On May 21, 2024, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER encountered severe turbulence while enroute from London (LHR) to Singapore (SIN), on flight SQ321. The turbulence was so bad that dozens of people suffered serious injuries, and there was even one fatality (reportedly from a heart attack). The jet diverted to Bangkok (BKK), where many passengers were hospitalized.
A few weeks after the incident, the airline has now revealed how it intends to compensate passengers who were on this flight.
How Singapore Airlines is compensating SQ321 passengers
On June 10, 2024, Singapore Airlines sent out compensation offers to the passengers who were on the flight that encountered severe turbulence. In addition to apologizing for the traumatic experience, here’s the offer that Singapore Airlines has made to passengers:
For passengers who sustained minor injuries from the incident, we have offered US$10,000 in compensation.
For those who sustained more serious injuries from the incident, we have invited them to discuss a compensation offer to meet each of their specific circumstances when they feel well and ready to do so. Passengers medically assessed as having sustained serious injuries, requiring long-term medical care, and requesting financial assistance are offered an advance payment of US$25,000 to address their immediate needs. This will be part of the final compensation that these passengers will receive.
In addition to the above, SIA will provide a full refund of the air fare to all passengers travelling on SQ321 on 20 May 2024, including those who did not suffer any injuries. All passengers will also receive delay compensation in accordance with the relevant European Union or United Kingdom regulations.
We provided all passengers with S$1,000 each to meet their immediate expenses upon departure from Bangkok. SIA has also been covering the medical expenses of the injured passengers, and arranged for their family members and loved ones to fly up to Bangkok where requested.
Singapore Airlines has handled this situation very well
I think Singapore Airlines should be commended for how it has handled this situation. For one, the airline has done an amazing job communicating transparently. The company’s CEO published a video message shortly after the incident, and the airline has provided constant updates to the public over the course of the past few weeks.
Many airlines try to sweep situations like this under the rug, while Singapore Airlines has prioritized transparency, and I think that’s great.
As far as the compensation offer to passengers goes, Singapore Airlines’ offer seems fair to me. I guess we don’t know how “minor injuries” are defined, though there’s obviously room to negotiate here, as this is simply an offer.
Compensation in situations like this is regulated by the Montreal Convention, which makes airlines liable for just about all injuries incurred during travel, unless it can be proven that something was due to a passenger’s negligence. With the Montreal Convention, airlines are liable for a maximum compensation of around $175,000 per person.
Now, I’m no lawyer (let alone that familiar with the complexities of international law), so I can’t help but wonder if we might see some lawsuits for emotional distress, etc. Admittedly this wasn’t a flight full of Americans, so…
Bottom line
Singapore Airlines has revealed how it’s compensating passengers who were on the May 21 flight from London to Singapore that encountered severe turbulence. If you ask me, the airline is doing a great job handling this, both in terms of what’s being offered and in terms of communicating transparently.
What do you make of Singapore Airlines’ compensation offer?
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