The National Post reports in its Thursday edition that a Japan Airlines flight from Shanghai to Tokyo made an emergency landing this week after plummeting almost eight kilometres in less than 10 minutes. The Post's Chris Knight writes that once the plane was safely on the ground, passengers were given 15,000 yen ($142) in compensation, plus a free night's accommodation. Monday's flight JL-8696 was operated by Spring Japan, a low-cost subsidiary of Japan Airlines, and was scheduled to fly from Shanghai to Tokyo, a 2-1/2-hour journey. However, about an hour into the flight the plane descended rapidly from a cruising altitude of about 11,700 metres down to 3,000 metres while reducing its speed from 880 kilometres per hour to 560 km/h. It then levelled out at the new altitude. About 45 minutes later it made an emergency landing in Osaka, Japan. None of the 191 passengers and crew onboard the Boeing 737-800 was injured. Reports said the pilots contacted air traffic controllers when the aircraft triggered an alert about an irregularity in the pressurization system that maintains cabin air pressure. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling during the descent. An investigation into the cause of the incident has begun.