*Passengers on board the Alaska Airlines flight that had a mid-air blowout earlier this month were offered $1500 in compensation and mental health resources following the harrowing incident.
We reported earlier that Alaska Airlines canceled 230 flights after a midflight door blowout onboard Alaska Airlines Flt 1282 on Jan. 5. Per CNN, part of the fuselage blew off shortly after takeoff.
A boy’s shirt was sucked off his torso and out through the hole, passengers reported, leaving the mother holding the child.
In a statement, the airline said it offered “24/7 access to mental health resources and counseling sessions” to the 177 passengers and will “continue to work with them to address their specific needs and concerns.”
“Alaska Airlines provided a full refund to each guest on Flight 1282. As an immediate gesture of care, within the first 24 hours, we also provided a $1,500 cash payment to cover any incidental expenses to ensure their immediate needs were taken care of,” the airline said, People reports.
The flight was traveling from Portland to Ontario, California, and reached 16,000 feet at about 5:07 p.m. when the blowout occurred, according to FlightAware. Per CNN, the plane landed safely about 20 minutes later back at the airport, with no serious injuries. One person was taken to a hospital.
A Portland, Oregon, teacher found a door plug in his backyard that reportedly detached from the plane midflight.
Many passengers are not satisfied with the airline’s $1500 compensation fee. According to People, at least one person is considering legal action.
“I am personally committed to doing everything we can to conduct this review in a timely and transparent way,” company CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement, People reports.
“My heart goes out to those who were on this flight – I am so sorry for what you experienced. I am so grateful for the response of our pilots and flight attendants. We have teams on the ground in Portland assisting passengers and are working to support guests who are traveling in the days ahead,” he added.
READ MORE: Missing Door Plug Found for Alaska Airlines Plane After Midflight Blow-Out | Video
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