Charter Bus Pickup & Dropoff at Denver-Area Airports

Tips for Denver Airport Travel with Groups

A few tips for getting your group through DEN, APA, BJC, and COS:

• Have your bus wait in an approved lot: DEN's rules don't let drivers leave a bus unattended at the curb, and Denver and Colorado limit idling to 5 minutes per hour, so your driver waits with the engine off in an approved lot until your entire group has its bags in hand and is ready to load.
• Plan for Peña Blvd, I-70 & E-470 traffic: Rush hour and the construction on outbound Peña Boulevard can add real time to the drive, so build in a buffer. The E-470 toll road (tolls are paid separately) is usually the fastest way to Centennial Airport and the far southern suburbs, and E-470 with the Northwest Parkway is a fast toll route to Boulder. The Denver Tech Center (DTC) is usually reached toll-free by I-70 and I-225.
• Share your flight number: Give your flight details when you book so your bus company can plan around early arrivals or weather delays. After you book on the national booking platform, its confirmation team calls you to verify every pickup and drop-off detail.
• Match the bus to your luggage & ski count: Flying in with checked suitcases, golf clubs, skis, or snowboards? A full-size 56-passenger charter bus has large under-floor luggage bays, so it can be the better pick even for groups of 25 to 35. An 18-passenger minibus or 25-passenger minibus has much less luggage space, so confirm what fits with the bus company when you book.
• Keep your group together: At DEN, Jeppesen Terminal has an east side and a west side. Have everyone meet inside at the Ground Transportation Information Counter in the center of Level 5 before you call your bus, so it only has to make one stop.

Before you travel, check each airport's official ground transportation page for updates:

• Denver International Airport ground transportation
• Centennial Airport services
• Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport
• Colorado Springs Airport ground transportation

Charter Bus Guide to Denver International Airport (DEN)

Address: 8500 Peña Blvd, Denver, CO 80249

Denver International Airport (DEN) is one of the 10 busiest airports in the world and the main gateway to both Downtown Denver and the Rocky Mountains. Its three concourses (A, B, and C) connect to the main Jeppesen Terminal by the underground train, and you can also walk to the A Gates over the A-Bridge. Charter buses follow DEN's own rules for pickups.

Curbside Pickup & Drop-Off

• Departures (drop-off): Charter buses drop departing passengers off on Level 5, the commercial level, on the east or west side of Jeppesen Terminal. During current construction, most airlines (all but United, Southwest, and Frontier) check in on Level 5 too. Drivers can't leave the bus unattended at the curb, so have your group ready to unload bags quickly.
• Arrivals (pickup): Charter buses pick up on Level 5 too. DEN's interactive map shows the charter bus area near Island 3 on the west side; confirm the exact spot with your driver.
• Level 4 vs. Level 5: Passenger cars pick up on Level 4, and rideshares (Uber/Lyft) use Level 5, Island 5. Make sure your group stays on Level 5 so nobody gets separated.

Staging & Holding Lot Rules (How to Summon Your Bus)

• Commercial vehicles may use DEN's Final Approach cell phone lot for no more than 15 minutes, so your driver waits in DEN's commercial holding lot on Shady Grove Street, about 2 miles from the terminal, until your group is ready.
• Once your entire group has claimed its luggage on Level 5, your group coordinator calls the number on DEN's charter bus page, or asks at the Ground Transportation Information Counter in the center of Level 5 (open 6:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily). See DEN's passenger pickup guide.
• An agent then calls your bus in from the holding lot, and your driver pulls up on Level 5 to load your bags and get you on the road.

Recommended Meeting Point

Meet inside Jeppesen Terminal Level 5 (Baggage Claim) at the Ground Transportation Information Counter in the center of the terminal, so everyone stays warm indoors until your bus is called in from the holding lot.

Charter Bus Guide to Centennial Airport (APA)

Address: 7565 S. Peoria St., Englewood, CO 80112

Located a short drive south of the Denver Tech Center, near I-25 and E-470, Centennial Airport (APA) is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the United States, with corporate and private charter flights into the Denver area.

Pickup, Drop-Off & FBO Coordination

• Unlike DEN, Centennial Airport serves passengers through private Fixed-Base Operators (FBOs): Signature Aviation – South (8001 S. InterPort Blvd.), Signature Aviation – North (7425 S. Peoria Circle), Modern Aviation (8207 InterPort Blvd.), and jetCenters of Colorado (7625 S. Peoria St.), all in Englewood, CO 80112.
• Your Denver airport charter bus or sprinter van coordinates with your FBO's front desk for loading at the FBO. Ask your FBO whether planeside vehicle access is possible for your bus; Centennial's ramp rules require escorts for unregistered vehicles.
• Have your tail number and FBO name handy when you book or call us at (720) 594-1660, so your exact FBO address is set before your trip.

Common Itineraries from Centennial Airport (APA)

• Denver Tech Center (DTC) & Greenwood Village hotels and offices: about 10 to 15 minutes
• Downtown Denver & the Colorado Convention Center: about 20 to 30 minutes via I-25 North
• Empower Field at Mile High, Ball Arena & Coors Field: about 20 to 30 minutes

These drive times are for normal traffic, not rush hour.

Charter Bus Guide to Rocky Mountain Metro (BJC) & Colorado Springs Airport (COS)

Depending on where your group is headed along the Front Range, two regional airports offer alternatives to DEN:

Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC): Broomfield / Boulder

• Located at 11755 Airport Way, Broomfield, CO 80021, right off the US-36 corridor midway between Downtown Denver and Boulder, BJC sits beside the Interlocken business park and handles private and regional charter flights.
• Pickup & drop-off: BJC has no airline service, so groups arrive through an FBO: Signature Aviation (11705 Airport Way) or Sheltair (9107 Rocky Road). Buses load and unload at your FBO, and Signature lists ramp-side vehicle access, so ask your FBO about bus access.
• Common itineraries from BJC: Interlocken and Broomfield hotels (about 5 minutes), CU Boulder & Folsom Field (15 to 20 minutes), and Downtown Denver (20 to 30 minutes).

Colorado Springs Airport (COS): Southern Front Range

• Located at 7770 Milton E. Proby Pkwy, Colorado Springs, CO 80916, Colorado Springs Airport (COS) is a single-terminal commercial airport that works well for military groups, sports teams, and conferences headed to the southern Front Range, or for groups shuttling between DEN and COS when flights get diverted.
• Drop-off: Charter buses drop off in the shuttle and limo lane on the upper (departures) level.
• Pickup: Buses pick up in the shuttle and limo loading zone on the lower (arrivals) level.
• Staging: Waiting at the curb isn't allowed. Between trips, drivers wait in the staging area in the airport's cell phone lot and pull up once your group has its bags in hand.
• Good fits for COS: military groups headed to Peterson Space Force Base (right beside the airport), Fort Carson, or the U.S. Air Force Academy, corporate retreats at The Broadmoor, and groups visiting the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center.