# Who foots the bill for a plane lost (and found) in international waters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 8, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-foots-the-bill-for-a-plane-lost-and-found-in-international-waters/685673 "2014-04-08T22:03:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-foots-the-bill-for-a-plane-lost-and-found-in-international-waters/685673/1 "2014-04-08T22:03:52Z")
The investigation and presumed recovery of the Malaysian Flight 370 will cost many millions of dollars and will involve several nations. Who pays for the investigation? Does the airline? Does the country nearest where it’s found? Is there some sort of international airway fund for this sort of thing? Is there a UN group? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-foots-the-bill-for-a-plane-lost-and-found-in-international-waters/685673/2 "2014-04-08T22:19:08Z")
This is a WAG, but I just assumed it would be like a group of friends helping to find a lost dog. Since it is Malaysia’s plane, they will pay out of pocket for their own expenses. The other countries helping out are doing so out of generosity and simple human decency and will also pay their own tab. I could be wrong though, but I never considered a different arrangement. ---
**Author:** ![janeslogin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-foots-the-bill-for-a-plane-lost-and-found-in-international-waters/685673/3 "2014-04-08T23:00:23Z")
Additionally, who pays gets complicated because the costs of the ships and planes and much personnel are already incurred, search or no search, so the accounting becomes a nightmare. Google news linked to a story about it in some Sunday paper somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-foots-the-bill-for-a-plane-lost-and-found-in-international-waters/685673/4 "2014-04-08T23:14:55Z")
I’ve been wondering about this since about a week after the search began. How much will this search cost, and what’s in it for the countries involved? It’s a huge race to be the first to find the missing plane, but where’s the profit? ---
**Author:** ![Pedro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Pedro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pedro)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-foots-the-bill-for-a-plane-lost-and-found-in-international-waters/685673/5 "2014-04-08T23:17:24Z")
The search and rescue is impractical to account for and it would just be crass and poor foreign policy if other nations sent the bill for that. The recovery is another matter. Usually it involves protracted negotiations between airline, flag country and anyone else involved. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-foots-the-bill-for-a-plane-lost-and-found-in-international-waters/685673/6 "2014-04-09T00:43:40Z")
I would think of this instance as a 'Real World" exercise with already deployed equipment running other exercises in the area. Then they bring in stuff to “Test”, as your “Exercising” in a real world situation. People need practice… They’re funny like that. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2014, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-foots-the-bill-for-a-plane-lost-and-found-in-international-waters/685673/7 "2014-04-09T00:49:29Z")
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