Delta Air Lines has offered $30,000 in compensation to each passenger aboard Flight 4819, which crashed upon landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on February 17.
The accident left 76 passengers hanging upside down from their seatbelts after the plane flipped over and caught fire. If all accept, the airline will pay out approximately $2.3 million in total.
The CRJ900 twin-jet aircraft, operated by Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air, was arriving from Minneapolis when it crash-landed at around 2:15 p.m. ET. Video footage shows the plane’s rear landing gear collapsing upon impact, causing the right wing to shear off in a fireball. Strong winds were reported in Toronto at the time of the crash. Miraculously, all 80 people on board, including four crew members, survived. However, 21 passengers were hospitalized, though all have since been discharged.
Delta has assured that this compensation has “no strings attached” and does not affect passengers’ legal rights to pursue further claims. Aviation law experts say the payout is just a starting point, as injured passengers on international flights may be entitled to compensation of up to $200,000 under the Montreal Convention, even without proving airline negligence. If medical expenses or lost income exceed this amount, or if negligence is proven, claims can go much higher.
Passengers have up to two years to file a lawsuit, and legal experts anticipate most claims will be settled within 12 to 18 months before going to court. Delta has not yet clarified when or how the payments will be processed, while investigations continue into whether strong winds, mechanical failure, or pilot error played a role.
