The passengers who survived the crash of US Airways Flight 1549 are a little miffed about their treatment by the airline. The plane was brought down by a flock of Canadian geese a little over two weeks ago. It’s believed at least one goose was sucked into each engine mid-air, causing the plane to crash in the Hudson River on the west side of Manhattan. Every single person lived – a miracle, to say the least.
US Airways has made a token gesture towards the passengers, and as a result they’re coming off as rather stingy. The passengers are complaining that the higher ups at the airline are too busy congratulating themselves to care. They’ve offered the passengers free upgrades – when available – to first class on domestic flights for one year. And one upgrade to either Hawaii or Europe. Oh, and they can have priority check in, too.
The passengers think the airline can and should do better. Many of them say it’ll be at least a year before they’ll want to fly again, and are considering filing lawsuits.
We crash-landed in the Hudson River – but all we got were these lousy upgrades! US Airways sent a raft of “frigid” letters to the 150 passengers of miracle Flight 1549 saying their death-defying ordeal has earned them top customer status – but for just one year, The Post has learned.
Some who were on the plane – brought down by a flock of geese after takeoff from La Guardia Airport on Jan. 15 – said the temporary tease of first-class perks is for the birds. “I think if you survive a plane crash, being upgraded permanently is a good gesture too,” said Fred Berretta, 41, of Charlotte, NC, where the Airbus A320 was headed.
Manhattanite Tess Sosa, who escaped the sinking plane with her husband and two small children, thought the airline was too focused on self-congratulations – and “they want to exonerate themselves as much as they can… They are happy they had such amazing results, and they applaud themselves, and then give us a small token?” she said. “That’s how I take it.”
The airline announced the upgrades and other perks last week in a letter Sosa described as “frigid” at best. CEO Doug Parker wrote that passengers would get “coveted” Chairman’s Preferred status – but only until March 2010. The membership gives each passenger and a companion first-class domestic travel when seats are available, one upgrade to Europe or Hawaii, choice seats and priority check-in. “We would very much like to see you on a future US Airways flight soon,” Parker wrote.
“My husband is not going to want to get on a plane for at least a year,” [Sosa] said.A spokesman for the US Airways said passengers did not have to waive their rights to sue in order to accept the checks or the Chairman’s Preferred membership. Some have already contacted lawyers.
[From the New York Daily News]
The airline did get credit from passengers for quickly mailing $5,000 checks to go towards items lost on the plane. I’m not sure what kind of legal standing the passengers have, in terms of lawsuits. It’s obviously rare that a whole plane full of people survives a crash. They’d have to prove some sort of fault or negligence on the part of the airline. Considering how successful the landing was, that might be hard.
Birds happen, and they can bring down planes. Two days after the crash I stopped by my local corner market and started laughing when I saw the Daily News’ anti-Canadian Goose cover story entitled “Pluck ‘Em!” next to the cash register. The owner started telling me how mad he was about the plane’s design. He believed a plane should be able to take on a goose or two without going down. His logic was very simple: “You put a strawberry in a blender, does the blender break? No! You put ice in a blender, does the blender break? NO! But you put a goose in a plane and the plane breaks?” I know nothing about how things work on a plane, but I couldn’t argue with his logic. Although I’ve broken at least two blenders in my day.
According to the Daily News, La Guardia airport has gone to great lengths to mitigate Canadian Geese over the years. And the goose strike happened once the plane was already over New Jersey. While I’m on the side of the passengers and wish the airline would be more generous, I think it will be hard to charge them with negligence, at least based on the information we have right now.
i don’t know. this seems kind of crappy to me, seeing as it wasn’t really negligence on anyone’s part.
Exactly my thoughts, Jill. What, exactly, is US Airways responsible for? These people should be GRATEFUL that they were alive and no one was injured, but no. They need to sue someone in order to feel compensated for their pain and suffering.
I do, however, get the survivor’s point about being wary of travel, so the “upgrades” for a year seem in bad taste. But honestly, what more can US Airways do?
Geez you’d think the fact that their lives were saved would be gratitude enough .. why can’t anyone be happy with what they have .. their life, good health and the ability to walk away from something like this. United Airways was extremely generous and I really hope a judge sees that they acted in good faith.
these people should be happy with their lives!!!!how low people go is amazing
I’d have to say that if I were involved in a plane crash and survived you better believe I’m not getting on a plane again any time soon. Not to mention the therapy I’d need and anti-anxiety medication. Should the passenger be responsible for paying for that? What about the children who continue to be affected? Nightmares and night terrors are common effects after a traumatic accident involving any mode of transportation.
I’d want to be compensated too! Just because you were spared your life doesn’t mean you’re living a full life after you’ve been through something like that. Not without help anyway. And that costs money.
Uh, how about you argue his “logic” with: I’m pretty sure you don’t throw strawberries or ice cubes 350 miles per hour at your blender.
