Denver airport expecting fall travel rush — here’s when it will be busiest

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver International Airport has already seen record-breaking traffic this year , and the airport said it is expecting busy travel to break records this month.

Michael Konopasek, a spokesperson for the airport, told FOX31 that airport officials saw forecasts for high traveler volume and decided to notify the public.

Airport staff believe fall break is a driving force behind the increased traffic, as many schools along the Front Range and across Colorado have breaks scheduled around the busy travel forecast dates.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to go through DIA in the next couple of weeks, according to a press release, with one of those days projected to be the second busiest day of 2024 so far.

Which days will be the busiest?

From Oct. 10 through Oct. 20, DIA said it is expecting more than 843,800 passengers to go through security. That number does not account for connecting passengers or arriving passengers. The airport expects these days to be the busiest, accounting for more than 338,600 of those passengers:

• Oct. 10
• Oct. 11
• Oct. 13
• Oct. 20

Oct. 13 is projected to be the busiest with an estimated 89,667 passengers going through security. If that projection proves correct, it would make Oct. 13 the second busiest day for the airport so far this year.

• July 7 – 93,591 passengers screened
• Oct. 13 – 89,667 passengers projected to be screened
• July 21 – 89,421 passengers screened
• June 30 – 86,941 passengers screened
• Sept. 2 – 86,941 passengers screened

When might security lines be longer?

With the increased traffic, DIA encourages passengers to arrive at least 2 hours before their boarding time to make sure they have enough time to get through security and travel to their gate.

The airport said these peak times could have longer security lines:

• 3 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.
• 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.
• 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

If you plan to travel this October, the airport recommenhds checking real-time parking availability and real-time TSA security wait times online. Passengers can also reserve a spot in the TSA line in advance.

Konopasek said the fall traffic is another example of how the airport continues to get busier and busier. Last year was the busiest year on record for DIA with over 77 million passengers. This year is expected to top that record with a projected total between 81 and 82 million passengers.

The airport is projecting 100 million annual passengers by 2027, doubling the amount it was designed for. There are plans to add another 100 gates in the coming decades.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.