Singapore Airlines offers SQ321 victims at least $10,000 in compensation: ‘generous’

Singapore Airlines has sent compensation offers to passengers Flight affected by turbulence SQ321and people who suffered minor injuries can claim $10,000 from the carrier.

An aviation law expert who spoke to This Week in Asia said that while it is standard practice for airlines to offer compensation after such incidents, in this case the payout for minor injuries was more generous given the severe turbulence and massive publicity that caused.

On social media on Tuesday, the airline apologized to passengers for the “traumatic experience on board flight SQ321” and said it was “committed to providing full support and assistance at this time.”

Those who suffered minor injuries were offered $10,000 in compensation, while those who suffered more serious injuries they were offered an advance of $25,000 to cover their immediate needs and were invited to discuss a compensation offer that would be tailored to their particular situation, the airline said.

“SIA will provide a full airline ticket refund to all passengers traveling on SQ321… including those who were uninjured,” it said, adding that all passengers received A$1,000 towards their expenses upon departure from Bangkok.

An Australian passenger injured on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 is seen in a hospital in Bangkok on May 23. Photo: AP

Last month, a London-Singapore flight took place with 211 passengers and 18 crew on board encountered severe turbulence, which led to the death of a 73-year-old Briton and injured dozens of other people. The plane made an emergency landing in Bangkok.

Preliminary findings indicated that the plane dropped 58 feet in 4.6 seconds after the plane’s “uncontrolled increase in altitude and speed” due to rapid changes in gravity.

Alan Tan, a law professor at the National University of Singapore who specializes in aviation, noted that the $10,000 offered to those with minor injuries was “generous.”

“This is perhaps a special situation in which Singapore Airlines is being generous given the severe turbulence and huge publicity the incident has generated,” Tan said.

Singapore Airlines is being generous given the severe turbulence and huge publicity the incident generated

Alan Tan, a law professor from Singapore

Airlines usually offer compensation, but passengers can accept or reject the amount if they believe their claims deserve a higher payout, he added.

“The more important issue is the situation of those with serious injuries, who will likely need time to assess their injuries and seek legal advice,” Tan said, noting that based on the assessments, the airline would rate passengers as having serious, minor or no injuries. by Thai doctors on site.

He said psychological trauma was not covered by the Montreal Convention, which governs airlines’ liability for passenger injury or death. The term “bodily injury” used in the convention has been interpreted by the courts to mean only bodily injury, he added.

03:52

One person is dead and dozens are injured after a Singapore Airlines plane encounters severe turbulence

In 2000, Singapore Airlines offered $400,000 each in compensation to the families of 83 passengers and crew who died when a plane crashed on a closed runway during takeoff at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, a database of information on airline safety issues and accidents, there have been seven accidents and incidents in Singapore Airlines’ history.