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.”
“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.
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
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.
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.