Denver International Airport (KDEN/DEN)
Denver, United States
Denver Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The DEN crew card
| Fastest into town | RTD A Line commuter rail from Denver Airport Station: 37 minutes to Denver Union Station, every 15 minutes for most of the day |
|---|---|
| First and last train | First A Line from the airport 4:12 a.m. every day. Last 1:27 a.m. Monday to Thursday and Sunday, 1:57 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Timetable printed valid June 7 to September 26, 2026 |
| Payments | The airport fare is its own product. Any trip starting or ending at Denver International Airport needs an Airport Day Pass at USD 10, not the USD 2.75 local 3-Hour Pass |
| Tap water | Safe to drink |
| Emergency | 911 (City and County of Denver numbers) · non-emergency (720) 913-2000 |
| Solo & at night | There is no train overnight. The gap between the last A Line out of the airport and the first is about 2 hours 45 minutes Monday to Thursday and Sunday, so a night arrival has no rail into town |
| Crew knows | One USD 10 Airport Day Pass is good for the whole service day across the system, so it already covers the ride back out and every local trip in between, and a USD 2.75 3-Hour Pass bought downtown adds nothing to it. Watch the return time rather than the one you arrived on: the last train toward the airport leaves 57 minutes before the last one out of it, 12:30 a.m. against 1:27 a.m. Monday to Thursday and Sunday. |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · DEN crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Sep 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
Getting from Denver International Airport into downtown Denver: the A Line train, and where the other airport services really go
One service does the work: the RTD A Line runs from a station attached to the terminal straight to Denver Union Station. No RTD bus goes from the airport to downtown Denver, so if the train is not running, the train is not an option at all. The South Level 6 terminal bridge and its escalator are closed for building work until mid November. Use the terminal side that matches your airline for drop off.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train (RTD A Line commuter rail) | 37 minutes between Denver Airport Station and Denver Union Station, on every trip in the published timetable every 15 minutes from 5:12 a.m. to 7:27 p.m. leaving the airport, and from 4:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. leaving Union Station; every 30 minutes outside those hours, and the eastbound day opens with a 45 minute gap from 3:00 to 3:45 a.m. |
USD 10 Airport Day Pass | First departure from the airport is 4:12 a.m. on all four day types. The last is 1:27 a.m. Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and 1:57 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Into the airport, the first from Union Station is 3:00 a.m. and the last is 12:30 a.m. Monday to Thursday and Sunday, 1:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The timetable sheet is printed valid June 7 to September 26, 2026. |
| Bus (RTD SkyRide AB1 and AB2 to Boulder) | 63 to 75 minutes, depending on day type and time of day | an airport fare product is required, the same as on the train | This runs to Boulder, not to downtown Denver. First and last run per day type: Monday to Friday first 4:20 a.m. arriving Downtown Boulder 5:23 a.m. and last 1:20 a.m. arriving 2:24 a.m.; Saturday first 5:20 a.m. arriving 6:24 a.m. and last 11:20 p.m. arriving 12:29 a.m.; Sunday and holidays first 5:20 a.m. arriving 6:28 a.m. and last 12:10 a.m. arriving 1:13 a.m. It boards at Denver Airport Station Gate 8 and calls at the US 36 Flatiron, McCaslin, and Table Mesa stations on the way. The operator states SkyRide buses carry under-coach bins and that ‘SkyRide drivers are available to help with loading and unloading luggage in the under-coach bins’. |
| Bus (RTD routes 104L, 145X, 169L) | RTD states any trip originating or ending at the airport requires an airport fare product, which is the USD 10 Airport Day Pass. RTD’s airport page separately lists 104L, 145X and 169L at the USD 2.75 local 3-Hour Pass. The two statements are in tension, so confirm before boarding: RTD says fare evasion is punishable under the Colorado traffic code, and the downside lands on you | These are the only airport routes the operator lists at the local fare rather than the airport fare. None of them goes to downtown Denver: 104L runs to Wagon Road, 145X to Brighton, and 169L to Buckley and Tower. The operator’s rule is that customers traveling outside the Airport Fare Zone on these services only need to pay a Local Fare. | |
| Rideshare (transportation network company) | set by the company, not by the regulator | The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is the primary regulator and licenses and insures these companies, but states it ‘has no authority to set rates’ and that fares are set by a formula the company controls and can change at any time, usually on distance and time, with surge pricing on top. A driver may not accept a street hail, so the ride has to be arranged in the app. The Commission requires the company to make the fare method available and to offer an option to receive an estimated fare, and to send an electronic receipt afterwards. Get the estimate before you confirm. No official rideshare pickup location at the airport could be confirmed, so none is stated here. Follow the rideshare signs out of the terminal and go to the pickup point the app names. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Denver, from Union Station and Lower Downtown out to the hotel cluster at the airport station
Union Station and Lower Downtown: Where the train from the airport puts you down, with the restored station hall, brick warehouse blocks, and the walkable core all in the same few streets.
