Denver International security wait times: what to expect
From October 12 to November 9 we logged 289,976 security checkpoint readings at Denver International. The standard lane averaged 9 minutes, and TSA PreCheck averaged 6 minutes. 73% of standard-lane readings were 10 minutes or less, and 5% were over half an hour.
When the line is longest
The standard line at DEN is longest around 9 AM, when it has averaged 24 minutes, and shortest around 2 AM, at 2 minutes. By day of the week, Friday has been the heaviest (11 minutes on average) and Saturday the lightest (6 minutes).
| Time of day | Standard | PreCheck |
|---|---|---|
| Early morning (4–8 AM) | 11 min | 7 min |
| Morning (8 AM–noon) | 17 min | 10 min |
| Midday (noon–4 PM) | 12 min | 7 min |
| Evening (4–8 PM) | 8 min | 6 min |
| Night (8 PM–4 AM) | 3 min | 3 min |
Average wait across the last 28 days. A dash means the lane is usually closed then.
Is PreCheck worth it at DEN?
Over the same period PreCheck saved 3 minutes on average compared with the standard lane, and 12 minutes at the 9 AM peak. With long standard-lane waits that common, PreCheck makes a real difference here.
Terminal by terminal
West Security has had the shortest standard line (9 minutes on average) and East Security the longest (9 minutes). Security is separate in each terminal, so the one that matters is the one your airline uses.
| Terminal | Standard avg | PreCheck avg | Busiest hour | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Security | 9 min | 6 min | 9 AM | — |
| West Security | 9 min | 6 min | 8 AM | — |
Common questions
- What is the best time to go through security at DEN?
- Over the last 28 days the standard lane has been quietest around 2 AM, averaging 2 minutes, and Saturday has been the lightest day.
- Which terminal at DEN has the shortest security line?
- On average, West Security (9 minutes). You can only use the checkpoint for your own terminal, though, so check which terminal your airline flies from in the finder above.
- How early should I get to DEN?
To plan your arrival, use the worst hour rather than the average: at DEN that is 24 minutes in the standard lane around 9 AM. Allow that on top of your airline's check-in and bag-drop deadlines, and more on Fridays and holiday weekends. The live board above shows what the line is doing right now, and the chart projects the next 12 hours.
Where these numbers come from
Each airport publishes its own checkpoint wait estimates. This site reads them every minute and keeps every reading. Closed lanes are left out of the averages, and times are local to the airport. The averages above cover the last 28 days and are recalculated every hour. The posted wait is the airport's estimate, not a timed measurement, so treat it as a guide.
The full archive is free to download as an open dataset, and the about page explains who runs the site and why.