Delta Air Lines has agreed to a $78.75 million class-action settlement with Los Angeles County residents whose homes, schools and properties were doused with jet fuel when a Delta Boeing 777 dumped 15,000 gallons over a populated area in January 2020. The settlement, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, includes a $78.75 million compensation fund along with a technical testing program intended to address claims that the fuel drop hurt local property values due to stigmas of contamination.
On Jan. 20, 2020, Delta Flight 89 took off from Los Angeles International Airport en route to Shanghai with 149 passengers for what is typically a 13-hour nonstop flight. That voyage, however, lasted only 25 minutes due to a plane malfunction, forcing the pilot to turn the aircraft around over the Santa Monica Bay and head back toward the airport.
A New York law firm brought the cases as proposed class actions on behalf of any passengers who say they wouldn't have selected or paid more for their reserved places if they had known the seats did not include a window. We have received a flood of interest from passengers who feel they have been harmed by this practice and who wish to join the lawsuits, the Greenbaum Olbrantz firm said in a statement. It makes sense that people are upset.
Delta Air Lines experienced a significant recovery in its financial performance, posting record revenues of $15.5 billion for the second quarter, with pre-tax profits of $1.8 billion.
The luxury private aviation company recently underwent a sleek fleet modernization overhaul and has joined forces with Delta, offering hybrid travel options for convenience.