River North Art District (RiNo): Murals, converted industrial sheds, and the newer eating and drinking strip northeast of the center, one stop up the line from Union Station.
Capitol Hill: The residential ridge east of downtown around the state capitol, quieter in the daytime and the evening neighborhood rather than the sightseeing one.
Cherry Creek: Shopping and galleries southeast of the center, a bus or car ride off the rail line and better suited to a long window.
Denver Airport Station area: The hotel cluster attached to the terminal and the station, built around early report times rather than around anything to see.
What to Do on a Layover in Denver, from a short sit airside to downtown plus one neighborhood beyond it
Under 5 hours: Stay at the airport. The train is 37 minutes each way before you have added anything at all, and rescreening on the way back eats what is left.
5 to 9 hours: One clean move works: the A Line to Union Station, downtown on foot from the station hall, and the same line back. Pick your return train before you leave the platform, because the service thins out at the ends of the day.
9 hours plus: Downtown plus one neighborhood beyond it, such as RiNo or Capitol Hill, and a proper meal, is realistic. Watch the last train rather than the clock: after it goes, there is no rail back to the airport until the early morning.
Crew Tips for Denver and DEN Airport: the separate airport fare, the overnight gap, and what the altitude guidance covers
Paying for the airport train: The airport fare is a separate product, and this is the trap. The operator runs two fare zones, Local and Airport, and states that any trip originating or ending at Denver International Airport requires an airport fare product. That is the Airport Day Pass at USD 10, valid all service day across the system. A standard 3-Hour Pass is USD 2.75 and a standard Day Pass is USD 5.50, but neither covers the airport on its own: upgrading costs USD 7.25 from a 3-Hour Pass and USD 4.50 from a Day Pass, payable in cash on the bus, or with cash, credit, or debit at a rail station ticket vending machine. Discount fares and Monthly Passes already include travel to and from the airport. You can also tap a contactless credit or debit card or a mobile wallet on the validator when you board. There are no refunds on any fare product.
The overnight gap decides your night layover: Check this before you plan anything after dark. The last A Line out of the airport is 1:27 a.m. Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and 1:57 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The first one is 4:12 a.m. every day. Going the other way, the last train from Union Station to the airport is 12:30 a.m. Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and 1:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. So a late arrival can be stranded on the wrong side of a gap of roughly two and three quarter hours, and there is no RTD bus alternative into downtown. The timetable sheet is printed valid June 7 to September 26, 2026, so confirm with the operator for travel after that date.
Altitude, and what the official guidance actually covers: Get the numbers right before you get the advice right. The City and County of Denver states in its own community report that Denver’s official elevation is exactly one mile, or 5,280 feet (1,609.344m) above sea level, and the FAA lists the airport itself higher again at 5,433.8 feet. Both sit below the threshold the CDC uses: the CDC states you may be at risk of altitude illness at an elevation higher than 8,000 feet, and its guidance not to drink alcohol or do heavy exercise for the first 48 hours applies above 8,000 feet. A drive west into the mountains crosses that line, and the CDC also advises against going from a low elevation to above 9,000 feet in a single day. No official source states a physiological effect at Denver’s own 5,280 feet, so we make no claim about it here.
