DENVER -- After last year's security line debacle during the 2015 holiday rush at Denver International Airport, the TSA insists it's in better shape to deal with this year's holiday rush.
Denver7 has learned many of the major airlines will be assisting the TSA in hopes of preventing another fiasco. It's an arrangement that has been used earlier this year during peak travel times.
A TSA official says the agency has plans in place to deal with the holiday surge, adding it routinely meets with airlines and airports to determine the volume and staffing.
Yet after making calls, Denver7 discovered the TSA won't be working alone, confirming workers hired by Denver International Airport, United Airlines and Frontier Airlines will provide support at the checkpoint. In addition, Southwest Airlines will be providing assistance at airports across the nation.
"A lot of this started down in Dallas and up in Seattle, where you had the air carrier industry and the airport industry hiring contractors to come in and do things screeners really don't have to do," said airport security expert Jeff Price, of Metropolitan State University of Denver.
The airport has already set records this year in terms of passengers flying through Denver. The holiday months could be just as hectic. That's why you're still advised to arrive two hours early for a domestic flight and three hours early for international travel.
---------
Sign up for Denver7 email alerts to stay informed about breaking news and daily headlines.
