Alaska Airlines Resumes Alaska Flights Today After Cancellations Due to Volcanic Ash

SEATTLE, Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alaska Airlines announced it has resumed operations this morning between the state of Alaska and Lower 48 states and is adding flights to help reaccommodate about 5,200 passengers affected by earlier cancellations.

The airline had to cancel flights to and from Adak, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan and Sitka, Alaska, late Sunday and early Monday as a safety precaution due to the pattern of ash at altitude created by the eruption of Kasatochi volcano in the Aleutians Islands.

As of early Monday, 44 flights were canceled, including flights between Alaska and Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Portland, Ore., San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. The airline is monitoring the ash pattern on a continuous basis and will re-evaluate operations throughout the day and evening based on the latest conditions.

"We recognize these cancellations have significantly impacted our customers with travel plans to or from Alaska," said Glenn Johnson, executive vice president of airports, maintenance and engineering. "These decisions are guided by our commitment to safety, and we are making every effort to reaccommodate passengers whose flight schedules have been disrupted."

Travelers are advised to check the status of flights at alaskaair.com or 800-ALASKAAIR. Specific information about making changes to flight itineraries due to these cancellations is available at alaskaair.com.