I can see both sides on this one – yes, they should be very happy they’re alive. But really, it’s more the pilot than the airline they should be thanking. Even if they were the best on safety standards in the world, it’s the pilot who landed the plane perfectly in the water, not the CEOs.
It’s the whole “one year only!” deal that irks me. Not saying that a lifetime of upgrades is merited, but I would definitely not be getting back on a plane anytime soon if I were one of them. And I have a feeling US Air is banking on that.
this is stupid! the plane didnt crash because of US airway negligence. those people are LUCKY to be alive. the airline doesnt owe them ANYTHING and they should be happy to know that US airways hires extremely competent pilots.
What a joke! This is just another example of the growing culture of litigation in America. The airline did nothing wrong- on the contrary, they acted quickly to compensate for lost luggage, they hired a competent pilot, etc, etc, and are now offering even more compensation in the form of free flights. As for the blender analogy, well, I would argue that a plane engine is a far more complicated piece of engineering than a blender, and is designed make a plane fly, not mix your morning smoothie. All I can say is that the passengers that want to sue seem incredibly ungrateful, they should be grateful that they survived unharmed and they deserve nothing more than they have already been offered.
US AIR should cover the medical and psychological fees all the passengers will have in the future.
What they went through is psychologically damaging and an event they will never forget, and maybe never get over for the rest of their lives!! It will be very hard to get back on a plane. I’m sure some of them will have post-traumatic stress disorder, and some may never fly again – imagine how inconvenient that will be to have to drive across country!
They need FREE psychological counseling to say the least.
seriously?!
their 15 secs of fame needs to be over and done with. these people be happy and get on with their lives instead trying to extend their “miracles” of fame. the real person of the story is the pilot, and where is he? i have not once seen him on all the talk shows or in news media.
and now they want lifelong free airplane tickets??
Here’s my take on it. No one should be suing anybody, BUT
Having survived something like that, I would most likely not be EXPECTING the airline to do anything for me in a material sense.
However, if what they DID do was frosty and clinical and impersonal…and if it was so…mealy and small compared to what happened to me in THEIR plane…I’d be pissed off, too.
I wouldn’t sue anyone. I wouldn’t get all uppity about what I was “owed.” No one owes these passengers anything. Each of those passengers owes that pilot gratitude and friendly respect until the day they die. I would feel slighted, however, and I can understand why the passengers would feel slighted by such a cheesy and classless letter/offer as the one they received.
People in upper management should be ASHAMED of themselves for not coming up with something warm, personal, and serious for those passengers. They probably wouldn’t have offended these people at all if they had sent a warm and personal letter to each family…with no offer of upgrades or tickets or whatever…at all. These people were affronted by the language and attitude of the letter…because it was small and rude and cold.
Dang the lack of an edit button…
It’s thoughtlessness. Once the lawyers got through with that offer and letter, making sure that NO syllable of liability could be found in the wording of it…there was no sympathy, warmth, community, or respect left in it.
THIS is what corporate America does to alienate and anger its customers.
I see the majority of people here share my sentiment – unless the airline plotted a course that clashed with a known flight path of a migratory bird, which would be negligent, then you’d have some grounds for sueing them. Otherwise this is a perfect example of an “accident” rather than an “incident”
The upgrades are a gesture of goodwill and aren’t meant to compensate for pain and suffering. It sounds like they were given a one-years membership to a loyalty scheme for business people. Maybe they could extend it, but perhaps the other members who shelled out hard cash for those privileges might complain and take their business elsewhere. I do think priority check-in for a much longer period after the club period would have been nicer though.
As in this case the airline probably isn’t at fault, no I don’t think they should pay for a life-time’s counselling for 180 people. If you’re driving along and lightening strikes a tree in someone’s front garden, which hits your car – but you’re thankfully unhurt. Do you really have grounds to sue the owner of that tree for money to help pay your counselling bills – actually, this isn’t a rhetorical question. If anyone knows the answer, rather than what they think should happen, I’d love to know.
And did your news vendor honest-to-god compare a 10.99 blender with a Rolls Royce engine that’s meant to sustain flight? F*ck me!
How in the world is US Airways at fault in this case????? It is killing me that people think the airlines should be responsible for paying medical fees associated with counseling etc. Had there been fault or neglect on the part of the airlines, I would feel totally different. It is no more the airlines fault than the passengers. They should have medical insurance for situations like this. The airlines shouldn’t foot the bill just because it would be a nice gesture. I’m calling BS on these greedy folks!
Interesting perspective Aspen. And you definitely are right about the “liability-free” language of the letter. I find that at work you have to write in a very clinical manner, as you never know when it’ll be held up in court. But thankfully my office is small enough that I can call the person ahead of time and explain the reasoning for the language used, if i think it’s warranted.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that the airline will still be in business next year – so many are going to the wall. The people should take what they’re given and run. Or all of them take the case to court together and get as much cash as they can get their paws on and make sure the company goes under. Otherwise by the time the first people get through there won’t be any money left in the kitty.
