Singapore Airlines Flight 321 UPDATE - Airline Compensation Offer

On May 21, Singapore Airlines Flight 321 encountered turbulence over Myanmar, resulting in one death and injuries to more than 70 passengers. Today Singapore Airlines has released an offer of compensation for all passengers.

Carter Capner Law is representing passengers on the flight.

Peter Carter, director of Carter Capner Law says:

It is important to note that these payments are coming from the airline's insurer and that one of the insurer's objectives is to minimise the total compensation bill.

The following compensation they are offering “go without saying”:

1. Refund of ticket price.
2. Compensation for the delay is in accordance with the EU regulation.
3. Refund of medical expenses.

Making these payments – that the airline says are a gesture of goodwill - are a legal obligation.

The offer of putting USD$25000 to seriously injured passengers to cover interim expenses is very welcome. This is a good move on behalf of the insurer.

I doubt there is anyone on the aircraft who did not suffer an injury one way or the other. The insurer should clarify that the $10,000 offer covers all passengers including those who endured the terror of the moment but were fortunate to escape physical injury.

All passengers should seek legal advice before signing anything with the airline. Those with any sort of injury should exercise extreme care and should be evaluated by their own medical specialists to determine how this accident might still affect them.

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Our working theory remains that this incident could have been avoided and therefore some fault lies with Singapore Airlines. Our team, which includes very experienced airline captains, believes there is evidence to suggest that the aircraft flew through the top of a thunderstorm or in close proximity to one as it passed over an area notorious for thunderstorm activity in the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone.

I suspect Singapore Airlines knows the investigation will very soon publicly reveal exactly that, and this announcement is timed to counter some of the negative effects of that very embarrassing disclosure.

Peter Carter bio:
Peter Carter is one of Australia’s most experienced lawyers in the fields of aviation, tourism and travel compensation. He is a former national president of the Australian Lawyers Alliance, and was previously a director of the Civil Justice Foundation of Australia. Peter has also held the roles of Queensland president of the Aviation Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, and governor on the board of the American Association for Justice. He is a member of the Lawyer-Pilot Bar Association (USA) and holds a single engine private pilot’s licence with a command instrument rating.

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