PORTLAND, OREGON - JANUARY 9: An Alaska Airlines Embraer aircraft is seen taking off at Portland International Airport on January 9, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. NTSB investigators are continuing their inspection on the Alaska Airlines N704AL Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft following a midair fuselage blowout on Friday, January 5. None of the 171 passengers and six crew members were seriously injured. (Photo by Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
Alaska Airlines is moving to compensate passengers affected by a recent plane door incident.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the airlines informed Flight 1282 travelers of this compensation “hours after” the plane made an emergency landing. The information came via email. It included an “apology, a full refund for the aborted flight, and $1,500 to assist with any inconveniences.”
Alaska Airlines’ email to passengers reportedly did not mention complimentary mental health support or counseling assistance. However, their email to WSJ allegedly did.
According to WSJ, not all of Flight 1282’s passengers have decided whether a refund and $1,500 payout is enough compensation.
Nicholas Hoch, 33, told the outlet he’s still processing the incident and the company’s response.
“I haven’t fully processed if that payment is enough or not,” Nicholas said. “I don’t know how this is going to affect me in the coming weeks and months, you know?”
Hoch was onboard the aircraft when it “cracked open several minutes after takeoff” while he was headed to see his girlfriend in Ontario. After the emergency landing, Nicholas says he waited another two hours for a customer service agent to rebook him on a new flight.
On Tuesday (Jan. 9), he was still deciding whether to accept the airline’s financial and other offers. Hoch revealed he is considering seeing a specialist — outside of the mental health resources the airline shared with WSJ. That service alone could severely cut into the $1,500 reward.
“Just think about if you went to a trauma therapist. How much does $1,500 get you?” Nicholas said. “I don’t know, it’s not a lot.”
Nicholas Hoch also told the outlet that Alaska Airlines should’ve given the impacted passengers “a voice” in calculating the extra pay.
WSJ reports that Alaska Airlines’ contract of carriage with passengers provides insight into its refund policy. However, the contract does not offer clarity or guidelines about compensation in extreme situations like the plane door incident.
At this time, no passengers have filed a lawsuit against the airline, though that could change as time passes.
As previously reported, an Alaska Airlines aircraft traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Ontario, California, was grounded on Jan. 5 after “a door plug detached during flight,” per the airline’s statement. There were reportedly 171 passengers, including four minors, and six crew members on board.
An auto pressurization “fail light” showed up on the impacted Boeing 737 Max 9 plane at least three times before Jan. 5, per CNN. Each time, it was tested and reset by maintenance.
Then, on Friday (Jan. 5), while the plane was 16,000 feet in the air, the plane’s “plug door” and a window popped off. Immediately, the result was headrests being ripped off of seats and even items being sucked out of an aircraft, including a shirt a boy was wearing.
Thankfully, Alaska Airlines says no passengers were assigned seats 26A and 26B, right next to the affected plug door. After landing, one person was taken to hospital, and a few others received medical attention, but no one sustained fatal injuries.
