On Monday, we saw a shocking accident, whereby a Delta Connection CRJ-900 crashed while landing at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ), losing a wing on landing, and then flipping over. While the most important thing is that everyone survived the crash, it’s interesting to note what the airline is doing for passengers in the aftermath of this incident.
In this post:
Delta offers all 76 passengers $30K compensation
Just two days after the accident, Delta has offered the 76 passengers onboard initial compensation of $30,000 each. Across 76 people, that represents a payment of $2.28 million.
It’s worth noting that this is a “no strings attached” offer, so it doesn’t preclude passengers from pursuing legal action related to this, or anything else (and you can bet there will be some lawsuits, regardless of what an investigation determines).
That seems like a classy and appropriate initial gesture, especially since some people may have expenses resulting from items that were lost during the accident. While you’d hope that all airlines would act this way, I’d be willing to bet that many other carriers wouldn’t, so kudos to Delta.
Speaking of items lost during the accident, the airline is starting the process of reuniting customers with their bags and personal belongings, as authorities remove items from the aircraft. The airline states that “securing, identifying, sorting and cleaning all belongings left onboard could take a matter of weeks before all items can be safely returned.”
In an evacuation, you’re of course supposed to leave all carry-on items behind. While we saw some passengers take their belongings, plenty of people didn’t, and then there are of course checked bags as well. I imagine some items won’t be returnable, due to damage.
Delta CEO does interview with CBS Mornings
Two days after the accident, Delta CEO Ed Bastian appeared on CBS Mornings, to provide some comments on the accident, and answer some questions. I don’t think there’s anything shocking here, though to summarize a few of his key points:
- He expressed his deep appreciation and thanks for the crew onboard, and said they “performed heroically, and as expected”
- He couldn’t provide any additional details about what may have happened, since it’s an ongoing investigation
- He couldn’t say how experienced the pilots were, but said “it was an experienced crew,” and “there’s one level of safety at Delta between our mainline and our regional jets”
- He said that air travel in the United States is the safest form of transportation of travel in the world, and that the airline trains for events like this
- He was asked if he was concerned about Trump firing employees at the FAA, and said that the cuts don’t impact the airline, as the firings are in non-critical safety functions, and that “the Trump administration has committed to investing deeply in terms of improving the overall technologies that are used in the air traffic control systems and modernizing the skies, they’ve committed to hiring additional controllers and investigators”
I always find interviews with Bastian to be interesting… sort if in the least interesting way possible. He always sort of says the right thing without flinching, in a pre-rehearsed kind of way, as if it was written by AI. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an interview where he said anything that I wasn’t expecting.
Listening to him, he lacks the passion and conviction of Scott Kirby, and the earnestness and relatability of Robert Isom (and Doug Parker before that, who I think was probably the genuinely kindest of the “big three” CEOs at the time, but… I guess nice guys finish last?). Look, I’m not saying his strategy is wrong — there’s something to be said for being measures — I’m just saying that it’s kind of boring.
Bottom line
On Monday, we saw a terrible accident at Toronto Airport, whereby a Delta Connection CRJ-900 flipped over during landing. Fortunately all passengers managed to safely evacuate, thanks to the great work of the flight attendants.
The airline is offering passengers $30,000 compensation, with no strings attached, so it doesn’t preclude any future legal action. On top of that, the airline is now working on reuniting passengers with belongings that were lost during the accident.
What do you make of Delta offering crash victims $30K compensation, plus Bastian’s interview?
Amazing that all of the passengers survived.
It’s good to read that Ed thinks Trump is going to “modernize the sky’s”. Since, apparently, it’s going to be so easy to do, I can’t help but wonder why he didn’t accomplish this during his first four years in office.
WHat happens if your injuries require treatment that is more than 30k ?
Kudos to Delta for taking this action.
Since the accident occurred in Canada (not yet America's 51st state), is the $30k in CAD or more in "premium" USD?
I too am curious if DL will make the distinction based on the pax home address….
I wouldn’t put it past DL to try and save 42 percent off the 22 Canadians onboard….remember. This is delta …..
