"Germanwings Pilot Was Locked Out of Cockpit"

[Ombligo]

Bill in NC wrote:
Wonder what the financial impact will be if the initial theory (willful act by an employee) holds?

Europe vs. U.S.?

Exactly the same. It was an international flight and therefore falls under the Warsaw Convention rules. Under terms of the convention air carriers set the limit for monetary damages to US$75,000 by adopting the Montreal Agreement in 1966. Article 25, however, deprives the air carrier of this monetary limit of liability when the air carrier or its employees engage in wilful misconduct that causes the death or bodily injury of a passenger.


So they are not protected by the Convention and damages will be assessed by the location where suit is filed. In this case, that could be Spain (where the flight originated), Germany (where Lufthansa is headquartered), or France (where the criminal act took place).