Travelers at Denver International Airport endure long TSA security lines
Officials at Denver International Airport said that Friday would be one of the most crowded days at the airport, and their prediction was correct -- TSA security lines were backed up for much of the day.
At one point in the afternoon, the underground trains from the Jeppesen Terminal to the concourses stopped working. That forced officials to close security lines temporarily. The trains were back moving again by 4 p.m.
With the large volume of travelers, the airport closed its Pikes Peak Shuttle Lot to new arriving vehicles. Drivers looking for shuttle parking are now being directed to go to the Landside Parking Lot at 6961 Valley Head Street.
The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 1 million people through Jan. 2.
Dec. 26, 27 and 29 are also expected to be busy at the airport. Another of the days that is projected to be among the very busiest will be Dec. 30.
A looming potential government shutdown isn't expected to have any immediate effect right away on national airport operations. The airport released a statement about the possibility:
DEN is on track to serve 82 million passengers this year and relies on the strength and capacity of its federal agency partners to deliver secure and efficient operations and a quality experience to travelers. Even a partial government shutdown puts at risk thousands of personnel such as Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Officers (TSOs), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Controllers – all of whom are designated essential employees and required to continue working without getting paid until funding becomes available. Disruptions for any length of time could cause significant impacts to passengers and would diminish workforce morale, placing worker families and dependents through undue hardship and financial strain. Prior shutdowns resulted in traveler frustration as passengers were forced to endure increased wait times and travel delays at many airports.
