Compensation from an airline company: What can you claim?
Posted on: 19 November 2018
When you're aboard an aircraft, the airline operators and staff are responsible for ensuring your safety during the trip. If you obtain an injury while aboard the aircraft, you may be eligible for compensation from the airline operator.
Airlines have a duty to provide a safe environment for passengers during their trip. Any injuries from accidents, slips and falls, or luggage in the airplane can cause both physical and mental harm to passengers. In fact, the busy nature of airports and airplane travel often subjects people to multiple forms of injury.
It's important for you to know if you're eligible for compensation in the event that you become injured on a plane. So what are some of the types of injury for which you can claim compensation?
1. Slips and falls
Perhaps the most common injuries obtained during air travel are slips and falls. When boarding an airplane, passengers often pass through gangways, aerobridges, and a combination of steps and ramps. It is up to the airline staff to ensure that all these pathways are safe to walk on for passengers. This means ensuring that all surfaces are dry and have enough grip when being used. Slips and falls may also happen to disabled persons who need special assistance when boarding a plane.
Regardless of the cause, you may be eligible for compensation if you become injured when boarding an airplane. Similarly, you can be compensated for injuries from slips and falls inside the airplane itself.
2. Injury from falling overhead luggage
Airline staff are responsible for ensuring that overhead luggage is safely stowed away. In the event that luggage from overhead compartments falls off and causes injury, you may be eligible for compensation. Heavy overhead luggage can fall off the compartment and cause both head and bodily injuries. These injuries may in turn result in costly medical bills and missed income from work.
Therefore, if the overhead compartments are not steady enough to hold this luggage, such items may fall off during the flight.
3. Medical reimbursement for food eaten on the plane
Most airplanes offer meals to passengers, especially during longer flights. If you obtain food poisoning from what was offered on the plane, you may be eligible for compensation. The compensation may go towards medical bills, lost income from work and other losses you incurred as a result of your illness.
4. Collisions sustained from airplane movement
In some cases, sudden airplane movement may cause passengers to obtain injuries while in their seats. Passengers may collide with service trolleys, aisle seats, and other objects inside the aircraft. If you obtain such an injury, you may also be eligible for compensation.
Because the compensation laws that surround airplane travel are complex, it's important to consult a compensation lawyer if you obtained an injury while traveling by air.
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