On Tuesday, Singapore Airlines announced that it has given $10,000 in compensation to customers who had mild injuries during a strong turbulence-affected flight last month, and that it will talk about higher settlements with others who were more severely injured.
During the harrowing high-altitude encounter, a 73-year-old British man lost his life, and multiple other passengers and crew members on board flight SQ321 from London suffered injuries to their skulls, brains, and spines.
In Bangkok, where the injured were flown to hospitals, the pilots redirected the Boeing 777-300ER, which was headed for Singapore and had 211 passengers and 18 crew members.
The airline stated in a statement on Tuesday that it has emailed passengers who suffered minor injuries during the event with an offer of US $10,000 in compensation.
“For those who sustained more serious injuries… 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,” the airline said.
“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.”
Furthermore, the airline promised to reimburse the cost for every passenger on the trip, even those who did not sustain any injuries.
“All passengers will also receive delay compensation in accordance with the relevant European Union or United Kingdom regulations,” added the statement.
Airlines are responsible for damages if a passenger is killed or suffers injuries while flying under the terms of the Montreal Convention.
Each customer flying from Bangkok to their final destination received Sg$1,000 ($740) from Singapore Airlines beforehand to cover their immediate expenses.
In addition, it has paid for the injured passengers’ medical bills and, upon request, made arrangements for their relatives to go to Bangkok.
“SIA remains committed to supporting the affected passengers who were on board SQ321,” the airline said.
According to Singapore’s transport ministry, unbelted passengers on the flight were violently propelled into the cabin after an abrupt 54-meter (177-foot) drop in altitude.
The Ministry of Transportation stated that, based on an initial investigation from Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau, the aircraft encountered a “rapid change” in gravitational force, or G-force, while flying over the southern region of Myanmar.
Experts from the US Federal Aviation Administration, the US National Transportation Safety Board, the US Transportation Security Institute, and Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft, were on the inquiry team.
