Passengers departing Denver Airport no longer need to pay to have a better experience at the security check.
Denver International Airport has started a test of a new system that allows passengers to book a specific time to go through security.
The DEN Reserve might even be a bit elitist as it’s just for passengers without the paid for CLEAR and TSA PreCheck.
At the airport, passengers go to check-in / bagdrop as normal and then to a special DEN Reservce security late at the Bridge Security TSA Checkpoint at the booked time. The time slots are valid 15 minutes before and after the specified time so passengers can arrive a little early or late.
Passengers can book the free service on the airport website, regardless of airline or class of travel.
How it works
- To make the booking, passengers enter their flight details, party size and email address.
- They choose a time slot from those offered – these are at fixed times at quarter-hour intervals.
- They can make the booking from 72 hours before departure for themselves and up to nine other passengers.
- Passengers receive an email with their slot details and a QR code.
- At the airport, at the time slot, they go to the Den Reserve lane at Bridge Security and show staff their appointment confirmation.
I did a trial. The system was really easy to use and offered a good number of slots. When I cancelled I was sent a very nice email thanking me for making space for others.
Other airports with security time slots
Denver is the latest airport to introduce time slots at security and the 13th in North America with this particular system from CLEAR.
Here are a number of airports worldwide who have introduced or trialled security time slots whose installations or trials are covered on passengerselfservice.com.
- Hamburg Airport introduces security time slots
- Amsterdam Schiphol security time slots for Schengen
- Cologne Airport introduces security time slots
- Munich Airport trials security time slots
- Passengers at Berlin Airport can book security time slots
- Passengers at Canadian airports can book security time slots
- Changi Airport trials security slot time bookings
- Aruba Airport introduces timed entrance to terminal
- MIA trials booked TSA screening times
Schiphol was at the forefront of this when it ran a two week trial of a security slot system in 2017.
Free for how long?
It is free right now but could that change? One of the companies involved is CLEAR, a private U.S. company that offers a paid-for security process at U.S. airports.
At U.S. airports CLEAR members verify their identity with their biometrics in a dedicated line. They then go to the front of the physical security checkpoint.
Passengers still have to go through security but using CLEAR means they can save a chunk of time spent waiting in the security line.
The standard price for CLEAR is $189 a year per person.
