Brace Yourselves: DIA Will Be A 2.5-Million-Person Mess Around The Holidays

More than 2.5 million people are expected to pass through Denver International Airport for the holidays.

That's 200,000 (hopefully not too grumpy) people each day — enough to fill 2.6 Mile High Stadiums. That's a lot of people, but it's not as many as the airport typically gets during the height of summer vacation season, said Emily Williams, a spokesperson for DIA.

Williams said Monday, Dec. 23, is the busiest travel day before Christmas. The following Sunday will also be very busy.

Some tips:

• Arrive 2 hours before your flight. Duh.
• Use the remote bag checks: 75th Avenue or at the Transit Center
• Check parking and security wait times at FlyDenver.com before you leave.
• Check with your airline for delays. Just because it's not snowing here doesn't mean it's not snowing elsewhere.

DIA set another new passenger record in October. More than 6 million people passed through that month — a 6.5 percent increase over October 2018.

"We're on track to see record-breaking traffic throughout 2019," Williams said. "Every month, we've experienced record-breaking traffic."

So far, passenger traffic this holiday season is up 4 percent.

That might add to your travel headache this year. But if you need a break — and you really for some reason love the ambiance of an airport filled to the gills — Williams said you can always ice skate on the plaza. Even if the airfare is ridiculously expensive, at least the skating is free.