Denver International Airport expects to fall a mere 4,000 people short of last year’s record of more than 1.017 million Thanksgiving travelers, according to tickets sold.
But more than a million travelers during the Tuesday-Monday period is still quite a crowd, said DIA spokeswoman Laura Coale, and those headed out of town by air today are advised to pack their patience along with their thankfulness.
“We can’t overemphasize the importance of planning ahead and allowing extra travel time to navigate the airport at this time of year,” said Dan Melfi, the designated “DIA holiday spokesperson.”
As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, parking spaces were still plentiful, according to the airport parking hotline, 303-DIA- PARK, or 303-342-7275. Overhead electronic signs and other message boards along Peña Boulevard can guide travelers to open spaces.
DIA recommends getting to the airport at least two hours before flights and keeping watch on the status of the flights, parking availability, waits in security lines and other information at .
This article has been corrected in this online archive. Originally, due to a reporting error, the record number of Thanksgiving-week travelers at Denver International Airport in 2010 was misstated. The correct number is 1.017
million. The week is measured from Tuesday through Monday.