This is Delta?
You mean the company that spends more on employee salaries and profit sharing than any other airline in the world?
Feel free to provide data to back up your assertion.
Isaac has a point, at least based on this:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DGRonmGSv3I/?igsh=dnh5bW5wamJrZm1t
Compensation is set in Special Drawing Rights, not a particular currency.
Why wasn’t the interview done by Jim Graham? What’s the point of having a separate CEO for the regional airline if he just gets to hide out in Minneapolis and Ed Bastian and staff handle the press?
for the same reason that Robert Isom spoke during the AA regional crash at DCA.
AA and DL both had wholly owned regional airlines involved in accidents, both aircraft were painted in corporate colors and the media repeatedly spoke about the crash of an AA or DL aircraft.
There is always risk to putting your code and selling seats on another aircraft but the US big 3 plus AS largely see their regional carriers as...
for the same reason that Robert Isom spoke during the AA regional crash at DCA.
AA and DL both had wholly owned regional airlines involved in accidents, both aircraft were painted in corporate colors and the media repeatedly spoke about the crash of an AA or DL aircraft.
There is always risk to putting your code and selling seats on another aircraft but the US big 3 plus AS largely see their regional carriers as part of their own brand, and esp. for wholly owned brands.
and AA and DL up their own accident response teams as if it was an accident involving one of their own mainline aircraft and will pay the bills and handle the litigation
Best not to accept....multiple strings attached, both written and implied.
Consult an attorney or firm familiar with aviation law; especially if you were injured in any way.
However, the more you request, the longer it takes for a settlement.
And don't expect an immediate windfall. Each side has a vested interest to protect.
thankfully, Ben and most of the people who have already commented realize this is the way it has been done.
It is not the law but it is a recognition that there are genuine expenses and getting the first few things right might make a difference in the aftermath.
as for Bastian's personality, he is an accountant but he also has managed to understand DL as a company well enough and to surround himself...
thankfully, Ben and most of the people who have already commented realize this is the way it has been done.
It is not the law but it is a recognition that there are genuine expenses and getting the first few things right might make a difference in the aftermath.
as for Bastian's personality, he is an accountant but he also has managed to understand DL as a company well enough and to surround himself w/ enough other people that know their part of the business very well for DL to be in a rare air in the airline industry.
Personality does not produce a top-tier company. Competence and a solid team does.
I still think it's commendable that Delta did these payments no strings attached. I'm quite impressed as a United flyer and loyalist (and I don't have the same confidence that United would do it this way to be honest).
In terms of CEO's - agreed and ultimately a CEO's responsibility / hiring and retention criteria is shareholder performance and satisfaction. I think employee satisfaction and culture can drive positive shareholder returns but that doesn't mean...
I still think it's commendable that Delta did these payments no strings attached. I'm quite impressed as a United flyer and loyalist (and I don't have the same confidence that United would do it this way to be honest).
In terms of CEO's - agreed and ultimately a CEO's responsibility / hiring and retention criteria is shareholder performance and satisfaction. I think employee satisfaction and culture can drive positive shareholder returns but that doesn't mean every CEO needs to be good at this. They just need to recognize if this isn't a skillset of theirs and hire others that can do that. Delta has a strong corporate culture so clearly they've achieved that, and I've found some of these 'robotic' corporate types can actually do a decent job at communicating in a different way internally or with smaller employee groups assuming they have some level of empathy and EQ.
Your statements about Ed Bastion remind me of what I was once told while growing up: "You are the best dressed man in the room when no one talks about your outfit."
As Ben pointed out people will need immediate replacement items. Perhaps your homeowner's policy might cover some things, but opening a claim will cost you in the end. And we all know how quickly $30k spends. I see this as a bridge gesture to help with the small stuff. It's not a windfall.
This is motivated by PR and not goodwill. It was an international flight, so damages are capped by the Montreal Convention. Unless there's gross negligence, airlines are liable for a maximum of 128,821.00 special drawing rights, which is about US$175k. Delta knows they won't have multi-million dollar payouts to each passenger and that their damages will be capped, so they're just taking advantage of good press in a bad situation.
