Colorado Springs Airport dodges travel woes
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Air travel has been painful of late, with soaring prices, bad weather, and long security lines.
Yes, but: Colorado Springs Airport's operations have continued relatively unbothered.
Why it matters: Entering the busy spring break travel season, many Springs travelers face the eternal question — fly out of Denver International Airport or COS?
The big picture: A five-week funding standoff over the Department of Homeland Security has left TSA agents nationwide missing paychecks and calling out sick in record numbers.
- And travel headaches have piled up, with severe weather in the eastern U.S. earlier this week and disruptions to Middle East flights compounding.
- Closer to home, it was a no good, very bad week for DEN travelers.
Reality check: Colorado Springs Airport has continued to operate normally throughout the DHS funding standoff, according to spokesperson Aidan Ryan, including:
- No major delays at the airport's sole security checkpoint.
- Average wait times are holding steady at 5-12 minutes.
Threat level: While TSA PreCheck remains open for now, the service could be paused due to staffing shortages, Ryan told Axios, likely lengthening security check wait times.
What he's saying: "We also want to thank our TSA officers for their continued dedication to keeping travel safe and efficient at COS," Ryan said.
Zoom in: Some airports, including DEN, have started taking donations in support of TSA workers.
The other side: COS might get you on a plane faster, but you'll often still connect through DEN — and even quick security lines (1 to 10 minutes) can be thrown off by disruptions like this week's power outage or a ground stop.
Pro tip: There are ways to travel smarter through DEN.