Maybe you're the kind of person who thinks they only need to arrive 30 minutes early to the airport (the horror).
Maybe you planned to leave on time and then kept remembering extra things to pack. No matter the reason, all paths lead to the same place: the security line at Denver International Airport, snaking around and around with no end in sight.
DIA has opened additional security lines in recent months, and TSA officials say they are fully staffed. But a combination of high travel demand and cancelled and delayed flights has made air travel this summer chaotic, to say the least.
Enter: DEN Reserve, a new program that lets travelers reserve a spot in line at security.
Unlike TSA Precheck and CLEAR, which cost money and require advance registration, DEN Reserve is free, and open to anyone with a plane ticket. DIA launched a pilot program in June in collaboration with CLEAR, and announced Tuesday that the airport will extend the program after seeing high demand.
"In its first few days at DEN, the program surpassed expectations with nearly 100% of reservation windows booked every day and more than 4,900 bookings," DIA officials said in statement. "This option has provided relief at the Bridge Security Checkpoint and created a better experience for passengers."
Here's how it works.
Passengers can sign up for a spot at the airport or online up to three days in advance of their flight. They can book a time between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. within four hours of their departure, and sign up for up to 10 people. DIA provides a 15-minute grace period, in which people can arrive before or after their chosen time.
After signing up, DIA sends passengers a QR code via email that they use to go right through at the specific Reserve line, set up at A Bridge.
CLEAR EVP of operations Kasra Moshkani called it "as easy as making a reservation for dinner."
