Alaska Airlines is offering compensation to passengers who survived a recent emergency after part of the plane they were traveling on exploded mid-flight.
On Thursday, the company issued a statement to PEOPLE, saying, “Alaska Airlines has provided a full refund to every guest on Flight 1282. As an immediate gesture of concern, within the first 24 hours, we have also provided a $1,500 cash payment to cover any incidental expenses to ensure that their immediate needs are addressed.” The airline also offered “24/7 access to mental health resources and counseling sessions, and noted that it will “continue to work with them to address their specific needs and concerns.”
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All 177 passengers aboard Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California survived the January 5 emergency landing, which occurred after the plane’s rear door hatch exploded at 16,000 feet, leaving a gaping hole in the side.
It is understandable that many passengers were left extremely shaken. Now some who experienced the traumatic event are voicing their displeasure at the airline’s compensation.
“I haven’t fully processed whether that payment is enough or not,” said passenger Nicholas Hoch, 33. The Washington Post on Wednesday regarding $1,500. “I don’t know how this is going to affect me in the coming weeks and months, you know?”
NTSB via Getty
Hoch told the newspaper that, in addition to the terror of the plane’s fuselage being torn off during the flight, he spent two hours in line, waiting for a customer service agent to issue him a ticket for a new way home.
He said he was cautiously considering his legal options after questioning how the airline calculated that $1,500 was a decent amount for trauma.
Alaska Airlines Passenger Tells How Air Blow Tore T-shirt Off 15-Year-Old Boy: ‘Chaos’
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Alaska Airlines N704AL Airplane Boeing 737 MAX 9.
Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty
Passenger Jessica Montoia previously spoke to the BBC, calling her flight a “trip from hell”.
Another customer named Evan Smith recalled details of the incident at the outlet: “There was a very loud bang toward the left rear of the plane and a noise,” he said, adding that “all the air masks went down” afterward.
He also claimed he was a young passenger whose shirt was “sucked off him and thrown off the plane” and the child’s mom “held him to make sure he didn’t leave with her.”
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NTSB via Getty
Last weekend, National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy released a brief press release that the missing part of the plane that caused the incident had been found.
A “door stopper” was found in a teacher’s backyard in the Portland area.
Alaska Airlines has since canceled all 737-9 MAX flights until Jan. 13 while they conduct inspections and prepare to return to service, according to the company’s website. Approximately 110-150 flights per day were affected by the aircraft grounding.
“I am personally committed to doing everything we can to conduct this review in a timely and transparent manner,” company CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement.
“My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am very sorry for what you experienced. I am very grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants. We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and working to support guests traveling in the coming days,” he added.
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Source: HIS Education