This whole “gimme society” is driving me absolutely insane. How can any of them think US Airways owes them anything above repayment for their lost luggage? US Airways and specifically the pilot saved their lives and they should be grateful, not standing there with their hands out. This is disgusting.
Yeah because it’s totally US Airways’ fault that it flew right into the path of Canadian geese. If anything, the passengers should be suing the geese.
And I love that cover of the New York Post. Having had too many encounters to count with Canadian geese during my life, I hate those birds with a passion.
I think it’s stupid and near-sighted of US Air to be so stingy with the survivors. The airline could turn this into a PR victory, with “best pilots” and “we take care of our passangers” lines. Free upgrades for life would not cost them much but when people are potentially scared of flying on this airline in particular (maybe it’s irrational but it doesn’t matter) and the public is generally tired of the crappy ways in which they’re treated when flying, the airline could do everything in their power for a relativelyt small price to get MILES and miles of great PR from “Miracle on Hudson”. Seriously, who does their PR?
I live in Charlotte and several survivors have been interviewed by local media. According to those passengers, US Airways has bent over backwards to make sure that the passengers on that flight have had any medical treatment required and have said that they will pay for any psychological treatment as well. Several of the passengers were Bank of America employees and Bank of American brought in psychologists to help their passengers cope.
It is such as sad commentary when you live in a society where gratitude turns to greed so quickly. Those passengers are not owed anything.
Yeah, because surviving a potentially fatal plane wreck is NOTHING without some perks afterward. *eye roll*
I think some compensation is in order don’t get me wrong; cash would do just fine for me.
Yowzers…as a lawyer, I always look for the lawsuit, but in this case???? I just don’t know. It is a GD miracle that this pilot (and his co-pilot!) had the skills and training to take this plane down safely. My mom and I were discussing this and wonder if Capt. Sully, because he had glider plane training, was able to make this landing where other pilots might not be able to do so. Interesting theory. Anyway – these people are so lucky to be alive they should be so grateful for every minute, but the “one year” timeline for perks seems to be a snarky slap in the face by the airline…. Bottom line? I just don’t know.
Two things…
First of all, having a flock of geese hitting the turbine of an airplane is in NO WAY comparable to an ice cube in a blender. The vendor is missing out the HUGE amount of heat and impact involved. A goose hitting the airplane window doesn’t to any harm, but a goose in a turbine is throwing way more physical issues into the mix. You have temperatures of 800°C+ in the burning fuel process, then the speed of wind going through it is above 800 km/h (around 1300 mi/h; sorry for missing imperalistic measurements right now, but I am to lazy to look them up) and to mess it completely, the outside temperature is mostly below 0° (well in this case maybe not that low, since they’ve just started). Now you’ll understand that the goose will work like a match stick. You’re lucky if things won’t take fire and if it happens just on one turbine, but, as it is widely assumed in this case, having a flock(!) of geese going through both (!!) engines is a massive disruption for the systems. You see… no strawberry in a blender like glitch, this is big time you are gonna lose your life glitch!!!
Secondly, I would say that US Airways isn’t responsible but for sure they could have been more sensitive in dealing with the passengers. Offering free psychologic counseling and upgrades for a year *from a point of start the passangers choose* would have seemed nice and neat to me.
Sorry for any mistakes in writing… what happened to the edit function?? I miss it!!
Oh and Terri… I agree with you on the gratitude turns greedy attitude. So very true!! And as I’ve read just now, obviously psychologic treatment will be provided for free, so I dismiss that.
It was their decision to board a plane. Some with their children. Plane’s sometimes crash. It’s the chance you take. The only thing the passengers deserve is a chance to personally get down on their knees and thank the pilot(s) for doing their job well. Granted, the plane crashing really sucked. But you lived, didn’t you? So Joy! Go live.
Cash might be fine, but didja notice none of those gestures cost the airline anything? Upgrading “when available” costs them what? A couple bucks to warm the mixed nuts and get a drink in 1st class? Priority check-in? No cost. Choice seats? Anyone can do that with online 24-hour check-in.
They were basically given Buddy Pass privileges without the benefit of Buddy Pass prices. Having to stand on the wing in frigid water — the Hudson, no less — shoulda netted them a couple free tickets with a 2-year deadline…plenty of time to get over their fear of flying.
They should be grateful, and kissing that awesome pilot’s feet.
I just hope they won’t be given ONE dime. I wouldn’t want airlines not to invest in safety training because it’s cheaper to refund a dead person than an alive one. These guys are nuts.
There was no negligence on the part of US Airways, and it was the incredible skill of their pilot that kept those people from exploding into tiny bits. If I had been a passenger, my incredible gratitude for BEING ALIVE would be enough compensation.
And having to stand on the wing in frigid water waiting to be rescued, rather than being dead, is a small price.
Only in America would people walk away from a situation like this with their hands out.
