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

[turbinetree]

PHILADELPHIA — Southwest has sent 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 after an engine exploded.

“Please accept our deepest apologies,” Chairman Gary Kelly wrote in a letter dated April 18, a day after the accident.

An engine on a Southwest jet exploded Tuesday while the plane was flying from New York to Dallas, and debris hit it, causing extensive damage. Banking executive Jennifer Riordan, 43, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was fatally injured when she was sucked partway through a shattered window, sending passengers scrambling to help her as the aircraft shook violently and went into a rapid descent.

“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,” Kelly wrote in his letter. “In this spirit, we are sending you a check in the amount of $5,000 to cover any of your immediate financial needs.”

https://www.denverpost.com/2018/04/20/southwest-airlines-engine-explosion-apology-voucher/

[Hekate]

1. That's how it should be done, is all I have to say. The passengers are traumatized as hell...

...and they all have family and friends who will remember this episode vividly.

[monmouth4]

2. I agree, this was a great way to handle this. n/t

[oberliner]

6. Better way to handle it would've been to inspect the engine more carefully

And stop constantly cutting corners.

[USALiberal]

16. Shit happens......

First US commercial plane death in 9 years.

You will ALWAYS have unnecessarily deaths. Car wrecks, industrial accidents. Etc.

[Sherman A1]

3. Classy

very Classy.

[wryter2000]

4. Im flying Southwest in a couple of weeks

Love them

[Guilded Lilly]

5. Ive flown Southwest exclusively for years and am not about to stop. n/t

[oberliner]

7. This is pathetic

Southwest should be ashamed of themselves for allowing that plane in the air.

[CentralMass]

20. Why ? There are thousands of 737's in service.

[oberliner]

21. Engine on Southwest Jet Not the Only One to Develop Cracks

Like the engine on the Southwest jet, two others — one used on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and another on some Boeing 767s — developed cracks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/19/business/engine-on-southwest-jet-not-the-only-one-to-develop-cracks.html

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Sorry to put a damper on the sunny SWA...but.....

Usually what comes with a letter and money in situations like that, is a required signature on a Confidentiality form, with promises not to sue.
In this case, so far it appears it was a true accident, which also highlighted the skills of a marvelous airlines captain ( who happens to be female..yayyyyy).
And SW should get credit, indeed.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. correction. Captain was a woman

Last edited Sat Apr 21, 2018, 10:41 PM - Edit history (1)

[dixiegrrrrl]

10. So it was the first officer who was on the intercom to ground control?

I must have completely mis-read that article about her.

[MrsCoffee]

11. No. She is captain.

All of the articles call her Captain Tammie Jo Shults.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/18/us/southwest-pilot-tammie-jo-shults.html

About 20 minutes after takeoff on Tuesday, Capt. Tammie Jo Shults was steering a Southwest Airlines plane toward cruising altitude, generally considered the safest part of a flight. But then the left engine exploded

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/southwest-flight-emergency-landing-pilot-tammie-jo-shults/

Capt. Tammie Jo Shults, pilot of Southwest flight with blown engine, praised for "nerves of steel"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/investigators-in-fatal-southwest-flight-want-to-know-why-engine-fan-fractured/2018/04/18/e1d72ddc-430a-11e8-bba2-0976a82b05a2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.df9e7e99ea3a

“Southwest 1380, we’re single engine,” said Capt. Tammie Jo Shults, a former fighter pilot with the U.S. Navy. “We have part of the aircraft missing, so we’re going to need to slow down a bit.” She asked for medical personnel to meet her aircraft on the runway. “We’ve got injured passengers.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/04/18/southwest-airlines-pilot-pioneering-female-f-18-pilot-had-nerves-steel/527442002/

Late Wednesday night, the flight captain, Tammie Jo Shults, and her first officer, Darren Ellisor, released a statement saying they were "simply doing our jobs.".

The guy is first officer.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

13. Yeah, my mistake

[NutmegYankee]

14. During emergencies, the FO does casualty procedures, Capt pilots and works radio

It's a division of tasks thing.

[treestar]

18. Right wingers

have been saying the captain does not get on the radio. I guess they want the captain not to be female.

[NutmegYankee]

19. Youd think they would know it was Chesley Sullenberger on the radio in 2009. Nt

[treestar]

22. Facts

Are not their strong suit.

[MrsCoffee]

12. Not.

[USALiberal]

17. I think you are wrong about this! nt

[Sophia4]

15. I love Southwest and avoid flying with other airlines when possible.