EPTThey survive a crash, get $8000 and a free upgrade and still complaining.
US Airways crash survivors' compensation outrage
THE passengers who survived last month's plane plunge into an icy New York river have been offered compensation – but there's a catch.
The survivors have the option of first-class domestic and international flights upgrades, but they will have to get back on a US Airways plane – the airline responsible for terrifying ordeal.
And to make it worse, the upgrade is only valid for a year, reports The New York Post.
All 150 passengers, including Australian Emma Cowan, were rescued from the freezing Hudson River on January 15, after the Airbus A320 was forced down when a flock of geese struck the plane.
Passengers were immediately refunded the cost of the airfare and received a cheque for $8000. Now passengers are being asked to enjoy perks such as priority check-in and boarding, priority security lanes, and first dibs on standby seats until March 2010.
But passengers have been outraged by the latest offer and said the upgraded should be permanent.
"You're going to crash me into the water, and you're going to tell me all I get is an upgrade?" Antonio Sales told the New York Post.
"That's more of an 'OK, you're not dead, I'll give you something to hold on to.' It's not enough at all."
Another passenger, Fred Berretta, said: "I think if you survive a plane crash, being upgraded permanently is a good gesture too."
While some called for the upgrade to be permanent, others were horrified at the thought of getting on another plane.
"My husband is not going to want to get on a plane for at least a year," passenger Tess Sosa told The New York Post.
THE passengers who survived last month's plane plunge into an icy New York river have been offered compensation – but there's a catch.
The survivors have the option of first-class domestic and international flights upgrades, but they will have to get back on a US Airways plane – the airline responsible for terrifying ordeal.
And to make it worse, the upgrade is only valid for a year, reports The New York Post.
All 150 passengers, including Australian Emma Cowan, were rescued from the freezing Hudson River on January 15, after the Airbus A320 was forced down when a flock of geese struck the plane.
Passengers were immediately refunded the cost of the airfare and received a cheque for $8000. Now passengers are being asked to enjoy perks such as priority check-in and boarding, priority security lanes, and first dibs on standby seats until March 2010.
But passengers have been outraged by the latest offer and said the upgraded should be permanent.
"You're going to crash me into the water, and you're going to tell me all I get is an upgrade?" Antonio Sales told the New York Post.
"That's more of an 'OK, you're not dead, I'll give you something to hold on to.' It's not enough at all."
Another passenger, Fred Berretta, said: "I think if you survive a plane crash, being upgraded permanently is a good gesture too."
While some called for the upgrade to be permanent, others were horrified at the thought of getting on another plane.
"My husband is not going to want to get on a plane for at least a year," passenger Tess Sosa told The New York Post.
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