Delta offers Toronto crash passengers $30K

Delta Airlines said it planned to give $30,000 to each passenger on board the Monday flight out of Minneapolis that crashed while landing in Toronto, CBS reported Wednesday, citing a Delta spokesperson. The gesture has no strings and accepting the money would not affect the passenger's rights, the spokesperson said.

Footage showed the CRJ-900 with what some experts describe as a sharp rate of descent before it touched down on the snowy Toronto Pearson International Airport tarmac. The landing caused one of the wings to break off and the plane to flip upside down. All 21 passengers who received medical treatment were discharged from the hospital, according to a Thursday update from the airline.

Why was the plane’s rate of descent so sharp? The investigation is ongoing and the only detail the company can give is what appears in the videos, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a Wednesday interview. Bastian described the crash video as horrifying but reiterated the safety of air travel with Delta. He also praised the four crew members on board for executing their training and keeping level heads throughout the terrifying ordeal.

Delta posted more information on Thursday to dispel disinformation online about the credentials of the plane’s cockpit crew, noting that both the pilot and first officer were FAA-certified in their positions. The pilot, who has not been publicly identified, has flown with Delta for nearly 20 years and has passed his training courses, according to the Thursday statement. The first officer finished her training last April and her flight experience exceeded the minimum amount required by U.S. federal regulations, the statement added.

Dig deeper: Read my initial report on the crash earlier this week.