DENVER — It's been nearly a week of travel woes for passengers traveling in and out of Denver International Airport, and this weekend is no exception.
This Fourth of July Weekend, DIA says it is forecasting more than 550,000 passengers to travel through TSA checkpoints. They say this is a 12.6% increase from the same period in 2022.
Since Sunday, United Airlines passengers at DIA have faced over 700 cancelations and nearly 1,500 delays, according to FlightAware data.
"It's frustrating," said Tamara Litrich, who traveled to Denver from New York on Saturday.
She said her friends planned a hiking trip to Colorado for the Fourth of July Weekend.
"We are all meeting from different places," she said.
Litrich said she and her friends have experienced delays and cancelations from different areas of the country, including Denver and San Francisco.
"There are always situations, but this one, I would have to say, is one of the worst with United," she said.
On top of that, Litrich said her luggage was lost when she arrived at DIA and said she hasn't been able to get any help finding it.
"You can wait in line for an hour, and there's one person behind the counter. It's been kind of a disaster," she explained.
Litrich said she was told to call the airline's customer service number but said the wait time was over an hour.
"United needs to really do something for the customers because this is ridiculous," Litrich said.
She's still hopeful her friends will be able to make their trip.
Even though things were a little less crowded at the airport on Saturday, officials estimate another 70,000 passengers on Sunday.
Denver7 reached out to United Airlines for a statement but has not heard back.
DIA told Denver7 that they understand cancelations and delays are an inconvenience and can present challenges to passengers and they thank them for their patience.
They add that when delays or cancelations occur, it is their role as an airport to support their passengers and help maintain efficient operations through security checkpoints, the airfield and customs.
Their biggest tip for passengers, regardless of when they travel, is to check their flight status with their airline in advance.
They also offered the following tips:
- Passengers should arrive inside the airport at least two hours before their scheduled boarding time.
- Check with your airline to confirm that your flight is on time and check-in online if possible.
- Check real-time parking availability at www.flydenver.com/parking_transit/parking.
- Check real-time TSA security wait times and identify the best checkpoint. Passengers can check these at FlyDenver.com.
- Passengers can reach out to DEN’s customer service team by calling (720) 730-IFLY (4359) or texting (720) 902-9351. Passengers can also click the “Chat” button on FlyDenver.com to connect with one of our agents via chat between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily.
Additionally, the airport says it recently opened four new TSA PreCheck lanes near the South Security Checkpoint. These lanes will provide flexibility as passenger volumes increase.
Another new program is DEN Reserve. They add that this free program allows passengers to book a window for their security screening through bridge security.
