Here's How Much Passengers Were Paid After Alaska Airlines Plane Lost Its Door Plug Mid-Flight

Chris Mench
·2 min read
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Alaska Airlines passengers traveling from Portland, OR to Ontario, CA on Jan. 5 endured a terrifying ordeal when their aircraft was rapidly depressurized mid-flight after a door plug blew out from the side of the plane. Thankfully, nobody was injured and the plane was able to land safely. Now we have an idea of exactly what kind of compensation passengers are looking at in the aftermath.

According to The Washington Post, the airline announced that it would be fully refunding everyone's flights and providing $1,500 in cash compensation to each passenger.

“Alaska Airlines provided a full refund to each guest on Flight 1282. As an immediate gesture of care, within the first 24 hours, we also provided a $1,500 cash payment to cover any incidental expenses to ensure their immediate needs were taken care of," the statement said, adding that the airline was offering "24/7 access to mental health resources and counseling sessions."

“I haven’t fully processed if that payment is enough or not,” said Nicholas Hoch, to The Washington Post. “I don’t know how this is going to affect me in the coming weeks and months, you know?”

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Investigators found the door plug in a backyard in suburban Portland, and also recovered two passengers' phones, one of which was still working after falling from the plane. The incident has caused all airlines to scrutinize their Boeing 737-9 Max jets, with United announcing that it had found loose bolts on several of its own aircrafts.

“I am personally committed to doing everything we can to conduct this review in a timely and transparent way,” Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement.

“My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced. I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants. We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and are working to support guests who are traveling in the days ahead."

Although $1,500 doesn't seem like much, passengers could stand to get much more through potential lawsuits.