Great comments Aspen, I think you nailed it. At least I hope it was the tone of the letters that lead to this crazy greed.
When I was 17 I was on a six passenger company plane, sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, and the window next to my head blew out. We think it might’ve been a bird, but have no idea what caused it.
The pilot and I both lost consciousness for, what I’m guessing, was a couple of seconds. When I came to, the pilot was still passed out and his head was just hanging there all limp on his chest because he was buckled in, and the maps we had spread on our laps were being shredded out the window next to my head. Anyway, we were going down and I started beating on him to wake up and he came to and pulled us up from the approaching mountain tops. Holy shit.
So we made an emergency landing and I was all f*cked up (my ear was tweaked so my balanced was messed up) went to the hospital, etc. I was fine, no lasting damage. We got on another flight as soon as I was realeased from the hospital and I insisted on the co-pilot’s seat again because I knew if I didn’t do it then, I’d never fly again, and yeah, I’m still scared to fly, and my mom said every time the phone rang, for years afterwards, she would get a flashback of the hospital calling, asking her if she had a daughter… but I was so damn thankful to be alive that it NEVER occured to me, or any of us on that flight, to sue or to blame the airliner for what was obviously a fluke.
They should try to sue God for creating geese.
AGG. Sorry for the ramble!
we can’t forget that all the passengers were immediately given checks for FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS.
and i agree with everything flour said.
get on your knees and thank profusely that your are neither dead nor critically injured.
“Only in America would people walk away from a situation like this with their hands out.”
God, good point Codzilla, could you imagine people trying to pull this crap anywhere else? They’d be laughed out of court and told to go home and hug their families.
Zoe: Holy shit! That’s an incredible story. I hate to fly and I’ve never had anything even remotely dangerous happen while on board. Good for you for facing your fears so quickly.
Can they not affix screens/type of grate or something like that to the front of the engine wells to prevent this? Just wondering.
I’m with everyone else too who thinks the idea of a lawsuit is preposterous.
Every life was saved yet these people are crying for MONEY!!!! What’s wrong with this picture?
I’m with Sarah on this one.
A year of upgrades, from a point of start the passenger chooses, it’s a lot less insensitive.
I too would have been miffed if I were offered to board a plane in less than a year from the day that I had nearly been killed.
Offering something is a great gesture from the airline – but what are they offering ? Maybe not offering anything would have been better in this case.
Thanks Codzilla, I’m still a total puss on flights tho! 🙂
“It’s Not Bird Strike, It’s Engine Suck.”
-Izzard
I’m sure they have insurance to cover things like this, I think they offered free upgrades in an effort to have a cheaper alternative than higher premiums.
Frankly, not being offered anything would have been less insulting to me. No WAY would I get anywhere near an airplane ever again. How many of those passengers do you think will actually make use of those free upgrades? How many do you think will be willing to fly again within a year?
The offer was a slap in the face, and nothing more than a media band-aid.
im sure that some of them have PTSD, but i watched an episode of Ellen a few weeks ago that had the survivors on, talking about their ordeal, and they all seemed just fine to me! laughing about it & joking around.
the airline doesnt need to do anything else that what they have already done. i agree that the “one year only” upgrades are stupid, and it should maybe be “free flights forever” or something but…what else can they do for these people?
I agree to their being no suing here….
But you know sometimes surviving can be an ordeal. No one really knows what these people are feeling. I know if i was in that situation, it’d mess my head up for a while.
and OMG Zoe….brave you ! Even turbulence gives me the willies. A small plane that I used to fly regularly on had a window blow out next to a passenger a few years back, and I never flew on that after, and I wasn’t even on there. I had a car accident in winter once and was pretty much forced to drive again within a couple of days (work committments), and I sure didn’t feel braver as a result of that, I felt worse, but at the same time I knew if I didn’t do it then… I still can’t stand driving in winter.
a highschool friend lost both of her parents in a plane crash. She and her little sister went to live with their aunt and uncle. Of course I’ve never asked her, but I hope the airline set them up for the rest of their lives. I can’t even imagine… my little mishap was nothing when you think about it, these people should just feel lucky and thankful, I know I did.
Shame on these ungrateful passengers. How many airline crashes result in every passenger and crew member surviving? These people ought to be too busy erecting a statue to Captain Chesley Sullenberger with their bare hands than seeking compensation for an accident that they walked away from alive. More importantly, they should be consumed with thanking G-d for the abundance of miracles they were blessed with that day leaving no time to consider litigation.
G-d for
I don’t think the passengers are OWED anything, but I’m completely with minx on this… US Airways could be making themselves the saints of the airlines right now!
i agree with the person that said sue the geese!
