Have you ever looked at the Lufthansa logo and wondered, where did that come from?  I get that it’s a bird and birds fly, but other than that what is it?  Well, we recently found that out while pursuing the airline media sites and it’s an interesting story.

The golden bird on the tail section of the plane is none other than a crane. The company doesn’t just use the crane for its logo, it’s also gotten involved in taking an active role in preserving the bird that it considers an emissary of the skies.

The airline created “Crane Protection Germany” with the help of the World Wildlife Federation. The Crane Information Center, in partnership with Crane Protection Germany, offers diverse exhibition, events and tours at its facility in Grob Mohrdorf. The center has become an important part in the research and protection of the Eurasian crane.  The center has hosted 625,000 visitors over the last 25 years.  The Lufthansa group has also contributed to “Kranorama” at nearby Gunzer See, a barrier-free platform giving visitors access to the nesting and feeding cranes at the lake.

When a loved one is sick and needs specialized medical treatment, that treatment might not be close to home.  The need to travel great distances (and affording it) has become as difficult as the medical bills that follow.  The people at Southwest Airlines seem to understand that and have created a Medical Transportation Grant Program, in association with 73 not-for-profit hospitals across the country. The hospitals have access to grant money to provide complimentary, round trip air travel to families who need to travel for specialized care.  The grant hopes to lessen the finical burden of the families so they can focus on helping their loved ones heal.

“Southwest Airlines has a nearly 45-year tradition of treating our employees and customers like family. Families support each other during both good and challenging times, and we’re honored to be able to serve our communities during a time of great need,” said Linda Rutherford, Southwest Airlines Vice President and Chief Communications Officer.

The 2016 grant from Southwest will provide more than $3.2 million dollars of free transportation to caregivers and patients seeking  medical treatment.

You may not have heard of Taiwan-based EVA Airways, which operates in Asia, Australia and North America. We are sure, however, that you’ve heard of Hello Kitty. EVA has seven Hello Kitty themed jets, each with different exteriors and themes from the world of the cartoon kitten. The airline hasn’t just decorated the outside of the planes in Hello Kitty cuteness, the interiors of the planes are kitty-fied as well. The meals, drink coasters, pillows, those cloth thingies that hang over the headrest, the complementary playing cards and even the little paper airsick bag. I know it seems to be a bit much, but the planes are cute. They even look cuddly, for an aircraft.  The planes are pretty popular, too, with flyers booking early when they hear one of the flying feline planes are landing at an airport near them.

So, in short, Lufthansa’s golden bird is a crane — and they take it seriously (as Germans do everything). Southwest doesn’t just have a heart in their logo, they also show it in their actions. And a 1974 cartoon character is spreading cuteness all over the world, thanks to EVA.