Snow season at this airport: Denver International Airport has been the official snowfall observation site for Denver since the fall of 2007, with four observations taken there per day. The National Weather Service puts the estimated mean seasonal snowfall in and near the airport at around 47 inches for 1991 to 2020, and notes that snowfall climbs sharply as you move west toward the foothills, where the western and southwestern suburbs average 65 to 70 inches per season. That is climatology, not a forecast, and we do not publish any claim about ground stops or winter operations here because no official operational page was readable.
Bags on the A Line: The operator states the airport trains offer level boarding, with overhead compartments and designated luggage towers, and that the station gives direct access to airline check-in, baggage check, security screening, and baggage claim. It also states plainly that RTD train operators are unable to assist with loading or unloading, so make sure you can handle your own bags. On the SkyRide buses it is the other way around: those carry under-coach bins and the drivers do help load them.
The train is the only public link to downtown: Worth knowing before the train stops for the night. RTD’s airport page lists eight services to Denver International Airport, while its own schedule feed carries a ninth, the Saturday-only AB3 to Boulder: the A Line to Union Station, SkyRide AB1 and AB2 to Boulder, AT and ATA to Arapahoe County, and 104L, 145X, and 169L to Wagon Road, Brighton, and Buckley and Tower. Only the A Line runs to downtown Denver. Denver Airport Station itself is at 26800 E 84th Ave.
Emergency Numbers for Denver, Colorado, and the United States
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| Emergency (police, fire, medical) | 911 |
| Denver Police Department, non-emergency line | (720) 913-2000 |
| Poison emergency (Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety, a division of Denver Health) | 1-800-222-1222 |
| Denver 311 city services, from outside Denver | (720) 913-1311 |
| United States country code (calling from abroad) | +1 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Denver airport to downtown Denver?
Take the RTD A Line commuter rail from Denver Airport Station. The operator’s own timetable puts the ride at 37 minutes to Denver Union Station on every trip, with trains every 15 minutes for most of the day and every 30 minutes early and late. It is the only public transport link between the airport and downtown Denver: the other RTD airport services run to Boulder, Arapahoe County, Wagon Road, Brighton, and Buckley and Tower instead.
How much is the train from Denver airport to the city?
USD 10 for an Airport Day Pass, which is valid all service day across the system. The airport fare is a separate product: RTD runs two fare zones, Local and Airport, and any trip starting or ending at Denver International Airport requires an airport fare product. The standard local 3-Hour Pass at USD 2.75 and Day Pass at USD 5.50 do not cover it, though you can upgrade for USD 7.25 or USD 4.50 respectively. Discount fares and Monthly Passes already include airport travel.
What time is the first and last A Line train at Denver airport?
The first train out of the airport is 4:12 a.m. every day. The last is 1:27 a.m. Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and 1:57 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Heading back to the airport, the last train from Union Station is 12:30 a.m. Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and 1:00 a.m. Friday and Saturday, with the first at 3:00 a.m. There is no train across the overnight gap and no RTD bus to downtown as a substitute. These times come from a timetable printed valid June 7 to September 26, 2026.
Is tap water safe to drink in Denver?
Yes. Denver Water’s 2026 Water Quality Report states that it has met all drinking water standards for regulated water contaminants, and that its scientists collected more than 58,000 samples and ran 128,000 tests in 2025 to ensure customers always have clean, safe, high-quality drinking water. It has also tested for cryptosporidium and giardia since the 1980s without ever detecting a viable indication of either.
Does Denver’s altitude affect you on a layover?
Denver’s official elevation is exactly one mile, 5,280 feet, and the airport is higher again at 5,433.8 feet, but both sit below the 8,000 feet at which the CDC says you may be at risk of altitude illness. The CDC’s advice to avoid alcohol and heavy exercise for the first 48 hours applies above 8,000 feet, which a drive west into the mountains will cross. No official source states a health effect at Denver’s own elevation, so we make no claim about it here.
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Crew Discounts in Denver: verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff sit right below this guide. Bookmark this page before you walk down to the A Line platform. Next Denver rotation you start on the rates instead of from scratch.
