Alaska Airlines Resumes Flying in and out of Alaska as Mt. Redoubt Ash Clears

Alaska Airlines will resume flights in and out of Alaska this morning following the clearing of ash clouds from Mt. Redoubt. Scheduled service to Bethel, Nome and Kotzebue, Alaska, will operate...

Alaska Airlines will resume flights in and out of Alaska this morning following the clearing of ash clouds from Mt. Redoubt. Scheduled service to Bethel, Nome and Kotzebue, Alaska, will operate pending favorable reports that ash clouds have moved out of the area.

Sixteen late-night and early morning flights to Alaska were canceled due to another eruption of Mt. Redoubt late Monday.

Airplanes wrapped in a protective plastic sealant and stationed overnight in Anchorage were unwrapped this morning, inspected and prepared for passenger flights. The plastic sealant protects aircraft from the abrasive ash particles, which pose a significant danger to the aircraft engines.

"We are continuing to closely monitoring the weather and ash from Mt. Redoubt to assess our ability to safely operate flights in and out of Alaska, and may make further adjustments to our schedule if conditions change," said Ben Minicucci, chief operating officer and vice president of operations. "We are making every effort to re-accommodate passengers whose flight schedules have been disrupted."

Passengers booked on a canceled flight between March 22 to 24 may rebook prior to March 30, 2009, without penalty or apply for a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket. Passengers on new reservations and those scheduled for travel after March 31, 2009, who wish to change their flights, will be charged the applicable penalty and change fees. Passengers traveling on an Alaska Airlines Vacation should contact Vacations at 1-800-468-2248.

Travelers are advised to check the status of flights before leaving home at alaskaair.com or 1-800-ALASKAAIR (1-800-252-7522). Specific information about flight changes related to the Mt. Redoubt volcano is available at alaskaair.com.

Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air, subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group , together serve more than 90 cities through an expansive network in Alaska, the Lower 48, Hawaii, Canada and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Traditional Network Carriers (tie)" in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 North America Airline Satisfaction Study(SM). For reservations, visit alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air Newsroom at alaskaair.com/newsroom.

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SOURCE: Alaska Airlines

CONTACT: Bobbie Egan of Alaska Airlines, +1-206-392-5101