Passengers aboard the Alaska Airlines flight that lost its door plug mid-flight were offered a measly $1,500 for the terrifying experience, but a lawyer believes they are in a prime position to file lawsuits against the airline to obtain a larger payment.
The compensation package, which also included a ticket refund, was offered in an email to passengers on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 after Friday night’s fiasco, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Daniel Laurence, a partner at Seattle-based Stritmatter Firm, which represents Alaska Airlines passengers in a separate case, told The Post that those aboard Flight 1282 could take legal action for “emotional distress.”
“As a moral issue, $1,500 per passenger, for what could have been a death experience and could even be described… as a near-death experience, is inadequate,” Laurence said.
“They would clearly have a claim for the emotional distress that was inflicted on them,” Laurence said, adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if lawsuits started coming in as soon as tomorrow.
“In fact, this morning I overheard one of the passengers who was interested in talking to me about the incident,” he added.
Passengers aboard Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon, were left staring into the abyss of the starry night sky and beyond Friday after a door plug burst on the port side of the fuselage about 16,000 feet into the flight’s initial climb. .
In the chaos that followed, passengers’ belongings were sucked into the opening, oxygen masks fell from the ceiling, and a child’s shirt was ripped off his body and thrown into the night as flight attendants implored everyone to keep their heads. seat belts fastened.
The door plug was torn from the side of the Boeing plane shortly after takeoff at about 16,000 feet on Friday. AP
The flight returned to Portland to make an emergency landing and all 171 passengers were disembarked with no serious injuries reported, but many were tormented by the fear they felt during the ordeal.
“We literally thought we were going to die,” passenger Sreysoar Un, who was sitting in a row behind the jagged hole, told the Wall Street Journal.
Another passenger, Emma Vu, posted a video on TikTok sharing screenshots of text messages she sent to her parents during the flight, asking them: “Please pray for me. “I don’t want to die.”
In exchange for their troubles, passengers reported that the airline offered them $1,500, a refund for their ticket and help booking a new trip.
It is unclear whether the money was intended for a new flight or was provided in addition to new complimentary tickets.
Emma Vu sent messages to her parents asking them to pray for her, saying she didn’t want to die.
“We are working directly with guests to ensure they are taken care of and accommodated on an alternate flight,” Alaska Airlines told The Post.
Vu noted in his video that Alaska offered him a new flight with a free upgrade for more legroom and free on-board snacks. She was not impressed.
“To Alaska, I would love some money, maybe some money for therapy. “I don’t know, I just feel like a refunded flight with more legroom and free water and snacks isn’t enough,” she said.
Passengers like Vu can get their wish, Laurence said, but not until a thorough investigation is conducted to determine the cause of the incident and who is to blame, whether Alaska Airline, plane maker Boeing or the company that provided the planes. components for the 737 Max 9 aircraft, Spirit AeroSystems.
An investigation will need to be conducted to determine who is responsible for the incident before damages can be awarded. NTSB/AFP via Getty Images The door stopper was discovered in a Portland teacher’s backyard. It will be crucial in the investigation of the incident. AP
Each passenger’s individual experience, including details such as their proximity to the hole, will also influence the type of damages a jury would award them in an emotional distress lawsuit, Laurence said, but he noted that simply being on the plane is more than enough. File a lawsuit.
“If you’re on the ground and you’re safe at that moment, the thought goes through your head that you could have died up there. And frankly, if it had happened at 30,000 feet, that plane could have disintegrated,” Laurence said.
“So it was a very serious situation. And I think anyone who was on that plane at that time was totally justified in being terrified.”
Laurence is currently leading another lawsuit against Alaska Airlines on behalf of passengers who were aboard an October 22 flight where an off-duty pilot riding in the cockpit jump seat allegedly attempted to shut down the plane’s engines while high on drugs. magic mushrooms. That litigation is ongoing.
Many Boeing 737 Max 9s have been grounded across the country as airlines conduct inspections to ensure other flights do not experience the same problems.
United Airlines announced Monday that it found cases of loose bolts in door plugs on other planes.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn