MEMORIAL DAY TRAVEL: Denver International Airport expecting a busy Memorial Day

FILE – Transportation Security Administration agents process passengers at the south security checkpoint at Denver International Airport in Denver on June 10, 2020. The chief of the TSA said Tuesday, May 10, 2022, that his agency has quadrupled the number of employees who could bolster screening operations at airports that become too crowded this summer. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

by: DJ Summers

Posted: May 25, 2022 / 10:30 AM MDT

Updated: May 25, 2022 / 10:30 AM MDT

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DENVER (KDVR) — Memorial Day travelers would be well-advised to get to Denver International Airport early.

Airport spokespeople said the nation’s third-busiest airport is expecting to meet or exceed pre-pandemic travel numbers over the weekend.

“From Thursday, May 26 through Tuesday, May 31, 2022, nearly 1.2 million passengers are forecasted to travel through DEN, meeting or exceeding passenger volume over the comparable period in 2019,” airport representative Alex Renteria wrote. “DEN estimates the busiest days during the upcoming Memorial Day holiday will be Friday, May 27 and Monday, May 30 (Memorial Day); both days are expected to see approximately 210,000 passengers move through the airport.”

So far, May’s travel numbers have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. Between May 13 and May 21, Denver’s airport saw 9.5% less weekly traffic than the same week in 2019.