Qantas to compensate passengers injured during altitude loss

Qantas Airways has released a statement indicating that it will compensate all passengers on board its flight that experienced a sudden loss of altitude last week, tossing many around the cabin and causing injuries to dozens.

All passengers on the flight will receive a refund of the cost of their airfare and will also receive a voucher for the cost of an additional flight between London and Australia, a spokesman for Qantas revealed.

Qantas has also said that it will help with the cost of medical expenses for passengers who were injured, according to a spokesman who spoke anonymously due to the company’s policy.

Over 40 people were taken to local hospitals, with 14 of them suffering serious injuries when the A330-300 briefly went into a nosedive during a flight last Tuesday from Singapore to Perth.

The Australian national carrier has experienced a number of safety-related problems in the past several months, and it indicated that it is cooperating with an Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation, as well as conducting one of its own.

Investigators from the safety bureau reported that the aircraft’s instruments warned pilots of a problem with the stabilization system just prior to the sudden change in altitude. The agency indicated that it was too soon to determine the exact cause of the incident, but that it would issue a preliminary report on its findings within 30 days.

www.qantas.com.au