> I think it's more likely that they decided it would be cheaper to pay the claim than to continue denying it, which would incur costs on their end to provide d

> I think it's more likely that they decided it would be cheaper to pay the claim than to continue denying it, which would incur costs on their end to provide documentation and defend its denial. Except... they already stated they HAD investigated and reviewed things, and that's HOW they found that it was "ATC delay". So they already had the documentation... ... unless they never even investigated.