I was on a plane that ‘ran i nto’ a flock of geese mid air,January of 1997,from boston to cleveland. It dented the front of the plane so badly,we had to ground the plane for 9 hrs,while they replaced that part of the plane! Needless tos ay,there were many delays that time of year,the airport literally was out of food,luggage was unattended spilling over the baggage area,we were starving,and after a l ittle complaining on my part,I got upgraded to first class for the next leg [to vegas,bag sandwich meal,wish it were a cross country leg!]…anyway,the counter rep said ‘hey,is it our fault there were birds?’ Um,not but it wasn’t my fault either….depending upon circumstances,it is in good taste to give passengers some compensation for the inconvenience…ie,it’s marketing,really. The way the psyche works,it’s likely to subconsciously associate the incident with a particular airline,and avoid that airline in the future. So,for airline reputation sake,even though LOGICALLY it could have been with any airline,better to make amends and repair the negative association.
Anyway,IMO,lifetime of upgrades would have been more appropriate,OR,why not give them a free RT ticket somewhere,to be used within 24 months? c’mon…that would have been a nice gesture. the 5k was a good start,however. My 2 cents.
I hope the airline does make it up with some fair compensation, FAIR being the key word here. You do have to acknowledge that the US in general is entirely lawsuit-happy and it does get taken to the extreme.
$5,000 for their luggage? Who carries around $5,000 worth of luggage? That was the nice gesture of the airline. I’m sure they don’t owe each passenger 5k for lost luggage. And legally speaking, if they award 5k for the luggage they are only admitting to having lost the luggage. However, if they offer too much outside of that, and then get sued (which it looks like they will and I’m sure they expected it), the court will construe it NOT as a kind gesture, but as evidence that the airlines believed they owed the passengers something because they did something WRONG.
Aspen is spot-on for this one. US Airways is being cautious due to legal liability. I’m a lawyer and I agree that the way the legal system affects our society is a SHAME and I am not proud of it.
Mairead, if the tree is hit by lightning, this is “an act of God” and thus the cause of your injury is that “act of God,” not the person who owns the land the tree sits on. (if your fact scenario included some kind of negligence by the landowner, such as leaving a tree with loose, dead limbs hanging over the road, this might be a different story)
As far as I know, we can’t sue God. But this is the US, so we’ll probably manage to sue him, too, at some point!
P.S. Offering a year of upgrades is, indeed, completely worthless. I could get a year of upgrades just by being kind to the staff and working the system. Frequent flyers regularly get all of the perks US Airways offered. Also, just exactly how many flights actually have first class for a domestic flight? Why even bother, unless it is a flight to Hawaii or Alaska, or from East coast to West?
And for ONE year? Shame, shame. These people are probably traumatized. How insensitive. US Air should have just organized a big party to honor the pilot and emphasize how wonderful it is to be alive – and invite all the media to cover it. Great PR AND a gift to the passengers.
Typical Americans. Makes me ashamed to be one sometimes.
I also agree that there is no lawsuit.
But I do think they should be given a little more in compensation.Things are ridiculously expensive these days and $5000 isn’t going to replace all that much.
They should have forgotten about they upgrade and given them all more cash and just be done with it..
Thanks KLaw- but in this case wouldn’t the geese not be an act of God if their flight-path can be diverse?
Baho – Now I’ll preface this by saying that I love planes, but I just don’t know a huge amount about them. However, I’m pretty sure that an iron grille over the engine in-take of a jet would make thing a whole lot worse. A bird being sucked into the air intake of a jet flying at 500 miles an hour (800kmh) is unlikely to bounce off the grille. I would guess that the combined force would pulverise the bird as it goes in and rip the grille to shreds and possibly tearing a hole in the fuselage with it. Where’s the commentator Sarah gone? She seems to know most about these things.
Oh and Zoe… eeeeeek! God love you!
Oh to make our resident Americans feel better, you can be sure that in Ireland our “Compo Culture” would certainly look into claiming if we can get away with it. We do blame America for it though *wink*
OK, i’m sorry but those ppl got 5k off the bat for ‘lost luggage’. seems more than fair considering most ppl are extremely cheap nowadays and who carries thousands of dollars worth of clothes anyway?
And comp for standing on the wings of the plane for 2mins? ’cause thats how long it took for the ferries to respond to the disaster. Are you f*@^ing serious?
i thought the whole post smelled like B.S.
The airline, the pilot nor the passengers asked for the plane to crash in the first place and there definitely was not any negligence involved. So to expect anything from the airline is just selfish. They extended some small gesture and since it apparently wasn’t good enough for a few, this is going to get blown out of proportion and will end up in court. First off, they don’t owe you anything.
I think the ones looking bad at this point are the whining passengers. Be thankful the airline had a highly trained pilot who guided you to safety and saved your little greedy ass.
first of all, people do carry thousands of dollars worth of stuff in their luggage. none of you guys have ever had to move across country with all of your posessions?
you may not realize it, but your whole wardrobe of clothes, makeup, shoes, watches, etc, can be worth thousands. Airlines are responsible for a certain value $ of every piece of checked baggage.
