DENVER (KDVR) — Security wait times at Denver International Airport are some of the worst in the country during the holiday season, according to a new report.
Passengers going through security at DIA waited an average of 9.1 minutes during the 2022 holiday season, the fifth-worst wait time in the country.
The report, which came from UpgradedPoints.com and used data from the Transportation Safety Administration, looked at the average wait times around Thanksgiving and the winter holidays for the 63 largest airports in the country last year.
Denver airport wait times longer during holidays
The specific days looked during the 2022 holiday were Nov. 17-28 and Dec. 17 through Jan. 3, 2023.
During that period, security wait times were, on average, 22.1% longer at DIA than they usually are, according to the report.
While wait times at DIA were not the best, they were a full 3 minutes quicker than at the worst-ranked airport:
- Jacksonville International Airport: 12 minutes
- Newark Liberty International Airport: 11.7 minutes
- John F. Kennedy International Airport: 9.6 minutes
- Orlando International Airport: 9.2 minutes
- Denver International Airport: 9.1 minutes
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: 9.1 minutes
- San Diego International Airport: 8.8 minutes
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: 8.7 minutes
- Indianapolis International Airport: 7.9 minutes
- Charleston International Airport: 7.6 minutes
The worst day of the week for holiday travel, at least at DIA, was Wednesday, according to the report.
TSA PreCheck wait times much faster
While normal passengers had to wait an average of 9.1 minutes at DIA, those with TSA PreCheck enjoyed much shorter waits.
With TSA PreCheck, passengers only waited in line an average of 2.4 minutes, a little under 7 minutes less than passengers without it.
Still, wait times during the holidays were 22.1% longer for TSA PreCheck than normal, according to the report.
