“I will wait another hour and come back tomorrow,” said the 60-year-old Mr. Byrd said. “We had a lot of plans for the weekend. I’m very disappointed with Southwest; their credibility is in question.

At Hollywood Burbank Airport, a popular Southwest base for Los Angeles-area travelers, most of the airline’s flights were canceled again Wednesday, but travelers with definite plans seemed mostly resigned to the situation.

Few Southwest flights were arriving at the airport, however, including one from Denver.

Among the passengers on that flight was 28-year-old Beverly Wu, who said she landed five days after she was originally supposed to spend time with family. His flight was canceled two days before Christmas, then canceled the day after Christmas. Southwest, he said, was his “go-to airline” before this week’s failure, which prevented him from celebrating the holidays with loved ones.

“Christmas is really big in our family,” she said. “My dad decorated the house and everything.”

Luckily, her big white suitcase full of Christmas presents was waiting for her at the airport. He thanked the airline and airport staff for working long hours to make things better for passengers.

“I feel bad for the staff,” she said, sitting on a ledge near baggage claim. “They work really hard.”

Senator Maria Cantwell, chairwoman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said in a statement Tuesday that the committee would investigate the reasons for Southwest’s grounding, adding that “the issues Southwest Airlines has experienced over the past several days are beyond the weather.”