Southwest offers apology, $5K, to passengers on damaged jet

PHILADELPHIA — Southwest is sending a letter of apology, a $5,000 check and a $1,000 travel voucher to passengers who were on a flight that made an emergency landing in Philadelphia following an engine explosion.

Chairman Gary Kelly says in the letter that the money is to help cover any “immediate financial needs.”

An engine on a Southwest jet exploded Tuesday, and debris hit the plane. Forty-three-year-old banking executive Jennifer Riordan of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was fatally injured when she was sucked partway out of the jet through a shattered window.

Passenger Marty Martinez of Dallas says he has no immediate plan to cash the check. He wants to talk to a lawyer. Eric Zilbert of Davis, California, says that after consulting with an attorney, he will cash his.

A public memorial service for Riordan is set for Sunday in Albuquerque.

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This story has been clarified to show Riordan was a banking executive, not a banker.