Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Are Passengers on Flight 1549 entitled to any payment from US Airways because of the accident?

I think the passengers that had injuries, be they slight or serioius should get something. Not sure how much that something should be, but something.

Everyone else, I'm not really sure if they are owed anything. It was a flock of birds, 100% not the airlines fault, so why should the airline have to pay?

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

If they were injured..yes.

If not injured, maybe lifetime free trips or something. It wasn't the airlines fault, but I'm sure the passengers are expecting something.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

I am sure the injuried people will get something

I am not sure what the airlines liability is if you escape unharmed- I would say maybe something to cover your lost stuff?

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

i'm curious to see what lawsuits will pop up. and when/if they do, i hope people go crazy about it.

i would think maybe they would reimburse them for lost luggage and/or free trips. that would be the right thing to do.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

It seems like it was more of a natural disaster more than anything else.. I am wondering what the airline will do to compensate the passengers

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

I would hope that if that was me...I would just be grateful that I was alive and mostly unharmed.

I wouldnt want to get greedy but if they offered free flights- I wonder if I could take them up on it or just be too scared to fly again.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

I should hope not. Anyone that was injured-if they have health insurance, I should think that they would be covered. If not, I can see them getting reimbursed for medical.

Everyone else-I should hope they feel lucky to be alive and not greedy to profit off of it (and it you are that greedy, write a book). It would sicken me to think that the sheer lucky of living through a plane crash would not be enough for some.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

I hope there are no lawsuits - that would just be a horrible statement about society today. If the million dollar lawsuits pop up, it would be sad. Bill O'Reilly was talking about this the other night and said that he would be slamming any lawyers that try and make millions off this lawsuit. I don't agree with BIll on many things but I agree with him on this.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

It was a natural disaster though-There was no way that could have really been prevented with birds flying into the engine-They are really lucky that pilot and copilot knew what to do.

I wonder what the airlines policy is-I bet some book deals will be in the works though

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Message edited 1/18/2009 10:55:37 PM.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Didn't think about their personal belongings, that's a good point. Yes that should be covered.

I just don't think a lawsuit is a good karma move.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Luggage, definitely.
Medical, yes. Insurance will cover them.

Emotional distress? I don't know. I would think if I were a jury on the civil case, there would have to be some wrong doing on the airline's fault for me to award somethign. From what I've heard/seen so far, it seems like they did everything right.

I haven't looked at the back of an airline ticket recently, but you do assume some risks when you fly.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

if I was on that flight I would want to be compensated for lost luggage/personal items. but if I escaped unharmed, I would not sue.

and I am 100% sure that those who were injured will not have to pay a dime for any medical expenses. airlines have insurance that cover things like that.

it was birds, not negligence on the airlines part.

and honestly, I would be SO thankful just to be ALIVE!

eta: in yesterday's Newsday they interviewed some survivors of other plane and cruise ship accidents. this 1 guy survived a plane crash in the 80's or 90's in the Everglades (50 people died in that crash) and he said it ruined his life. he was injured and became addicted to pain killers for a long time. he is permanently disabled from his injuries. he was awarded something like $250K

Message edited 1/19/2009 10:07:19 AM.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

If it were me, unless seriously injured, I would count my blessings and thank God that I was on that flight with that pilot. It sounds like the circumstances surrounding the flight were out of control of the airline.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Not sure. Part of me says that just being alive is reward enough. Yes, they should be compensated for loss of personal articles and if they had to stay at hotels (which I think they were covered for). Another part of me thinks that this will def. have some mental repurcussions that do need compensation. But to sue for millions and millions...the pilot wasn't drunk, the plane wasn't skipped for check ups, the airline didn't overbook the flight, the plane was over loaded...there was no negligence, so I don't think suing is the answer. Gratitude is. And free flights for life might not hurt! That is, if they WANT to fly again.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

The airline should be reinbursing everybody for their lost luggage. Every passenger would fill out a form saying what they had, but I think 2k per adult would be sufficient.

The airlines carry liability insurance for a reason. And the cost of the airline's liability insurance is reflected in the cost of your airline ticket.

If I am going to pay higher airline fees because of higher insurance and fuel rates, and pay stupid fees like $25 for every bag checked, I would most definitely want to be reinbursed for my belongings.

Some people on that flight may not have it that good to just easily replace everything they brought on board. What if they were packed for two weeks? That could be half their wardrobe.


ETA: Also that 2k could be a lot more if lets say they had electronics on the airplane. What about people that brought expensive items like laptops on board. What if that laptop had a ton of personal items stored on it (like family pictures).

Message edited 1/19/2009 11:57:54 AM.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

They walked away with their lives, which is more than most people get when they are in a plane crash!!!!

ETA that would be enough for me!

Message edited 1/19/2009 12:54:17 PM.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

I think they people injured should be compensated.

Anyone else, I don't think their entitled to anything. They should be thankful they're alive. I don't think they should be "given" anything. It was a horrific experience, but there's a risk in everything. So no, I don't think they should be compensated.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

I think they should get reimbursed for the lost or ruined luggage (I think there is a $2000 cap on liability there) and any medical expenses they incured as a result of the accident. I beleive that the hotel and food were already provided free of charge so there is no need to reimburse the people for those expenses. Frankly, they should each receive a voucher for another flight or two but beyond that is really to much.

Re: Interesting question brought up at dinner tonight.....

I think they would get a settlement. I know these six people who survived a plane crash, one of them had a baby whilst marooned at sea. The airline gave them a fantastic settlement! One of them even managed to take over their fathers automotive company in Korea. But it was still sad because one of them wound up in a mental hospital and another one turned to drugs and alcohol.

But I would think they would get some kind of settlement, not to mention the money the would make from doing the rounds of talk shows etc around the world.