Sep 12, 2001 Juergen Weber conveys deepest sympathy to the families of the victims
Lufthansa had to cancel all its flights to and from North America today. 27 flight pairs with some 16,000 booked passengers aboard as well as air freight for Lufthansa Cargo were affected. It is still unclear when US and Canadian airspace will be re-opened.
This morning's flight to Tel Aviv also had to be cancelled as Israeli airspace also remains closed. From this evening flights scheduled flights to the Middle East will be resumed.
We wish to express our deepest sympathy to the families of the victims, in particular the relatives of our colleagues at United American Airlines who lost their lives, and to the American people as whole," said Lufthansa CEO and Chairman, Jürgen Weber in Frankfurt this afternoon. "We condemn this terrorist act in the strongest possible terms, and I speak also as a member of the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Airlines worldwide have been severely shaken by the attacks."
According to the security services, and Lufthansa was in constant contact with the relevant ministries in Germany, there was no reason to expect any further terrorist attacks at the present time, Weber stressed. In cooperation with the authorities even stricter security checks had been ordered, although the security measures at German airports match the highest standards in the world. "We are also ensuring that the high standards in our area of resonsibility are enforced worldwide across the Lufthansa network," Weber said, adding that the safety of Lufthansa passengers and the cockpit and cabin crews always has absolute priority."
Lufthansa tickets for flights to and from the United States and Tel Aviv which were issued up to and including the 12th October and are valid for Lufthansa departures to these destinations until 30th September 2001 are subject to special regulations concerning their re-issue or cancellation. These tickets can be re-booked within the same booking class without an additional re-issuing fee. If a passenger decides to cancel the flight, Lufthansa will not charge a cancellation fee. This procedure also applies to reservations for flights which Lufthansa operates jointly with its Star Alliance partner United Airlines (LH6000 flight numbers).
Lufthansa regrets the disruption and any inconvenience caused to its passengers and thanks them for their patience. The special hotline set up for passenger enquiries is still open. It can be reached toll-free from anywhere in Germany on this number:0800 100 94 99. Constantly updated information is also available on our website at
www.lufthansa.com.