And, "No compensation purely for psychiatric injury".
This is a very common, almost universal act. One of the people on the go team plane in fact is a member of the finance/treasury team usually with a bag full of cash. Anything someone needs, they provide it. People have laptops, cell phones, car keys, medications, clothes for an interview, etc., lost or inaccessible.
American... same thing.
United... same thing.
Southwest.... same thing.
Spirit.... same thing.
It's part of the law.
I hate to sound too cynical and I'm ignorant of the law, but I'm curious what counsel a lawyer would offer to a survivor regarding this proposal.
Could it adversely affect the outcome for $$ settlement of potential lawsuit ?
What kind of legally airtight 'guarantee' is there of the 'no strings attached' offer ?
I'd be curious as to how many of the affected pax take advantage of the offer.
...
I hate to sound too cynical and I'm ignorant of the law, but I'm curious what counsel a lawyer would offer to a survivor regarding this proposal.
Could it adversely affect the outcome for $$ settlement of potential lawsuit ?
What kind of legally airtight 'guarantee' is there of the 'no strings attached' offer ?
I'd be curious as to how many of the affected pax take advantage of the offer.
I think the gesture is more symbolic in nature, an attempt to burnish DL's reputation in handling this tragic event.
In DL's defense, they're in a rough PR spot. It would be nice to take this offer at face value in the spirit it initially implies....
My sister is a personal injury attorney, and she says that anyone who accepts this offer is a fool. In the legal world, there is no such thing as "no strings attached."
Honest question, why is that? If they don't make you sign anything, you could easily argue this was just money to replace your luggage or something else trivial and does not represent compensation for anything substantial, no?
Your sister is a personal injury attorney. Of course she says that. Because she can't take a cut of the $30K.
IANAL but as long as they don't make you sign anything before giving you a check, I think you can pretty much assume you haven't given up any legal rights.
Also this flight crashed in Canada. It's possible that lawsuits will be filed there rather than the US. I have no idea what Canada's legal system is like when it comes to any sort of implied agreement that comes into force when you cash a check.
That is not a good acronym, bro
it's a common acronym, grow up
Likely a good strategy.
If this causes a handful of people (maybe just one!) not to sue, it’s worth it.
While I don’t recognize CBS News as a credible news source ; I would be happy just to survive . It would have to be an extenuating situation to seek further compensation and be an odd request to counteroffer .
Thank goodness we all now know that you don’t consider CBS a credible source. It in no way informed or added to the rest of your comment and just makes you sound like a bootlicker. CBS and Fox News are both equally credible and what you really don’t like is the spin they put around the facts being reported. Both make awful blunders and issue corrections, etc. Further, thanks for improperly using a semi-colon; there’s...
Thank goodness we all now know that you don’t consider CBS a credible source. It in no way informed or added to the rest of your comment and just makes you sound like a bootlicker. CBS and Fox News are both equally credible and what you really don’t like is the spin they put around the facts being reported. Both make awful blunders and issue corrections, etc. Further, thanks for improperly using a semi-colon; there’s no space after a word and in the case above, a comma would have been more appropriate.
I bet you likely don’t love anything I just wrote; seems like it’s off-topic? It’s bloody annoying is what it is, so how about we don’t get off topic in the comments? Maybe skip writing everything before the semi-colon next time…
I would also ask for lifetime 360 status and several million Skymiles deposited into my account. Probably something rather easy for Delta to do
No life alert, go outside
Go off topic by telling another commenter to stay on topic. You seem out of touch with reality. And my semi-colons are sexy af.
This further proves that everyone is against President Musk and Trump.
As I've said before, there is clear evidence that the Canadians planned and caused this with their planes just to make the US look bad. Now that they've failed at killing our people, they go for extracting money from us.
Canadians are just like the Ukrainians, trying to steal money from the hard working white men that have worked so hard at...
This further proves that everyone is against President Musk and Trump.
As I've said before, there is clear evidence that the Canadians planned and caused this with their planes just to make the US look bad. Now that they've failed at killing our people, they go for extracting money from us.
