The San Diego airport was largely deserted, with a few business and vacation travelers waiting for a spot on a handful of flights expected to leave late Thursday. Skycaps and other airport employees, standing around in small groups talking, outnumbered passengers.
Travelers ran into long lines at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest.
Precise figures on the number of airports that reopened Thursday and the number of aircraft flying were unavailable, but FAA spokesman Bill Shumann said traffic was clearly a fraction of what it would be under normal circumstances.
Agents from the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs were deployed at airport security check points across the country.
``We have taken every precaution to make sure it is safe to fly in America,'' President George W. Bush said Thursday. ``There are beefed-up security in our airports, there's increased presence on the airplanes. Yes, if a family member asked if they should fly, I would say, 'Yes.'''
However, major airlines warned that it would take days to return to normal service. Delta, American and TWA offered a limited schedule Thursday, and United put off scheduled service until Friday morning.
Continental canceled all regularly scheduled flights for the day.
At the Denver airport, Jay Jardim and his wife, Kim, hoped to get a flight to the New York area because Jardim's older brother was missing in the trade center attack.
Jardim's brother was on the 106th floor when the jet hit his tower. Jardim said his brother sent a quick text message but hasn't been heard from since.
``We're just hoping for some sort of priority list for not just us but all of the families of the victims,'' Jardim said.
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