Finally, yes, people survived but they went through something traumatic while paying for a service of US Air… The airline would pay millions if the plane crashed and people died. The airline would pay if people were injured on the flight – regardless of why the plane crashed.
To say that mental injury IS NOT a real injury worth covering…… do you think it’s ok for the US government to send troops to war, have them come back alive and healthy physically, but not provide post-war counseling and psychological support after being through a horriffic event?
5g’s, an upgrade & priority check-in + their lives, idk sounds more than fair. how could anyone ever consider “suing” Sully? please.
They have given them everything…their lives!!
renee: All the clothes and makeup I’ve ever purchased IN MY LIFE wouldn’t add up to five grand, let alone whatever I generally carry with me on a plane. And who moves all their stuff via airplane when relocating? I’ve always packed my car to the roof and rented a Uhaul, but maybe that’s just me.
keeping your lives isn’t good enough!?? How greedy can one get? They should be lucky they are alive! What price can you put on something like that.
codzilla….i went college across the country and started a new life, so i tried to bring everything i own between my and my parents luggage. it took more than one plane ride to get there.
ive also had the oppertunity to live in a third world country, so it helps to bring decent clothing to a place where everything modern (even a can opener!) is 3x the price of what you would pay in the US.
I think $5000 for the luggage was very fair and appropriate if baggage insurance wasn’t purchased. $5000 adds up fast, and this wasn’t just their checked luggage, it was carry on as well… hell, some people’s laptops cost nearly that much.
They chose to get on the airplane and assumed the risks while doing so. The pilot and airline didn’t crash the plane on purpose and these people don’t deserve a DIME.
hahahahahahahaha Amercians just love to sue dont they… Its so funny for us Non- Americans.
You are greedy little buggas!!!
The Oceanic 6 received free airfare for life. The still flew (flied? huh?).
😉
I flew with my family from O’Hare to Tampa when the plane was brought down for an emergency landing due to an engine fire. When we landed in Tampa with the engine on fire the emergency shoots proceeded to open UPSIDE DOWN and we were told to “Run away from the plane because it may blow!” This all happened when I was 8 months pregnant and my two other kids were 4 and 2 years-old. It was pouring rain and we were in the midst of a huge electrical thunder storm so the entire evacuation process was traumatic and anxiety ridden.
After a period of a couple of months had passed we had not heard ONE WORD from the airline. Eventually my husband encouraged me to call and ask if there would be any compensation for customers who had endured the traumatic emergency landing. We were then issued 5 coach class tickets to fly anywhere we wanted within the U.S. After my 3rd child was born, and a few years had passed, we used the tickets to fly to Hawaii and had a good trip. It did take us at least 10 years before we felt comfortable flying again. We even bought a big, gaudy looking conversion van to accommodate us on our many trips through out the U.S.
Moral of the story….”Ask and ye shall receive.” Had we not called the airline and asked for some sort of compensation we would not have received anything. I have no problem with the U.S. Air customers asking for more than they have been offered. It will take years to recover from that experience. Trust me, I’ve been there (albeit in a much less traumatic event)and I know that a small gesture of comfort can go a long, long way!!!
Diva, excellent point on the laptops. I hadn’t thought of carry-on luggage. Usually you are responsible for your own carry-ons and the airline only has the opportunity to lose your checked luggage! Now I’m thinking 5k is not enough! (i have laptop and expensive camera + equipment, and I put my valuables like jewelry in my carry-on, just in case…)
Mairead, the only things that qualify as “acts of God” are natural disasters.
renee: I stand corrected! I guess everyone isn’t as cheap as me when it comes to moving. Although, now that I think about it, moving all my crap via plane sounds much more appealing than dragging a Uhaul for 1200 miles!
First and foremost, the airline was in no way negligent.
If you were driving in the country and hit a deer, flipping your car and pinning you in the seat, resulting in a traumatic, terrifying experience as it bursts into flames until a passerby rescued you just in time, who would you sue then? The guy who saved you? The deer? The state it occured in? This is no different. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN!!
Upgrades for a year (when available- key word) is indeed worthless. $5000 is not enough to even cover my Laptop, handbag, wallet and makeup bag/contents. But again, its not the airline’s fault it happened. Anything they were given was above and beyond US Air’s obligation. They are lucky to be alive.
I don’t think $5000 is too much for luggage; I used to fly for work monthly some years ago, and when you add up the replacement value for luggage, laptop, phone and/or PDA, watch, jewelry, clothes, shoes, toiletries, medicines, etc, it can easily add up to $5000.00.
I find that folks generally utilize their very nice things when they are flying. Possibly frequent flyers and/or those who chose to buy it may have had insurance for their belongings, but I ‘m guessing many of the people who are infrequent flyers might not have had it on this flight.
