by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 31, 2015 | 9525, germanwings |
Lufthansa announced today that it has cancelled the airline’s 60th Anniversary celebrations that were set to take place on April 15. Originally, plans had called for a gathering at Hangar 7 (The A380’s home) in Frankfurt where special guest, Chancellor Angela Merkel was to join in celebrating the airline’s jubilee.
The cancellation is obviously out of respect to the victims who were lost in the Germanwings tragedy last week and to their families that survive them.
Instead, family members and friends will gather at the Cologne Cathedral on April 17 to take part in a memorial and remembrance service for those that were lost. The memorial service is being organized by Chancellor Merkel’s office and by the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Friends and Family will gather at the Cologne Catherdal to honor the victims of Germanwings flight 9525
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 29, 2015 | 9525, Featured, germanwings |
Thanks to Flynet (I’m enroute from FRA to home in the states), I’m seeing German newspaper Bild Am Sonntag is reporting that the Copilot who crashed Germanwings flight 9525 may have been suffering with a detached retina, which may have led to the depression that he was said to be dealing with.
German media is also reporting that investigators had found a number of medications in his apartment that are used for the treatment of depression and that he had been treated by a number of psychiatrists and neurologists.
In these same reports, Police are said to have found notes written by the copilot that suggest evidence of ‘Severe Overstress Syndrome’.
It also appears that the identity of 50 victims has been established. Investigators are using DNA samples taken from family members of the victims in order to establish their identity.
State Prosecutors in Dusseldorf are expected to provide updates at some point on Monday.
by Lufthansa Flyer | Mar 28, 2015 | 9525, Featured, germanwings |
Lufthansa moved quickly to provide families of those lost in flight 9525 with financial assistance to help bridge economic gaps that may have been caused by the loss of their loved ones. The initial gesture by Lufthansa will provide €50,000 ($54,450.00) in the interim while the investigation continues and before any settlements are enter into.
KEEP IN MIND this is not the end of Lufthansa’s commitment to help victims. This is simply a bit of money to help families continue to meet their overhead and maintain some semblance of a lifestyle while going through this difficult process.
At some point in the future, it is likely that settlements will be reach with each family and settlements will typically be made on a case by case basis, taking into account the victims earnings, age and what I’ll refer to as Human Life Value —- the financial value of someone’s life to a family based on economic contribution, age of surviving family members, size of family, family structure etc. It is a complex formula with a myriad of criteria and needs to be done on a case by case basis.
From what I understand, each family will be able to adjudicate their claim in the country of the victim’s residence. This is an important aspect since laws governing liability, settlements, etc. vary greatly between countries which in turn will determine what will be done for each family. This is just the first step in a lengthy procedure and typically these settlements are negotiated privately and sums are usually kept confidential.
