Almost 500 flights were canceled to and from Denver International Airport beginning late on Monday, and hundreds of passengers were stranded at the airport overnight, as nearly a foot of snow fell on the Denver area by Tuesday morning. A number of airlines, including American, Southwest and Delta, issued travel waivers, allowing passengers to change their flights without incurring fees.

Rae Conlon, one of the many travelers in Denver who were trying to get home for the holiday, said she hoped to get to Cleveland in time for her family’s annual Thanksgiving bake-off. But with severe winter weather advisories posted across the Midwest, she was in limbo on Tuesday, waiting to hear whether her flight would even take off.

Ms. Conlon, 23, said she had thought about leaving home at the start of the week, but the direct flights then were all fully booked. To change her plans, she would have had to buy a new ticket at five times the original fare — for a 12-hour trip with two layovers.

Being stuck in Denver now because of the weather would “just be a bummer,” she said, “because I haven’t seen my family in a while.”