SEATTLE, Aug. 11 /EMWNews/ -- 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.