Alaska Airlines Suspends Northern Alaska Flights Due to Volcanic Ash

Alaska Airlines announced that the airline has canceled passenger flights in and out of the Alaska cities of Fairbanks, Bethel, Prudhoe Bay, Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow due to continued volcanic ash caused by last night’s eruption of Mt. Redoubt.

The airline is currently operating flights south of Anchorage and throughout Southeast Alaska, however as conditions change these and all routes will be reevaluated. More than 45 flights were canceled due to the volcanic eruption of Mt. Redoubt affecting approximately 4,000 travelers.

"We are closely monitoring the weather and ash from Mt. Redoubt to assess our ability to safely operate flights in and out of Alaska and we will adjust flights as 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 22-24, 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.

Alaska Airlines expects to resume flights throughout Alaska March 24, 2009, provided conditions allow. Operations will be evaluated throughout the evening and early morning and flight departure information will be posted at alaskaair.com.

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