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Delta Air Lines has offered $30,000 to each of the 76 passengers who survived a crash-landing in Toronto on Monday.
The aircraft, arriving from Minneapolis, skidded along the runway in flames before flipping over and coming to rest upside down. Miraculously, all 80 people on board, including four crew members, survived, with most escaping without serious injuries.
The cause of the crash remains unknown and is under investigation by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board (TSB), with support from US officials.
The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have been recovered from the wreckage. The aircraft was removed from the runway on Wednesday evening.
A Delta spokesperson confirmed that the compensation is an “advance” payment with no strings attached, meant to assist victims with immediate financial challenges.
However, Toronto law firm Rochon Genova, which represents some passengers and their families, said the airline intends to deduct the payment from any future settlements.
Lawyer Vincent Genova emphasised that his clients had “suffered personal injuries of a serious nature that required hospital attention” and expected a “timely and fair resolution” from the airline.
Precedents exist for such payments following aviation incidents. In 2013, Asiana Airlines provided $10,000 in initial compensation to passengers of a San Francisco crash.
More recently, Alaska Airlines offered $1,500 to passengers following a mid-air door-plug blowout on a flight from Portland last year.
The swift actions of the flight crew and emergency responders have been credited for ensuring no fatalities.
Delta’s CEO, Ed Bastian, praised the crew’s response, stating they had “performed heroically, but also as expected,” highlighting that “safety is embedded into our system.”
Passengers described harrowing moments during the crash. One recalled “a very forceful event” accompanied by the sound of “concrete and metal” upon impact. Another described being left “hanging upside down in their seats like bats.”
Aviation experts analysing footage have suggested that harsh winter weather and a rapid descent may have contributed to the crash.
The incident is the fourth major air accident in North America in three weeks. On Wednesday, a separate crash in Arizona resulted in two fatalities when two small planes collided.
Despite the recent spate of incidents, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy reassured the public that air travel remains the safest mode of transport. “There is no pattern behind these events,” he said. “Each one is very unique.”
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