Since no wreckage of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 has yet been found, the airline is under legal pressure to prove it was not to blame for an accident. Relatives of the 239 people on board can still pursue Malaysia Airlines for compensation.
Under International Civil Aviation Organisation rules, next-of-kin in an air crash are entitled to an automatic minimum of about $US175,000 ($189,342) per passenger, regardless of fault, payable by an airline's insurance company.
However MAS could also be sued for greater damages by relatives angry over the lack of information and the way the crisis has been handled.
The size of any damages would depend on where lawsuits are filed – which can be in Malaysia, where passengers lived, were heading to or even where they bought their ticket. Damages are typically based on the lost lifetime earnings of a victim.