Canadians are just like the Ukrainians, trying to steal money from the hard working white men that have worked so hard at keeping the entire US alive for so long.
The sooner these countries come into either the US or true partners of the US rule, the better.
Are you serious JPlat?
What pure tin foil hat rhetoric from someone who sounds as if they are as pathetic in the brain cell department as the previous POTUS.
Please tell me this comment is a joke.
Why does it sound like such a joke to you? Biden and all other governments have demonstrated that they're out to get President Musk and Trump. The only saving grace is the fact that us rightful leaders of America wised up and elected a team that would finally get things right,
I personally think it's great that all these USAID, and DEI things are being removed, not only are we not wasting money anymore...
Why does it sound like such a joke to you? Biden and all other governments have demonstrated that they're out to get President Musk and Trump. The only saving grace is the fact that us rightful leaders of America wised up and elected a team that would finally get things right,
I personally think it's great that all these USAID, and DEI things are being removed, not only are we not wasting money anymore on the poor class, it should also correct decades of wrongful equality drive that somehow made women and immigrants that they are better than the leading class. The Taliban, despite all their faults, did the right thing when it came to limiting knowledge and information to men only.
Don't forget that Trump was elected by our people, which means that he is representative of what America wants and is.
JPlat, that would be President Musk and King Trump. We must bend the knee
JPlat, I hope that you are surrounded by people who will help you get the help that you clearly need.
To be fair, I think this this how a large part of the world thinks views the typical American is now very much similar to JPlat.
We do indeed see that as being typical of the average North-Mexican.
In the greater scheme of things throwing a couple of million bucks into the fire really does nothing other than Delta believing they have “stepped up” - an airplane crash is major and they will be looking , I’m assuming at millions in compensation
I don't understand why someone feels it's their right to sue when they are involved in an accident that they survived without injury. Weird N American 21st century thinking. #rolleyes / #shithappens
It's a cultural thing.
A gesture like this is absolutely the right thing to do.
They likely also sent a team to Toronto and directly purchased items people might have needed that was left on the plane (clothing, toiletries, etc). I previously served on the Incident Response Team for a large common carrier and we were told to take care of whatever people needed.
The way a company handles the immediate aftermath of something like this is critical and...
A gesture like this is absolutely the right thing to do.
They likely also sent a team to Toronto and directly purchased items people might have needed that was left on the plane (clothing, toiletries, etc). I previously served on the Incident Response Team for a large common carrier and we were told to take care of whatever people needed.
The way a company handles the immediate aftermath of something like this is critical and it seems they’re doing their best to do the right thing.
British Airways screwed this up badly on BA38.
Everyone survived but then had to negotiate E.g. for those who left wallets on 'plane to get BA to guarantee (but not pay for) taxi fares home.
Lucky this didn't happen on an American Airlines, Spirit or Frontier flight: I would never see them offering a single penny without asking recipients to sign a lengthy legalese-ridden and otherwise impenetrable release form.
Well done Delta. That's one of the many reasons why when I fly in the US you get my money, even if you're a bit more expensive (it's still a good value!).
You're dead wrong on that. American actually sent a person with a duffel bag of cash on the go-team flight to the response for the DCA accident recently and is there to take care of things like getting car keys for a family to get a passenger's car out of airport parking or into their house, or to cover child care/elder care so family can make arrangements. Spirit would do the same thing.
You are 100% correct. At AA, each and every family, including crew member's family, is assigned a CARE team member who is their point of contact for any and everything (great examples btw). this individual has a company credit card to handle payment for those requests. Care team members may also go grocery shopping or have the house cleaned while the family is working thru the crisis. Their goal is to take the burden of...
You are 100% correct. At AA, each and every family, including crew member's family, is assigned a CARE team member who is their point of contact for any and everything (great examples btw). this individual has a company credit card to handle payment for those requests. Care team members may also go grocery shopping or have the house cleaned while the family is working thru the crisis. Their goal is to take the burden of everyday life of the families shoulders so they may focus on what has occurred and process it. They are, to over simplify, a concierge.