DENVER — Nearly half a million passengers are expected to pass through Denver International Airport during Labor Day Weekend as the airport wraps up a record summer travel period.
Officials said that the Transportation Security Administration's busiest days in more than two decades all happened this summer. And the unofficial end of the summer travel season is no exception, as 444,5000 passengers are expected to pass through TSA checkpoints at DIA.
One of those travelers is Julia Derk. She left Denver on Sunday to attend a wedding in Asheville, North Carolina, which started mere hours after her flight was scheduled to land.
"I’m just going to run through the airport, get in a Lyft, and try to make it to the next wedding. And I told everybody if I get there right when it starts, I’m not objecting," she said.
She may have dodged a bullet. Airport officials anticipate Friday and Monday to be the busiest days at DIA, with more than 177,895 passengers expected.
"I like a day in between the travel and getting home to kind of decompress and relax," said Julia's brother, Alan Derk. "I used to fly in like morning of work and go straight to work. But I'm old now, so I really like to have a day just to relax at the house."
TSA said it expects to screen 17 million passengers nationwide, with travel volumes 8.5% higher than this time last year. Airports have seen close to 240 million passengers since Memorial Day.
Many renovations are still taking place at DIA, including the East Security checkpoint, which will open next August. On Sunday morning, wait times were up to 21 minutes at the airport's South Security checkpoint.
When the DIA was originally built, officials said it could hold 50 million travelers, but projections show that it will see up to 100 million in the next few years, which could lead to more renovations.