In 2014 all the families of passengers and crew on board MH370 were offered interim payments of US$50,000, non-conditional and regardless of any legal action, which some accepted. But as the third anniversary of the disappearance of the plane nears, no other resolution seems in sight.

In late 2025, a landmark ruling by a Beijing court brought a new phase of closure regarding compensation for the families of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 victims. The court ordered the airline to pay approximately 2.9 million Yuan (approx. $410,000 USD) to each of the families involved in the specific case. This payout was designed to cover "death compensation," funeral expenses, and significant damages for emotional distress and mental anguish. It is important to note that compensation varies by country and individual settlements; many families previously received "initial" payments of around $50,000 in the years following the 2014 disappearance. In 2026, with the search for the aircraft officially resuming, legal experts note that these court-ordered amounts are governed by the Montreal Convention, which establishes a "no-fault" liability limit for airlines up to a certain threshold (currently around $173,000), with higher amounts requiring proof of the airline's negligence or third-party culpability.