrana. “I think most people don't know that it's an option.”
To use DEN Reserve you input your flight information on the website. Then, select your preferred time to go through security, input your email, and await a forthcoming message from DIA with a QR code that an employee scans to let you into the appropriate line at West Security.
The DEN Reserve line is for customers who do not have TSA Precheck. It circumvents part of the normal security line, which can save a lot of time during peak travel times at the airport.
DIA also works with TSA at West Security to determine how many reservation slots per day and time they make available.
“We ensure that TSA is going to be able to handle the numbers. We're very strategic in the way we provide DEN Reserve,” said Villagrana. “We don't want it to become too saturated and defeat the purpose of it, to help with those longer lines.”
DEN Reserve can accommodate groups of up to 30 people, and reservations can be made up to 14 days in advance of your flight. Villagrana recommends making your reservations as early as possible to guarantee an available slot appropriate for your flight time.
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