Delta Air Lines is offering US$30,000 (£23,792) to each of the 80 people on board a plane that crash-landed in Toronto on Monday, with all passengers surviving the incident.
The plane, which had arrived from Minneapolis, skidded along the runway in flames before flipping over and coming to a stop upside down. Passengers were left stunned as most walked away without injuries. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Delta’s spokesperson confirmed that the $30,000 offer is an unconditional advance payment to assist passengers with short-term financial needs. It will not affect their rights or claims.
Toronto law firm Rochon Genova has been retained by some passengers and their families, with lawyer Vincent Genova stating that his clients suffered serious personal injuries requiring hospital attention.
The $30,000 compensation is meant to address immediate financial challenges, with Delta planning to deduct it from any future settled claims. This type of initial compensation has been used before, such as in 2013 when Asiana Airlines offered $10,000 to passengers of a San Francisco plane crash. Last year, Alaska Airlines provided $1,500 to passengers after a mid-air incident.
Following this week’s incident in Toronto, the plane crew and emergency responders were praised for their quick work in removing people from the wrecked vehicle. The plane’s various safety features have also been credited for ensuring no loss of life.
All of the 21 passengers who were taken to hospital had been released by Thursday morning, the airline said.
Delta’s chief told the BBC’s US partner CBS News that the flight crew were experienced and trained for any condition.
The airline’s head Ed Bastian told CBS the plane crew had “performed heroically, but also as expected”, given that “safety is embedded into our system”. He said Delta was continuing to support those affected.
Several theories about what caused the crash have been suggested to the BBC by experts who reviewed footage, including that harsh winter weather and a rapid rate of descent played a role.
One passenger recalled “a very forceful event”, and the sound of “concrete and metal” at the moment of impact. Another said passengers were left hanging upside down in their seats “like bats.”
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered from the wreckage. The investigation is being led by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB), supported by US officials.
On Wednesday evening, the wreckage was removed from the airport runway.
The accident was the fourth major air incident in North America in a space of three weeks – and was followed on Wednesday by a crash in Arizona in which two people lost their lives when their small planes collided.
Experts continue to insist that air travel is overwhelmingly safe – more so than other forms of transport, in fact.
That message was emphasised by US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who told CBS on Wednesday there was no pattern behind the incidents, each of which he said was “very unique.”
