Denver: everyone rides the train, so no gate is close

No Denver gate is close to the curb. The A gates run 7 to 25 minutes, the B gates 8 to 27 and the C gates 9 to 27, because all three need the train. Denver’s median taxi is only 8 minutes, yet the typical carry-on trip from landing to curb is 35 minutes, third longest of the 55 airports I modelled.

The day starts later here

Most big airports peak at 6 and 7 AM. Denver’s busiest hours of the week are 8 and 9 AM. Monday and Thursday typically reach the top band only at those hours, and Friday runs it from 6 to 10 AM.

Tuesday has no hour in the top band and only 5 hours at 20 minutes or more. Thursday, Friday and Sunday have 13, and Monday 12. Saturday matches Tuesday at 5.

If your flight is at 10:30, you may be arriving at the worst of it.

Southwest is the quick way in

Southwest’s median from landing to gate is 6 minutes, and its slowest 1 in 10 take at least 9. United runs 9 and 17. SkyWest runs 10 and 23, and Frontier 13 and 22.

Across the airport, the slow tail is widest in the 9 AM and 7 PM hours, at 24 minutes, and narrowest around noon, at 12.

Where each ride leaves

From the gate, the rideshare pickup on Level 5, Island 5 is 7 to 28 minutes. Friends pick up on Level 4, 7 to 27 minutes from the gate. The A Line train leaves from the Transit Center on Level 1, 8 to 29 minutes from the gate.

With a checked bag the typical trip goes from 35 to 38 minutes. The long walk means the bag is often there first. That bag figure is a judgement.

International arrivals are short

Denver’s passport hall had 5.6% of arrivals over 30 minutes and 0.4% over an hour, among the shortest at any large gateway. It’s a small hall, and 75% of arrivals hold US passports.

Priority Pass opens none of Denver’s 8 lounges, and 4 of the 8 are United Clubs. If your card relies on Priority Pass, expect to sit at the gate.

What this can’t tell you

Train waits and walks are modelled from maps. Nobody has timed them, and the train’s frequency can vary. A renovation in the main terminal may change some walks until mid-2027.

Taxi figures cover domestic flights and don’t show the runway.

Security bands are typical, not live, and not a guarantee. A ski weekend or a storm won’t show.

Taxi and passport figures are measured. Security bands and walks are modelled. Bag time is judgement. Methods: security hours, landing to the curb, taxi-in.

Skycap says when to leave for Denver at the hour you’d arrive, and counts the train when you land.

Typical security times are estimated from public passenger-throughput data. Not affiliated with any airport, airline or government agency.