Southwest Airlines has sent passengers who were on the deadly flight that made an emergency landing earlier this week $5,000 checks, and $1,000 flight vouchers to help pay for “immediate financial needs”.

The checks were delivered alongside an apology letter from the airline, which was rated as the safest commercial flight provider in the world until the left side engine on Flight 1380 from New York to Dallas ripped apart, leaving a woman dead, and forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport.

There were 144 passengers, and five crew members, on the flight when the incident occurred Tuesday. Jennifer Riordan, a 43-year-old mother of two and bank executive died from injuries she sustained after she was partially blown out of a window that was shattered by the engine explosion.

Payments like the one Southwest made are not unusual for the circumstances, CNN analyst and transportation lawyer Mary Schiavo said on that cable news network.

“It gets money in the hands of people that need it for counselling or something,” Ms Schiavo said.

The letter says that the airline’s “primary focus is to assist you in every way possible”, and was signed by Southwest Airlines president Gary C Kelly.

Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Jennifer Riordan died after being partially sucked out of a shattered plane window following an engine explosion. Reuters/AP Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Tammie Jo Shults, hero pilot of Southwest 1380, kept calm and saved her passengers. Kristopher Johnson via Reuters Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Marty Martinez, left, appears with other passengers after a jet engine blew out on the Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 plane. Marty Martinez via AP Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures The window that was shattered after a jet engine of the Southwest Airlines airplane blew out at altitude Marty Martinez via AP Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures A National Transportation Safety Board investigator examines damage to the engine. NTSB via AP Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Jennifer Riordan, a 43-year-old mother-of-two. Facebook/Jennifer Riordan via Reuters Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures The Southwest Airlines jet sits on the runway at Philadelphia International Airport after it was forced to land with an engine failure. AFP/Getty Images Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Pennsylvania Game Commission employees recover a piece of the Southwest Airline engine covering that landed in Penn Township, Berks County. AP Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Tammie Jo Shults was hailed a hero by passengers. Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures The window that was shattered. Marty Martinez via AP Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures A National Transportation Safety Board investigator photographs a Southwest Airline engine covering that landed in Penn Township AP Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures The exploded engine of Southwest Airlines flight 1380 during the flight from a passenger's window. Cassie Adams via Reuters Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures US Navy Lieutenant Tammie Jo Shults in front of a Navy F/A-18A in 1992. US Navy/Handout via Reuters Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Damage to the Southwest Airlines plane after Jennifer Riordan died when the jet blew an engine at 32,000ft. PA Southwest Airlines engine explosion: in pictures Emergency personnel monitor the damaged engine. Reuters

“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,” Mr Kelly wrote. “In this spirit, we are sending you a check in the amount of $5000 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 e-mail), which can be used for future travel.”

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the root cause of the engine failure, and investigators have said that a broken rotor blade led to the catastrophe.