The husband of an Aussie woman paralysed when a Singapore Airlines flight hit turbulence has slammed a compensation offer which he found out about on social media.
Singapore Airlines is offering passengers who suffered serious injuries $US25,000 ($37,567) and $US10,000 ($15,150) for those with minor injuries when the flight hit severe turbulence on May 21.
The flight plunged almost 2000m within a few minutes as it flew over Myanmar which left one man dead and 109 passengers and crew injured.
Adelaide dance teacher Kerry Jordan, who was travelling with her husband Keith Davis, broke her spine when she she was flung violently around the cabin.
She is yet to gain feeling from the waist down, still can’t move her hands or fingers and may never walk again.
The airline claimed the compensation offer was issued to affected passengers on Monday.
But Mr Davis claimed he only found out about the comp offer two days later when friends sent the link on Facebook, which he described as ‘a hell of a shock.’
The mother-of-one’s husband said the company’s compensation offer was ‘beyond insulting’ and has added to the couple’s distress.
‘It was quite a lot of distress for Kerry who is facing some enormous challenges,’ Mr Davis told Seven News
‘I expect they would provide adequate compensation for the whole of Kerry’s life,’ .
‘It is a totally life-changing condition that’s going to face her.
‘We’re just hopeful for small gains, her mobility is restricted to her arms and her neck and shoulders.’
Mr Davis added that Singapore Airlines chief executive Goh Choon Phong visited his wife in hospital and offered to visit her again before Ms Jordan declined.
He branded the airline’s efforts to apologise to customers as ‘an absolute joke’.
He also gave an update on his wife, who was in a ‘stable’ condition.
‘Having said that, I could not have said that same statement two days ago. So it is a very much a daily situation,’ he said.
The couple’s lawyer, former senator Nick Xenophon is part of a legal team pushing for a better deal for injured passengers.
He believes the airline should be offering seriously injured passengers at least $US175,000.
‘The Montreal Convention, which governs these incidents in the air, is very clear about what the caps are and what the damages ought to be,’ Mr Xenophon said.
Singapore Airlines said in their statement the $25,000 payment is to cover ‘immediate needs’ and have invited passengers with serious injuries to ‘discuss a compensation offer to meet each of their specific circumstances’ when they are well enough to do so.
‘(The $25,000) will be part of the final compensation that these passengers will receive,’ it said.
The company said all passengers’ medical costs were covered, they were paid $1000 to meet their immediate expenses and flight costs were refunded for everyone on the flight – even if they were uninjured.
‘All affected passengers should have received their offers of compensation via email, along with information on how they may proceed with their claims,’ the airline said.
Singapore Airlines also declared it ‘remains committed to supporting the affected passengers who were on board SQ321.’