The recent Delta “rough landing” piqued my curiosity: After aviation accidents or serious incidents, what do the airlines do for affected passengers?
In this story, the passengers were transported to the terminal by bus… is that it? Do they just go through the baggage claim and go home as though nothing happened?
Or do they get their money back, or get vouchers, etc.? In more serious accidents with major injuries and deaths, do they huddle all the survivors in a circle and give them group counseling, hole them up at local hotels until family members can get there, etc.? And what about people who were already terrified of flying before the accident – are there special services that try to calm them down afterward?
It depends on the airline, the accident, etc. At a certain point compensation can be interpreted as an admission of responsibility/liability, so in particularly litigious societies (the USA!) the initial response is often simply accommodation, transportation and/or vouchers. I think airlines employ counsellors if needed in the initial response, but again, that would depend on the extent of the accident/incident. Fatal accidents tend to have more family services available than a hard landing with safe evacuation. The airline is not responsible for the reactions of people who were already terrified of flying; those people can seek the treatment they need and perhaps file a claim against the airline in civil court.
Note that the official investigation (in many countries such as the US and Canada) is based on ICAO 13, which states that the purpose of the investigation is not to assign blame or liability, but simply to determine the cause of an accident or incident in order to prevent similar occurrences in the future. Liability is determined in civil court, and the official investigators/report cannot be used in court - the experts used then are merely interpreting the data that was made public. In countries like Brazil and France, however, aircraft accidents and incidents are linked to criminal court and part of the investigation is used in determining liability. While I understand the emotional response and desire to have things this way, this sort of system is thought to inhibit safety and slow investigations as people risk criminal proceedings against them for mistakes, oversights, whistleblowing, etc.
As a condition of their license to operate an airlines, the federal government mandates airlines to have a family assistance program for those involved in an aviation accident. It requires local and national plans, who does what, and that it must be exercised. An airline can have its operating certificate pulled if it is not following through with what the FAP requires them to do.
The NTSB is the coordinating agency, if you will, as to what needs to be done with a FAP. You can read the entire requirement here (warning - .PDF).