Family of Germanwings Crash Victims Call Payout “Insulting” & Demand Apology

Families who lost children in the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 are calling Lufthansa’s payout “insulting” and demanding an apology.

A group of families who lost children in the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 are calling on Lufthansa Group to issue a formal apology, after they say the airline has acted coldly towards them and their loss. The Associated Press reports the families are crying out against the German company, calling the its compensation proposal “insulting.”

The letter, written in German, was signed by the “32 fathers and mothers of the killed children and the teachers of Haltern.”

In the letter, the families accuse Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr of not speaking to the families who lost their children in the accident and demand an apology from the executive for allowing the co-pilot to fly, despite the concerns over his mental health.

“You saw us at the memorial service in Haltern and the memorial in Cologne,” the families wrote, according to the AP translation. “A couple of personal words would have shown us that you were not only there for the public, but also for us.”

In addition, the parents express their disappointment in the compensation offer issued by Lufthansa. Officials for Germanwings’ parent company told the AP they will pay up to $108,000 to families for their losses. However, the families wrote the sum “deeply insults us, and above all else our children.”

A Lufthansa Group representative told the AP that Spohr has made a concerted effort to be present to families in the wake of the tragedy, including visiting the crash site and meeting with families. According to spokesman Andreas Bartels: “Mr. Spohr was in touch with many relatives and friends and family of the victims but it’s obvious that he was not able to be in personal touch with each and every one of the more than 1,000 relatives that we have.”

[Photo: Lufthansa Group]