Airport Airport

DEN Denver Airport TSA Times

( Terminal West Security )
IATA Code:

DEN

Timezone:

UTC/GMT -6:00 hours

Airport local time:

Tuesday, 3:55am


Wait times are steady
Last Updated:
2:58 AM (UTC/GMT -6:00 hours)2026-04-07
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  • Data

    Qsensor makes use of data from Denver Airport.

  • Disclaimer

    Waiting times may not accurately reflect your experience. It is advisable to arrive at the airport well in advance and follow the recommendations of the airlines and airports.

  • Airport Last Updated

    2:58 AM (UTC/GMT -6:00 hours)2026-04-07

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  • Real-time wait times
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  • Total average

    Wait Times by Day of Week

    Average wait times based on the last 3 weeks of data.

    6m
    Mon
    6m
    Tue
    5m
    Wed
    9m
    Thu
    7m
    Fri
    5m
    Sat
    6m
    Sun

    Average historical wait times

    Based on data from the past 3 weeks.
    Current: 0 min (Shorter wait than usual: avg wait time is 0 min)

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    Latest Airport Arrival Time
    Domestic 1h 30m before departure
    International 1h 59m before departure
    How we calculated this

    Bag drop closes 45-60 min before departure. With an estimated 45 min bag drop queue, you need to arrive at the desk 90-105 min early. After that, allow 4 min for security (avg on Tuesdays) and 20 min to walk to your gate, which closes 15-20 min before departure.

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    • Lowest wait time periods
    • Peak hours to avoid
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    Best & Worst Times to Fly

    Based on historical tsa wait times across all days of the week.

    Best Time
    Evening
    5pm - 9pm
    1 min avg wait
    Worst Time
    Early Morning
    4am - 8am
    8 min avg wait
    Flying in the Evening instead of Early Morning could save you up to 7 minutes in tsa lines.

    Airport Guide for Denver International Airport (DEN)

    Denver International Airport, known officially by its IATA code DEN and locally as DIA, is a global aviation powerhouse located approximately 25 miles northeast of downtown Denver. Spanning an impressive 53 square miles (33,500 acres), it holds the title of the largest airport in the United States by land area and the second largest in the world.

    The airport is anchored by the Jeppesen Terminal, famous for its iconic white tensile fabric roof designed to mimic the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mountains. As a major hub for United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Frontier Airlines, DEN processes over 80+ million passengers annually, consistently ranking as the third-busiest airport in the U.S. and one of the busiest in the world.

    Navigating DEN requires understanding its unique layout: a single landside terminal connected to three parallel airside concourses (A, B, and C). While Concourse A is accessible via a pedestrian bridge, Concourses B and C are reached primarily by an underground train system. The airport is currently nearing the final stages of the Great Hall Project, a multi-billion dollar renovation aimed at upgrading security and increasing capacity to accommodate 100 million annual passengers by 2027.

    Denver Airport FAQ

    No. The Bridge Security checkpoint is permanently closed as of late 2024. All security screening is now handled at the primary checkpoints on Level 6 of the terminal.

    Note: While the checkpoint is gone, the Bridge Walkway to Concourse A has reopened. You can walk to Concourse A, but you must clear security at the East or West checkpoint first.

    DEN now operates two large checkpoints on Level 6: West Security and the newly opened East Security (opened August 2025).

    • West Security: Best for United Airlines passengers (West side of terminal).
    • East Security: Best for Southwest and Frontier passengers (East side of terminal). Tip: Both checkpoints lead to the same secure area. If one is crowded, you can walk to the other.

    Both checkpoints offer TSA PreCheck.

    Generally, no. The new East and West checkpoints utilize advanced Computed Tomography (CT) scanners that allow passengers to keep laptops and 3-1-1 compliant liquids inside their carry-on bags during screening. However, the liquid size limit of 3.4 oz (100ml) still applies.

    As of January 2026, it is phased out and no longer the main PreCheck location. The East and West checkpoints now handle all passengers.

