TSA wait times
ENDEN · Denver International Airport
DEN TSA wait times: how busy will security be?
We forecast how many travelers each DEN security checkpoint will screen, hour by hour, from the official TSA throughput reports. Pick your flight time to see which checkpoint should be the least busy for you.
Forecasts, not live wait times. Busy levels compare each checkpoint with its own past year. Times are local airport time.
When is your flight?
Security checkpoints before a 9 AM departure on Tuesday, October 27
Foxy's pickEast Security (Level 6) should be moderately busy before your flight.
| Checkpoint | 6 AM | 7 AM | 8 AM |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Security (Level 6) Best bet | Calm~1,439 travelers | Calm~1,504 travelers | Moderate~1,967 travelers |
| West Security (Level 6) | Moderate~1,779 travelers | Moderate~1,898 travelers | Moderate~1,999 travelers |
At DEN, every checkpoint leads to every concourse, so you can pick the least busy one. Checkpoints reserved for connecting passengers or private flights are not listed. Source: official airport website, checked 2026-10-09.
A typical week at DEN security
Travelers screened per minute, all checkpoints together, forecast average over the next four weeks. This is a flow of people, not a wait time.
Calm Moderate Busy compared with the rest of the week.
| Day | 3 AM | 4 AM | 5 AM | 6 AM | 7 AM | 8 AM | 9 AM | 10 AM | 11 AM | 12 PM | 1 PM | 2 PM | 3 PM | 4 PM | 5 PM | 6 PM | 7 PM | 8 PM | 9 PM | 10 PM | 11 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 10/min | 39/min | 52/min | 71/min | 77/min | 86/min | 91/min | 72/min | 66/min | 65/min | 61/min | 62/min | 63/min | 58/min | 50/min | 29/min | 26/min | 13/min | 12/min | 8/min | 3/min |
| Tue | 5/min | 23/min | 33/min | 53/min | 54/min | 64/min | 68/min | 56/min | 49/min | 51/min | 42/min | 45/min | 46/min | 46/min | 34/min | 24/min | 15/min | 7/min | 6/min | 5/min | 2/min |
| Wed | 7/min | 27/min | 36/min | 54/min | 55/min | 70/min | 69/min | 63/min | 51/min | 52/min | 53/min | 52/min | 56/min | 54/min | 44/min | 28/min | 18/min | 10/min | 11/min | 10/min | 3/min |
| Thu | 12/min | 38/min | 60/min | 72/min | 77/min | 85/min | 88/min | 75/min | 62/min | 69/min | 63/min | 70/min | 67/min | 70/min | 68/min | 53/min | 32/min | 20/min | 18/min | 15/min | 6/min |
| Fri | 13/min | 43/min | 66/min | 82/min | 85/min | 87/min | 94/min | 83/min | 63/min | 71/min | 69/min | 68/min | 63/min | 60/min | 58/min | 37/min | 24/min | 18/min | 16/min | 13/min | 5/min |
| Sat | 12/min | 35/min | 50/min | 63/min | 72/min | 83/min | 87/min | 61/min | 46/min | 59/min | 47/min | 52/min | 52/min | 50/min | 34/min | 27/min | 15/min | 12/min | 11/min | 8/min | 3/min |
| Sun | 11/min | 35/min | 50/min | 67/min | 65/min | 85/min | 85/min | 77/min | 64/min | 70/min | 67/min | 70/min | 73/min | 74/min | 71/min | 46/min | 33/min | 21/min | 18/min | 11/min | 6/min |
Busiest days ahead
- Friday, March 12: about 85,364 travelers screened
- Sunday, November 29: about 84,447 travelers screened
- Wednesday, December 23: about 84,090 travelers screened
- Friday, March 19: about 83,869 travelers screened
- Monday, December 28: about 82,217 travelers screened
How we forecast
Every week, the TSA publishes how many travelers each checkpoint screened, hour by hour. Our model learns each checkpoint's patterns from years of these reports (weekdays, seasons, holidays) and is retested every week against what really happened.
Tested on 2026: for the 3 hours before a departure, our forecasts were off by 13% on average, and the busy level was right 80% of the time. Treat them as typical conditions, not a guarantee.
Source: TSA throughput data (FOIA Reading Room), U.S. government work. Updated Oct. 27, 2026. For live wait times, see the official airport website.