I think all of the survivors are grateful for their lives, and why should anyone begrudge them perks that will hopefully offset some of the repercussions of surviving a plane crash? Perhaps if the airlines agreed to extend their offer to five years, with a set amount of discount for the Hawaii and Europe flight expense, there would be less inclination to sue. Most everyone knows that vouchers and coupons are issued with the hope that only a small portion of the recipients will actually redeem them, and one year expiration is clearly not enough time for non-frequent flyers who are probably traumatized.
This was an extraordinary event and goodwill by all parties would be helpful here; it should not be tantamount to admitting guilt, nor should hedging bets be a party. Applaud the pilot, crew and passengers because they did the work necessary to survive the crash, emergency services brought them to safety, and US Airways should be proud that they have obviously maintained such exceptional pilots, crew, communication for flights, and aircraft, which ended up in an averted tragedy.
Just wanted to point out that the article only quotes TWO passengers. The others may have no beef at all with the airline!
it’s also worth pointing out that a lot of the passengers may not feel any psychological effects for years. i was in a plane crash with my parents when i was eleven (twin propellor plane lost an engine during takeoff) and had no problems flying until i was fifteen. i started sobbing hysterically during takeoff, scaring the crap out of the woman next to me. about the same time i developed a fear of heights, and things that go fast (roller coasters, skiing, both of which i love) and i still can’t drive a car because i start hyperventilating every time i try – and that’s WITH meds and counseling. i’m not at all convinced the airline owes these people anything, but most of them are going to be pretty screwed up for a while.
and people wonder why i snap at them when they won’t turn off their damn phones on the airplane…
renee ( ithink it was renee) – who said the military pays for PTSD counseling? thir staff isn’t nearly big enough and they do everything they can to get out of helping the brave men and women who THEY screwed up. my friend’s boyfriend was told it was all his drinking’s fault (a problem that started when he got back from iraq) and was threatened with demotion because of the drinking if he didn’t stop asking for counseling. they had to cave in after he got blackout drunk, dissociated, and punched his girlfriend when she tried to get him to pee in the toilet instead of on the wall. that, at least, they don’t take lightly.
debbie downer…
I agree with everyone else who says this potential lawsuit is ridiculous. Yes, bad things happen. Sometimes really bad things happen and there’s just nothing you can do about it. Things just happen. Should the car companies pay for someones anti-anxiety meds if they’re in an accident? How about the makers of the road on which they crashed? How about the makers of the street signs? Maybe the maker of the ipod/cellphone/radio should be responsible for making something that could potentially distract a driver? Where does responsibility end?
They should be thankful they’re alive. Who cares about stupid upgrades anyway? Geez people.
This is a prime example of how we Americans always think we’re entitled to any and everything. I’m not trying to be insensitive but the passengers should really be greatful that they are alive and give praises to Mr. Sully.
My grandfather died in a plane crash and we were compensated. The difference? Negligence. My grandfather’s plane collided with another plane mid-air. Air traffic controllers are supposed to prevent that. Birds? That’s nature and you can’t control that.
Thank god almost all of you have good heads on your shoulders.
US Airways was not to blame for this accident. Someone up there said that they had an experience where the airline said it wasn’t their fault and they responded with “well it wasn’t mine either”. Exactly. This was no one’s fault and no one should be made to compensate anyone else for it. They are lucky they LIVED through this. I would be most grateful for my life, not my stuff.
And when you board an airplane, you know there is a chance that it’ll crash and that you’ll die. In this case, there was no negligence on the part of the airline, pilot or flight crew. They all did their jobs exactly as they were supposed to do. They got all passengers off the plane safely and quickly. There was nothing mechanically wrong with the plane. I don’t see where they would have a case.
okay, here is how i see it: why would you get anything other than a refund on your ticket, an alternate means of transportation and the money to recoup any losses? isn’t the idea that just because something bad happened you get spoiling rotting rich a bit – dumb? you get to count your blessings at living to see another day with your family. i would feel differently if it comes out that the problem was anything other than an unavoidable accident – but sometime no one is to blame and you just have to get on with it.
now that i think of it 5000 is a bit high to replace a bit of carry on baggage – the whole amount probably covered all the things i just listed. sounds like the airline did it’s job. and the fact that those people are here bitching means they did their job dang well!
Has anyone stopped to think of the family of the geese? Maybe they should sue the passengers lol
How is the airline at fault here? Oh yeah, it’s NOT. Therefore, it doesn’t owe the passengers a thing. I don’t disagree that the passengers experienced trauma, but the airline isn’t responsible for compensating them for that. It’s just a bunch of greedy people and their a-hole lawyers (this, coming from a lawyer but not an a-hole).
This is the American way. We’ll sue for anything.
If the airline throws money at anyone, it should be the pilot and crew of that plane. These greedy passengers are inviting some really bad karma upon themselves. A flock of geese flew into the plane. What the hell was the airline supposed to do about that?? What a bunch of idiots.
