Erin R. Applebaum | Partner

eapplebaum@kreindler.com 212.973.3430

Overview

Erin has dedicated her career to seeking justice for people harmed during air travel. As a partner in Kreindler’s aviation practice, she represents the interests of passengers severely injured or killed in general aviation accidents and commercial airline disasters. Erin is considered by many in the aviation community to be a foremost authority on litigating claims governed by the Montreal Convention, the international treaty on commercial air travel. 

Erin maintains a robust practice representing passengers who have been seriously injured during commercial flights.

In addition to her personal caseload of Montreal Convention accidents, Erin’s major cases at Kreindler include the Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 catastrophic engine failure and the Liberty Helicopters doors-off tour helicopter crash in the East River. For the past five years, Erin has played a key role in Kreindler’s fight against Boeing in the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302/737 MAX litigation. She was selected by the court as a member of the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 cases and has been instrumental in the victims’ families’ effort to overturn the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) between Boeing and the Department of Justice (DOJ).


For 2023-24, Erin was appointed co-chair of the Aeronautics Committee of the New York City Bar Association.

Erin is a regular speaker at aviation conferences on topics ranging from recent developments in aviation law to the prosecution of foreign air crashes. She teaches a highly regarded CLE course, “Montreal Convention for Plaintiffs’ Lawyers: Representing Passenger Personal Injury Claims Arising on International Flights.”

Erin frequently contributes insight on a variety of aviation-related topics to media outlets and has published numerous articles concerning the legal rights of passengers injured or killed during international travel. Her contributions have been featured in the prestigious McGill University Annals of Air and Space Law and the International Comparative Legal Guides (ICLG). She has given interviews on aviation topics to the Wall Street Journal, the Seattle Times, the New York Post, Reuters, NewsNation, CBS2 New York, SuperLawyers, The Points Guy, and the Corporate Crime Reporter. Erin recently was the featured guest on the Airplane Geeks podcast to discuss the ongoing saga involving Boeing and the 737 MAX. 

Erin currently serves as Co-Chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Air and Space Law Committee and as a vice chair of the American Bar Association’s Aviation and Space Law Committee. Erin is a graduate of the 2018-19 class of the ABA’s Leadership Academy, an honor bestowed upon only 20 young attorneys nationwide. She also participates in a mentorship program through her alma mater, offering guidance to current Brooklyn Law students who demonstrate an interest in plaintiffs’ litigation or aviation law. Erin has been selected as a SuperLawyers Rising Star each year since 2014 and as a SuperLawyers Top Women Attorney in the New York Metro Area since 2020.

Erin earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science in 2007 from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida and her Juris Doctor in 2010 from Brooklyn Law School in Brooklyn, New York. She is a native of Clearwater, Florida, where she currently lives with her husband and two young children.

Attorney Erin Applebaum addresses what can happen if you attempt to cheat an airline.
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Transcript
Aviation attorney Erin Applebaum on American Airlines letting a stroke victim wander into traffic.

Erin In the media

Attorney Erin Applebaum speaks with News 12 about how attempting to cheat an airline may get you sued

Kreindler attorney Erin Applebaum speaks with Long Island News 12's Prashanthi Musapet about the issues surrounding the difference in price when the flight to a destination is more expensive than a flight that uses the desired destination as a layover. Applebaum says that by not complying with the terms of the carrier, you may open yourself up to legal action.

Kreindler Attorney Erin Applebaum Interviewed for Corporate Crime Reporter on the Risks of 5G on Corporate Airlines

Erin has dedicated her career to seeking justice for people harmed during air travel. As a partner in Kreindler’s aviation practice, she represents the interests of passengers severely injured or killed in general aviation accidents and commercial airline disasters. Erin is considered by many in the aviation community to be a foremost authority on litigating claims governed by the Montreal Convention, the international treaty on commercial air travel.

Attorney Erin Applebaum addresses: What can you do if you’re on a plane with sick passengers?

Kreindler Aviation Attorney Erin Applebaum spoke with Alice Gainer of CBS New York. “As a passenger, you’re never obligated to get on a plane and you shouldn’t do something if it makes you feel unsafe, but the airline has no obligation to reimburse you for your ticket,” Applebaum said.

Mistakes on a plane: what to do when the airline is at fault

Kreindler attorney Erin Applebaum tells us, "It has become fairly evident that airlines have broad discretion to refuse to let passengers board and to take them off the plane. As fare-paying passengers, we like to think we have a lot of rights, but the airlines are in charge here."

Awards & Events
  • Selected as Super Lawyers® Rising Star, 2014-2021, 2023
  • Selected as Super Lawyers® Top Women Attorneys in the New York Metro Area, 2014-2020
  • Selected as Super Lawyers® Rising Star, Aviation and Aerospace Law, New York 2014-2021
  • Co-Chair, 2023-24 Aeronautics Committee, New York City Bar Association
  • Panelist, 2023 International Aviation Women’s Association (IAWA)
  • Planning Committee Member, 2023 American Bar Association Aviation and Space Law Conference, Arlington, Virginia
  • Presenter, 2023 American Association for Justice Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Selected for 2018-2019 Class of the ABA TIPS Leadership Academy
  • Member, Plaintiffs' Executive Committee, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Boeing 737 MAX 8 Litigation
  • Past Chair, Subcommittee on Commercial Airline Casualty, Aeronautics Committee, NYC Bar Association
  • Vice-Chair, Aviation and Space Law Committee, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS), American Bar Association
  • Panelist, Indemnification to Mediation: Ethical Issues Arising from a Modest Aviation Accident, Lawline CLE
  • Speaker, Litigating a Foreign Air Crash, 25th Annual National Institute on Aviation Litigation, 2019, New York University, New York, NY
  • Planning Committee Member, The Aviation Lawyer’s Operating Handbook, 2019 American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, Washington, DC
  • Speaker, Recent Developments in Aviation and Space Law, The Aviation Lawyer’s Operating Handbook: Learning to Litigate, Navigate, and Communicate, 2019 American Bar Association Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section, Washington, DC
Education
  • Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, New York
  • University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida
Bar Admissions
  • New York State
  • U.S. District Court – Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court – Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court – Western District of New York