Delta Air Lines is offering $30,000 to each passenger who was onboard Flight 4819 when it crashed and flipped upside down at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Monday. The airline confirmed Wednesday that the payment has no strings attached and will not affect passengers’ legal rights.
The Delta regional jet—a CRJ 900 operated by Endeavor Air—touched down at the airport, caught fire, and overturned, coming to a stop on its roof. All 76 passengers and four crew members evacuated safely.
Twenty-one passengers were taken to hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical, including back sprains, head injuries, and fuel exposure symptoms. As of Wednesday, 20 had been released.
Investigators are now working to determine the cause of the crash. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, along with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), is leading the investigation. Officials have recovered the plane’s black boxes and sent them to a lab for analysis.
Toronto Pearson President and CEO Deborah Flint acknowledged the extreme weather conditions leading up to the crash, with back-to-back storms bringing over 20 inches of snow to the area. However, she said Monday was a clear day and declined to speculate on whether weather played a role.
Despite the dramatic crash, Delta praised the flight crew and emergency responders for their swift actions, with Flint calling their response “heroic.”
“Our most pressing priority remains taking care of all customers and Endeavor crew members who were involved,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a statement. “We’ll do everything we can to support them and their families in the days ahead.”
The airline said it has begun the process of reuniting passengers with their baggage and personal belongings, though it could take weeks before all items are safely returned.
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