Tous
← Back to Squawk list
Alaska Airlines Must Pay $3.19 Million Following A Passenger Death
Seattle-based Alaska Airlines has been ordered to pay more than $3 million to the family of a passenger of reduced mobility who suffered a fatal accident at Portland International Airport (PDX) in 2017 (simpleflying.com) Plus d'info...
Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Q: "How could Alaska Airlines foresee such an incident and prevent against it?"
A: "turn up as had been prearranged."
A: "turn up as had been prearranged."
According to the report she attempted to go down an escalator in her wheel chair when the attendant's from Alaska did not turn up as had been prearranged. How could Alaska Airlines foresee such an incident and prevent against it? i.e. where was the "negligence"? Who could ever imagine that a person in a wheel chair would attempt to go down an escalator? Normally that would be suicidal!
Also given her age and medical condition how did they arrive at $3 million in damages? I doubt she left any dependents and at her age and condition she was clearly in her final years.
Of course it is a sad tragedy but I don't see how this award is warranted. I suppose in the future Airlines will have to charge disabled passengers $100's to provide assistance so as to cover their insurance exposure. Don't most airlines currently provide these services as a courtesy to disabled and elderly passengers? I could see that changing.