Analysts: Carriers Maintain More Coverage Than Required

One of the multitude of questions surrounding the August 27 loss of a Comair CRJ-100 in Kentucky, was the impact the crash would have on the future of Comair. Already plagued by bankruptcy, and labor issues with its flight attendants... many asked whether the accident would be the final blow to the Delta subsidiary, driving it out of business under the weight of expected litigation.

A spokeswoman for Comair says that won't necessarily be the case... adding the airline has plenty of insurance to cover any legal liabilities related to the plane crash that killed 49 people in Lexington.

Spokeswoman Kate Marx wouldn't say how much coverage Comair has... but she did not deny speculation from industry observers that its coverage is much more than the federally mandated minimum -- which, on a 50-seat aircraft like the CRJ-100, runs about $240,000 per passenger.

The Associated Press reports airlines typically carry far more coverage than is required... with one aviation insurance specialist postulating Delta likely carries a billion dollars worth of liability coverage.

As lawsuits continue to mount, however -- a third was filed this week -- one wonders if even that will be enough.

FMI: www.comair.com