SANTA ANA, Calif. — Thousands of flights across the country have been cancelled or delayed due to what forecasters said is a massive storm system.

Some travelers from Southern California were hoping to get home for the holidays to spend Christmas with their parents in Denver, but Stephen Dick, his girlfriend, and his sister arrived at John Wayne Airport to find out their flight had been cancelled.

It’s the same story for thousands of travelers with flights to Denver, Chicago and other parts of the U.S. cancelled.