According to reports, customers have been told the offer has no strings attached. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young)
Delta Air Lines is offering $30,000 to each passenger aboard the plane that made a crash landing at Toronto Pearson Airport on Monday, but the payout has sparked a wave of mixed reactions online.
The airline would be dishing out over $2 million if all 76 passengers choose to claim the money.
According to reports, customers have been told the offer has no strings attached.
“Delta Care Team representatives are telling customers this gesture has no strings attached and does not affect rights,” Grant Myatt, spokesperson for the airline, told CBC News in an email on Wednesday.
Delta flight 4819 was arriving from Minneapolis when it crashed and flipped over onto its back on the runway at Pearson airport, leaving passengers hanging upside down in their seats.
People online are responding to news of the airline’s offer.
“Me personally, I would take it if not injured in any significant manner,” one Reddit user said.
But, not everyone agrees with this approach.
“Never take the first offer. Get your attorneys, discuss options,” another person wrote.
Meanwhile, others argued $30,000 is a fair and reasonable amount.
“If you incurred no additional expenses and you suffered no significant pain then you really aren’t entitled to anything by law. $30k seems like more than a reasonable number for goodwill,” someone else commented.
While Delta’s offer is a gesture of goodwill, some passengers have opted to take legal action against the airline.
In a news release on Wednesday, Toronto law firm Rochon Genova, which specializes in personal injury claims in the aviation industry, said it “has been retained by certain passengers and their families who have been harmed as a result of the crash of Delta Airlines Flight 4819.”
“Our clients, similar to many other passengers, suffered personal injuries of a serious nature that required hospital attention. As fate would have it, our clients were instrumental in opening a damaged emergency exit before allowing others to disembark as the fire was about to spread. With our involvement, we expect to reach a timely and fair resolution for these clients and others who reach out to us,” Vincent Genova, head of Rochon Genova’s Aviation Litigation Group, said.
An investigation into what caused the crash, lead by the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, is underway. The scorched plane was removed from runway 23 on Thursday morning.
