(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY LUKE LEONARD
 

ANCHOR ANA COMPAIN-ROMERO

$15,000. That’s about how much Costa Concordia is paying out - with strings attached - to passengers on board its cruise ship the night it sailed dangerously close to shore-- and tipped over. Here’s CNN.

“Uninjured passengers aboard the italian cruiseship "costa concordia", they're being offered $14,500 each if they agree not to sue the cruise line company. It also covers reimbursement of the cost of the cruise and all transportation expenses.”

The company also says it will deal with injured passengers on a case-by-case basis. Costa Cruises agreed to the amount with 15 Italian consumer organizations. But Fox News reports, passengers aren’t required to take the cash, and many may opt for a chance at much larger settlements.

“...there are already class action lawsuits which have been filed by italian advocacy, the consumer advocacy groups, hired a law firm out of miami to sue carnival cruise lines, the parent company. They think they can get roughly million dollars per claim.”

So how much money should the passengers be entitled to? USA Today hosted a poll on its website.

As of 5 pm Friday, 65% of the 1880 poll takers thought the payout should be higher. Only 31% of readers agreed with the amount and a mere 4% thought it should be lowered.

It will probably take weeks before passengers will start to see signs of their compensation packages coming through. As an alternative, Consumer association Codacons, is urging passengers to reject the offer and receive other immediate compensation. The Financial Times writes...

“Marc Bern, senior partner at Napoli Bern Ripka Shkolnik, … one of the law firms organizing the lawsuit, called the offer “insulting”. Codacons said that it was looking for at least $160,000 per passenger. “Nobody thought they’d get on the next Titanic,” Bern said.”

While the world’s media covers the stories of the passengers, the 1,000 crew members who were aboard the ship seem to have been forgotten. The International Business Times acknowledges the crew in its report...

“What is unclear is what, if anything, the crew members of the Concordia will get from their employer. While they may not be entitled to the payments, they are still able to sue Costa for damages and injuries, according to Miami-based maritime lawyer John Hickey.”

The cruise industry will likely take a big hit in the wake of the Costa Concordia incident. However, as a modest gesture from Costa Cruises, passengers have also been offered 30% off their next cruise if they can be talked in to taking one.