Shocking cash sum Delta is offering plane crash passengers, and what the weird wording means

Everyone is talking about the Delta plane that strangely flipped over on the runway, and now it’s just got even weirder.

The flight from Minneapolis crashed, caught fire and then turned upside down on the runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport while attempting to land.

Miraculously, all 80 people on board the CRJ900 twin-jet survived, and they’re now being offered a whopping $30k (£237k) each!

21 passengers were taken to local hospitals and the injuries ranged from minor to critical, but none were life-threatening, Toronto Pearson President and CEO Deborah Flint said.

Only three of the 21 people experienced more severe injuries, including a man in his 60s, a woman in her 40s, and a child.

If all 80 of the passengers accept the money, the airline will have to give out nearly $2.3 million in total.

Credit: Canadian Press/Shutterstock

A spokesperson for Delta, Morgan Durrant, told Business Insider, “This gesture has no strings attached and does not affect rights” – but what does that mean?

Well, this is where it gets interesting. Legal experts told Business Insider this wording means the passengers can sue for more compensation in the future if they want to.

They said the $30,000 is an “act of goodwill” that doesn’t have any clauses or provisions. Essentially, it’s free money that doesn’t affect the passengers in any way at all.

So, why is Delta giving so much money away even though only three passengers were critically injured AND saying they can still sue them for more money if they wish?!

That’s the question everyone’s asking and the answer isn’t actually clear right now.

JUST IN: I have confirmed with Delta that each passenger on the flight that crashed from MSP to Toronto will be given $30,000. No strings attached and "does not affect rights". Allows passengers to still file a lawsuit, if they choose to do so.

— Seth Kaplan 📺 (@Seth_Kaplan) February 19, 2025

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Aviation law professor Alan Tan told Business Insider the $30k payment is “appropriate as an advance gesture, particularly for passengers who have minimal or no injuries”.

He also said that the cash sum does not mean Delta is liable. However, an investigation is still ongoing into what caused the accident and whose fault it was.

Toronto Pearson President and CEO Deborah Flint hinted weather could be to blame, revealing two separate storms caused “extreme conditions” at the airport.

“On Thursday and Sunday, we got more than 20 inches, 50 centimeters of accumulated snow. That is actually not typical,” she said at a news conference.

“In fact, it is more snow within that time window than we received in all of last winter.”

“There were many delays and cancelations across this part of Canada and the U.S. Northeast during this time, creating numerous flight delays and backlogs.”

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Featured image by: Canadian Press/Shutterstock