The legal aftermath of Delta’s runway scare at Pearson continues to intensify as five more passengers filed lawsuits this week against the airline. These new filings bring the total to eleven cases now working through Ontario courts, with more expected in the coming months.
The March incident, which saw Delta Flight 624 from New York skid off runway 24R during severe crosswinds, left 43 passengers with injuries ranging from minor cuts to serious spinal trauma. Though no fatalities occurred, the psychological impact has proven profound for many onboard.
“I still wake up in cold sweats,” explains Toronto resident Melissa Chen, who filed suit on Tuesday seeking $1.8 million in damages. “The sound of that landing gear snapping will stay with me forever.”
Chen’s lawyer, aviation specialist Evan Winterson, points to preliminary Transportation Safety Board findings as evidence of pilot error. “The flight crew attempted landing despite wind conditions that clearly exceeded Delta’s own safety parameters,” Winterson told me during an interview at his downtown office. “This wasn’t an act of God – it was negligence.”
Delta has maintained a cautious public stance, with spokesperson Andrea Reynolds noting only that “safety remains our paramount concern, and we continue working with Canadian authorities to understand all factors that contributed to this incident.” The airline has offered settlements to some passengers, reportedly ranging from $75,000 to $220,000 depending on injury severity.
Transportation Safety Board lead investigator Samira Patel confirmed last month that the aircraft approached Pearson at what she termed “concerning angles” given the weather conditions. Wind gusts reached 68 km/h perpendicular to the runway at the time of landing.
The crash disrupted operations at Canada’s busiest airport for nearly 19 hours while crews removed the damaged Airbus A220-300 from the safety area beyond the runway threshold. The aircraft, valued at approximately $91 million, suffered catastrophic damage to its landing gear and substantial structural compromise to its fuselage.
Industry analyst Jordan McKenzie of AviationWatch suggests these lawsuits could ultimately cost Delta between $25-40 million. “Canadian courts have historically been more generous than their American counterparts in cases involving demonstrable airline negligence,” McKenzie explained. “Delta knows this, which explains their eagerness to settle quickly.”
For passengers like Chen, however, money isn’t the primary motivation. “I just want accountability,” she says. “When I bought my ticket, I trusted professionals to make safe decisions. That trust was broken.”
The crash has prompted Transport Canada to review crosswind landing protocols at all major Canadian airports. Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced the review last week, acknowledging that “as climate patterns shift, extreme weather events affecting aviation will likely increase in frequency.”
Flight attendant union representatives have also weighed in, with CUPE’s airline division noting three cabin crew members sustained injuries requiring ongoing physical therapy. “Our members put their lives on the line,” says union representative Diane Lapointe. “They deserve better protection both during emergencies and in their recovery.”
Perhaps most concerning for Delta is the emergence of documentation suggesting the airline had previously flagged training issues related to crosswind landings at its pilot training facility in Atlanta. A 2023 internal memo, now entered as evidence in several lawsuits, recommended “enhanced simulator scenarios” for such conditions – training that plaintiffs’ attorneys claim was never adequately implemented.
Delta maintains its pilots exceed industry standards for weather-related training, though the airline declined to comment specifically on the memo when contacted for this story.
For Pearson officials, the incident has prompted operational changes. Airport authority spokesperson Rajinder Singh confirmed that new wind-monitoring equipment has been installed on all runways, with real-time data now made available to approaching aircraft.
“While pilots always maintain final landing authority, we’ve enhanced our information-sharing capabilities,” Singh explained during a tour of the airport’s recently upgraded control facilities.
The lawsuits, filed in Ontario Superior Court, seek damages for physical injuries, ongoing psychological trauma, lost wages, and future medical expenses. Several include spouses as co-plaintiffs claiming loss of companionship.
Legal experts suggest the cases could take 18-24 months to resolve if they proceed to trial, though most airline incidents of this nature typically settle beforehand.
Meanwhile, Delta continues operating its regular schedule between Toronto and New York, though some passengers report requesting specific reassurance about weather protocols when booking. The airline has seen a modest 4% drop in bookings on Canadian routes since the incident, according to data from travel analytics firm ForwardKeys.
As summer travel season approaches, these lawsuits serve as a sobering reminder of the fine margins between routine landing and disaster – margins that 137 passengers and crew aboard Flight 624 experienced firsthand on that stormy March afternoon.
