Did news of really long summer travel lines at Denver International Airport make you think, "Huh, maybe I should suck it up and enroll in TSA PreCheck even though it costs $85 for five years?" Or maybe news that Denver-based Frontier Airlines was finally joining the program pushed you in?
You're not alone. Last June, 75 people a day were enrolling in TSA PreCheck in Denver, says TSA Spokesperson Carrie Harmon. This June, it's 215 people per day. That's a 286.67 percent increase over the year.
It's part of a broader spike in TSA applications. Almost 16,000 people a day are now applying for PreCheck, National Public Radio reported.
"Because of increased demand in Denver and across the country, we are looking at ways to increase capacity," Harmon told Denverite. "For example, at the Denver enrollment center at the airport center, there used to be 2 enrollment stations in the enrollment center, now there's three."
But that also means that DIA is among the busier airports where walk-up enrollments have possible wait times of up to an hour. That's why she recommends people pre-enroll online and maybe even make an appointment.
"If you pre-enroll online, the average time it takes to enroll is less than 10 minutes," Harmon said. "That doesn't include the wait time."
You can schedule your appointment 45 days out, but at some enrollment centers the wait has been longer. Basically, whatever your choice, there will be some waiting.
