Thousands seek flights after storm

Denver’s airport was operating at close to capacity but for many travelers jammed in its terminals it was not expected to be enough to rescue their hopes of joining families for Christmas.

Thousands of travelers whose flights were canceled by a blizzard that backed up air traffic nationwide were stuck on standby, trying to grab a rare empty seat on already booked planes.

More than 3,000 incoming flights were canceled or diverted during the 45-hour shutdown. The airport, the nation’s sixth-busiest, is expected to have all six runways cleared by today.