TSA training instructor Chyanne Gonzales simulates checking a suspect bag in Denver International Airport’s new, and currently unopened, west security checkpoint. Jan. 24, 2024.
Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Denver International Airport is preparing for an onslaught of travelers as the holidays approach.
Airport officials say a high-tech new West Security checkpoint could make the experience less stressful. The upgraded checkpoint has seen significantly shorter, faster lines than the main South Security checkpoint.
This might be your first time seeing DIA’s new security checkpoint
After over two years of construction, the new West checkpoint at DIA opened to the public fully in early February.
Located on the airport’s sixth floor, the new checkpoint is more efficient, said terminal operations manager Aubrey Ross.
The new checkpoint features 17 screening lanes for both TSA PreCheck and general travelers. For comparison, the airport’s main South Security checkpoint in the Great Hall has only a handful of lanes.
With upgraded technology, the new lanes can each handle 250 people per hour, compared to 150 per hour for older checkpoints. Travelers can keep all their stuff in their bags — even if they don’t have TSA PreCheck.
“No more walking or pushing your bags into the X-ray equipment. You’re keeping everything in your bag,” Ross said. “You’re not having to take out your liquids or your computers. Everything stays in there. So we’re saving time on what we call the divestiture side.”
West Security’s efficiency isn’t all-powerful, however — you’ll still have to remove your shoes (unless you actually do have PreCheck).
Travelers should also be prepared to have their face photographed by an ID machine at the checkpoint.
It seems like the new design is working. Since the checkpoint opened in February, its average wait time has been about four minutes.
That’s significantly shorter than South Security’s average wait time of 11.5 minutes. But the old checkpoint has also seen its wait times reduced by a few minutes compared to last year.
Ready for prime time?
Thanksgiving will be the West Checkpoint’s first real test since it opened — and Ross thinks it’s “100 percent” ready.
“We’re looking at [flight loads] and passenger volumes coming through at very specific times, and we’re really teeing up a plan for success,” she said.
Ross cautioned that West Security will be a new experience for some travelers. She advised first-timers to be prepared to follow directions.
One other tradeoff: shorter hours. West Security is closed from 7:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. each night, while South Security only closes between 1-3 a.m.
More changes ahead:
This may be the last holiday season for the old South Security checkpoint. It’s expected to close around the third quarter of 2025 as the Great Hall construction project continues.
At the same time, the airport will open a new East Security checkpoint, which will be identical to the new West checkpoint.
One more change: The slightly secret Bridge Security is due to stop operating regularly on Dec. 9, so say your final goodbyes. The bridge itself will still allow passengers to travel between the Great Hall and Concourse A.
Hey, I got through security too fast, and now I have 90 minutes at my gate!
“It’s all part of our plan,” Ross joked.
DIA has long rejected the idea that waiting at the airport is a bad thing.
In recent years, the airport has bolstered its post-security offerings. In addition to the usual airport concession suspects, travelers can shop or eat at a variety of local establishments, like Steve’s Snappin’ Dogs (which is seeing out its airport lease after closing its main location earlier this year) and Breckenridge Brewery.
And just in time for the holidays, three Denver-based restaurants and cafes — Mister Oso, Bar Dough and Aviano Coffee — opened on Concourse C last week on the east side of the terminal.
If those aren’t enough to get you in a festive mood, DIA has bought into the pop-up bar trend and opened a temporary holiday bar in Concourse B.
