Business Insider: Costa Concordia survivors offered 30% discount on next cruise
The stricken cruise liner Costa Concordia (background) is seen from the village while lying aground in front of the Isola del Giglio (Giglio island) on Jan. 23, 2012 after hitting underwater rocks on Jan. 13. Italian divers on Tuesday found a body in the wreck of an Italian cruise ship, rescuers said, bringing the official death toll to 16 with 16 more people still missing.
The cruise line that operated the doomed Costa Concordia has a strange way of compensating the victims of its shipwreck — 30 percent discounts off a future cruise, provided survivors stick with Costa Cruises, reports the New York Daily News.
“The company is not only going to refund everybody, but they will offer a 30 percent discount on future cruises if they want to stay loyal to the company,” said a spokesman for the cruise line. There's been no word of any refunds for flights customers have bought for future Concordia cruises.
“It is a ridiculous and insulting offer,” says one survivor.
Instead, lawsuits are being launched against Costa Cruises in Italy and the US, with 100 survivors expected to join a class action suit against the company this week in Miami. Passengers in the Miami lawsuit are seeking about $160,000 each, which would total $513 million for all 3,206 passengers.
Costa Cruises also denied yesterday reports it had unregistered passengers on the Concordia, according to the New York Times.
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