Delta Air Lines has offered $30,000 to each passenger who was onboard the Minneapolis-to-Toronto flight that crash-landed on February 17, 2025.
The payment, which comes with no strings attached, is aimed at helping survivors meet their immediate financial needs.
The airline confirmed the offer in a statement to Yahoo Finance, though it remains unclear how many passengers have accepted the compensation. If all 76 passengers take up the offer, Delta would pay out a total of $2.3 million.
According to NBC News, Delta Flight 4819, operated by Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta, had 76 passengers and four crew members onboard when it crashed at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Fortunately, no fatalities occurred, though 21 passengers were hospitalized with injuries. By Thursday morning, all 21 individuals had been discharged from the hospital, and none of the injuries were considered life-threatening, according to Delta.
The crash occurred around 2:15 p.m. when the CRJ-900 aircraft, which had been flying from Minneapolis, landed hard on the snow-covered runway.
The plane bounced and flipped over, coming to a stop upside down. Despite the severity of the incident, no deaths were reported. Delta CEO Ed Bastian praised the crew for their "heroic" actions during the emergency landing.
Delta's $30,000 Payment to Passengers Aims to Meet Immediate Needs After Crash
The $30,000 offer aligns with international treaties such as the Warsaw and Montreal Conventions, which govern airline liability for passenger injuries and fatalities.
These treaties require airlines to provide immediate payments to passengers following accidents.
According to Delta's website, airlines must pay at least $20,000 in advance if a passenger is injured or killed, Yahoo said.
This advance is considered an early payment against the airline's eventual liability. The total compensation can rise significantly depending on the severity of the incident.
Delta's compensation offer does not prevent passengers from pursuing legal action, should they choose to do so. "The offer has no strings attached and does not affect rights," a Delta spokesperson confirmed.
As of now, investigators have not provided any updates on the cause of the crash. Early video footage shows the plane making a hard landing, but the exact factors that contributed to the incident remain unclear.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is leading the investigation, with assistance from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Weather conditions during the crash were reported as clear, although wind gusts of up to 40 mph had been recorded earlier.
No snow was observed at the airport during the incident, but two storms in the preceding days had dumped nearly two feet of snow in the area.
Delta continues to cooperate with the investigation and has assured the public that it is committed to ensuring the safety of its passengers.
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