Denver International Airport Stops Offering Round-The-Clock TSA Checkpoint

Image: Travelers passing through a TSA Airport Security scanning system.  (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Mihail)
Image: Travelers passing through a TSA Airport Security scanning system. (Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/Mihail)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 9:00 AM ET, Fri April 26, 2024

Denver International is joining a growing trend among airports.

That is, when the last flight leaves for the day, so does security at one of its checkpoints.

Beginning on May 5, Denver International Airport (DIA) will no longer have a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint. The South Security checkpoint will not be staffed between 1 and 3 a.m. That roughly coincides with the overall flight schedule at the airport.

The last flight at Denver International is scheduled to leave each day at 12:59 a.m., and flights resume at 5 a.m. Passengers will not be screened at that checkpoint for the two hours in which it is closed.

TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers said that even though the TSA checkpoint is closed for two hours, it will reopen two hours before the next flight is scheduled to depart, leaving people with plenty of time to be screened. And the change will help the TSA manage its workload.

"We want to keep the maximum number of lanes open during our busiest hours," Dankers said.  "We're always looking at ways to make things more efficient." 

It is not uncommon for a major airport to shut down one of its security checkpoints when it is rarely in use.

DIA officials said in a statement: “TSA informed us that they would be making this decision as part of a staffing reallocation effort and to make their operations more efficient. Based on the TSA data that informed this decision, significant passenger impacts are not expected as there are currently no scheduled flight departures after 1 a.m.”


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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