    DEN Reserve, is a free service that lets you book a specific time slot for security to skip the general line. It is located ONLY at the West Security Checkpoint (specifically the West Security 2 entrance). It operates from 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    Yes. It is the primary budget option at $10.00 per day.

    The Mt. Elbert lot is an overflow lot. It typically only opens when Pikes Peak is at capacity (often during holidays). You should drive to Pikes Peak first; signs will direct you to Mt. Elbert if necessary.

    he garages (East and West) cost $50.00 per day or $7.00 per hour (first 5 hours). They are the most convenient option, located within walking distance of the terminal.

    Ride-share pickups are located on Level 5, Island 5. You must exit the terminal from Baggage Claim (Level 5) and cross the roadway to the furthest island.

    • West Side: Exit doors 506–510.
    • East Side: Exit doors 507–511.

    The A Line station is located at the Transit Center on Level 1, beneath the Westin Hotel at the south end of the terminal. The cost is $10.00 for an airport day pass.

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    Qsensor FAQ

    Live data: For the majority of the airports we track we use live data from the airport. For the remaining airports we provide a modelled projection, combined with crowdsourced data.

    Search: By airport name, IATA code, city, county, country or region. To save you time, we keep your last visited airports on the front page. If you can’t find an airport, contact us using the contact form and we will look to add it. 

    Current average wait time: The airport’s latest average security, passport control or customs queue wait time. If the airport has multiple queues, we display the average of them. If you want a more granular view that includes wait times for individual queues, take a look at the terminal level wait times. We regularly update each airport’s data,  but make sure you click the “i” icon to check when the last update was made.

    Terminal level wait times: The latest security or customs queue wait time for individual terminals. Click on the terminal to access more information at the terminal level. Please note that this data is not available for all airports. We are working to expand this functionality to as many airports as possible.

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    Add a security or customs queue wait time: How was your airport security experience? Contribute to the community by inputting your wait time. This feature is only available for airports where Qsensor does not automatically track data. To add a wait time, simply click the “Add Your Time” button on the airports page and follow the instructions.

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    Please note that this data is monitored and may be modified or deleted if found to be invalid.

    Click the “i” icon to view and take note of more contextual information on each airport. “Airport Last Updated” denotes the last time the data was refreshed.

    Our sources for wait time data vary and may include air travel data aggregators, federal agencies such as the TSA, CATSA CBP, or information from the airport and its affiliated service providers. For some airports, Qsensor utilises its proprietary queue modelling technology to project wait times. Additionally, we crowdsource data from passengers who have input their wait time using the “Add Your Time” button.

    Qsensor is not affiliated with any airport, airline, or associated service provider.

    We regularly check queue times and flight delays for accuracy, however all times are estimates and waiting times and delays may not accurately reflect your experience. It is advisable to arrive at the airport well in advance and follow the recommendations of the airlines and airports.

    There are a wide array of ways that queue data is measured. Including but not limited to looking at how long a passenger takes to get from scanning their boarding pass to exiting the security or customs area. Auditing passengers on how long it took them to pass through security or customs as well as Qsensors’ proprietary system for user added wait times. 

    For airport wait times, we currently support over 140 airports worldwide. Whether it be London Heathrow, Istanbul, or Miami – we have got you covered. More are added all the time. Is Qsensor missing an airport that you want to be supported? We are more than happy to accommodate your request, get in touch via the contact form. 

    For flight delays and cancellations, we currently support 12 airports, with the goal of expanding coverage going forwards.

    Qsensor automatically tracks wait times for a variety of airports including London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare, Amsterdam Schiphol, Kempegowda Bangalore, Madrid Barajas, Hong Kong, Istanbul, and many more!

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    Get insights into flight on-time performance and make better travel decisions. Please note, this feature is not available for all airports, but we’re adding more all the time!

    To keep wait times relevant, the message “There is currently no data for this airport.” is shown when no traveller has recently inputted a wait time.

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    For airports Qsensor automatically tracks, this message may also be shown if we haven’t recently gotten data from the airport. This typically rectifies itself within 12 hours.

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