A section of the engine cowling from Southwest Airlines Flight 1380, which was forced into an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport. Photo: EPA-EFE/NTSB handout
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/2142717/southwest-airlines-sends-flight-1380-passengers United States & Canada
Travellers on troubled Southwest Airlines flight sent apology letters, US$5,000 cheques
Explosion that killed a passenger on Flight 1380 is still being investigated
National Transportation Safety Board investigators examining the damaged engine of Southwest Airlines Flight 1380. Photo: EPA-EFE/NTSB handout
Southwest Airlines has sent passengers of Flight 1380 letters of apology that include cheques for US$5,000 “to cover any of your immediate financial needs” after the plane suffered an engine failure and had to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia.
The letter also says that each passenger would separately receive a $1,000 flight voucher.
There were 144 passengers and five crew members on Flight 1380, which was en route from LaGuardia Airport in New York City to Love Field in Dallas, Texas, when its left engine was ripped apart in mid-air Tuesday morning.
The aeroplane was forced to make an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport.
One passenger, Jennifer Riordan, a 43-year-old bank executive and mother of two, died of injuries she suffered when she was partly blown out a window that shattered when the engine failed.
Payments are not unusual in such situations, said Mary Schiavo, a transport lawyer and CNN analyst.
“It gets money in the hands of people that need it for counselling or something,” Schiavo said.
While the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the catastrophic engine failure, the airline’s “primary focus and commitment is to assist you in every way possible,” said the letter, signed by Southwest president Gary C. Kelly.
“We value you as our customer and hope you will allow us another opportunity to restore your confidence in Southwest as the airline you can count on for your travel needs. In this spirit, we are sending you a check in the amount of $5,000 to cover any of your immediate financial needs. As a tangible gesture of our heartfelt sincerity, we are also sending you a $1,000 travel voucher (in a separate email), which can be used for future travel.”
The letter opened and closed with the company offering its “sincere” and “heartfelt” apologies.
Investigators say that a broken rotor blade set off the engine failure. They are trying to determine why the blade, which showed signs of metal fatigue, broke off.