Air travel slowly rebounds after mass cancellations leave Colorado travelers with shattered plans

A nationwide ground stop brought travel for thousands of people to a halt on Friday, including many people passing through the Denver International Airport.

By Friday night, things were starting to feel more normal at the airport, though mostly because massive crowds of passengers had already had their flights canceled. While departure boards are beginning to show more green, airline officials say full recovery could still take days.

For those left behind, the delays have meant long faces, hours of waiting and ruined plans.

Colton, who was traveling with his family to Atlanta, thought his group was finally on its way before an unexpected announcement.

"We literally got onto the plane, sat down and then they made the announcement," Colton said.

Many stranded passengers tried to stay upbeat as the hours passed. Still, for some, lost time cannot be refunded.

Another traveler, Julie, had been planning a bucket-list trip with her 79-year-old father to hike the W Trek in Chile. As the delays stretched on, she had to make a difficult phone call to tell him they were not going to make it.

"I don't think we're going to be able to get there, Dad. I don't think we're going to be able to do it," Julie said over the phone. "Let's plan something, like we should do something. I know it's not going to be the same. Like, obviously nothing can beat this trip, but we should do something."

After hanging up, the weight of the canceled trip set in.

"I'm pretty upset," Julie said. "I know everybody is impacted by this, but I would rather have like any trip in my life be canceled besides this one."