First I will start by saying what a horrible ordeal and I am sorry for the people that had to experience it. Now I will say that these people were not forced to fly, it was their choice. It was a pure accident and nothing more. There was no human error or faulty equipment. The pilot did any amazing job and these passengers should be grateful for that. No the airline should not be financially responsible for psychiatric care!! They should be happy with the upgraded service and not be so greedy.
Okay — first thought: These people should be thankful to be ALIVE. Next. The plane that sank into the hudson cost what, $75,000,000? The airline should make a gesture of goodwill, and spend another $75,000,000 with $500,000 paid out to each passenger for being put through the ordeal, and just write it off as a PR expense. Maybe some people found God through the ordeal. Maybe others will walk away with post-traumatic stress disorder. Who knows? If it can be proven that there was a way to prevent those birds from being sucked into the engines — i.e. a safety grill — then the design flaw will mean trouble for US Airways.
$500,000 to each passenger? Seriously, half a million dollars? That, is as crazy as anyone trying to sue the company.
Law suits have a place where negligence is evident.
Everything in this case says it was just some bad luck in the form of a flock of geese.
Did all of your common sense run out on you? Is everyone really so self-serving and selfish that they think the world owes them everything that can be strangled out of it? $5000 towards lost luggage is pretty good, considering most people I’ve known don’t carry that much in luggage with them.
The -only- valid point made that I’ve read was that the airline should help with medical expense for anyone seriously psychologically harmed from this. But even then, I argue that the people should have to prove their psychological trauma.
People cheat other people too often. Grow up and act like the responsible adults you should be.
In addition:
If you’re moving cross country with your luggage and you’re flying, I can only imagine you’re spending almost as much on the airline tickets as the cost of your belongings. I’d consider you an odd case in this scenario, and if you hadn’t bought insurance when bringing all of your worldly belongings with you, I’d ask how much you actually value them?
Nonetheless, I’d would argue in your case as follows. Just as it’s been stated a hundred times over above, it’s not your fault that the plane crashed. Even though it’s not the airlines fault either, it would be decent and human of them to handle your case differently than someone else.
The problem we encounter there is, everyone else would start whining because you were treated in response to your case.
Treating people equally does not mean the compensation comes out to the same dollar amount. It means taking into account what damage was actually done, and correcting it individually.
It’s really stingy. US Air didn’t do anything wrong. If anything they hired such a great pilot, he was able to save their lives. I would ask for a few more years to be added to that compensation package but really they didn’t have to offer anything at all.
Planes are not able to withstand most objects that fly into their engines. Some mechanic was talking about how their design has improved but because of the area where they are placed and the sensitivity of the engines that problem just won’t be solved.
Ummm…am I missing something? The passengers are upset, because all they get is ‘lousy upgrades’…? Amazing how you were all probably texting/voicemailing all of your loved ones, before you were ready to kiss your arses goodby, seconds before the crash. Yet, you all walked away – thankfully to the amazing pilot, and flight crew who saved your lives! Geez, “Beam me up, Scotty, there’s no intelligent life down here!”. Sidenote, after all the depressing news of the past few years, this event truly made me cry and overjoyed at the simple fact of being alive and being part of something bigger than myself. Pinch me. To be honest people, it’s time to stop holding your hand out for everything in life, and start giving back, before it’s too late.
What does an airline ticket owe you? It owes you a safe and swift means of transportation! This means you should have a competent, well trained pilot and crew. These traits were well demonstrated on this flight. This crew gave the passengers their lives and any of them who think otherwise have lowered their dignity below that of an ambulance chasing attorney. They beaks were the ones who were hurt HA HA CHUCK DAVIS – FLORIDA
the amount of money spent on the design and construction of modern airliners leaves me to wonder why they can’t be built toabsorb birds strikes . taking the bus from now on.
Alright, FIRST off all you americans that think that “CANADIAN GEESE” which is the best bird in the whole world. You americans have to stop with this targeting on a CANADIAN GEESE which is one of our sacred symbols. What if we put on the front page a EAGLE and put a target on it and say Pluck em. You guys would freak out because your all so passionate, well guess what, we are too and we love our GEESE and he they can fly wherever and whenever they want.
ITS NOT THE GEESE’s FALULT, ITS THE DUMB PLANE, WHY CANT PLANES REPEL OFF BIRDS DUMB US AIRLINES
I agree with you bro, not the birds fault.
Now I know why so many people don’t get involved to help others in an accident. I Remember a woman suing a man after he pulled her out of a car that was involved in an accident. The car was on fire. She said he had caused permanent damage to her arm. I guess she would have rather stayed in the burning car.
I don’t know if it’s been said. But you need to get over your fears fast. I’ve never been in a plane crash. I’ve been in a car accident where a car ran a stop sign and we both totaled our cars. There was a lot of blood, but we both walked away. I was driving a car three hours later. Too many people refuse to drive a car after an accident. If I survived a plane crash, I’d be another as soon as possible to get to where I was going. Especially If was going home and had to be to work as soon as possible.