An Australian couple has described their “traumatic” experience when a deceased passenger was placed beside them during a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Doha.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin told Australia’s Channel 9 that a woman died in the aisle next to them. The crew then positioned her body, covered with blankets, next to Mr. Ring for the remaining four hours of the journey without offering to relocate him, despite available seats elsewhere.
Qatar Airways apologized for “any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused” and stated they were working to contact passengers. The couple claims they’ve received no communication or support from either Qatar Airways or Qantas, through which they booked their tickets.
Mr. Ring explained that staff responded quickly when the woman collapsed but “unfortunately the lady couldn’t be saved.” Crew attempted to move her toward business class, but “she was quite a large lady and they couldn’t get her through the aisle.”
When crew noticed open seats near Mr. Ring, they asked him to move over and “placed the lady in the chair I was in.” While Ms. Colin relocated to an empty seat nearby, Mr. Ring wasn’t offered this option, despite vacant seats being available.
Upon landing, passengers were instructed to remain seated while medical personnel and police boarded. Mr. Ring witnessed ambulance officers removing blankets from the woman, exposing her face.
The couple believes there should be protocols to care for passengers in such situations. Ms. Colin described the experience as “traumatic,” adding: “We totally understand that we can’t hold the airline responsible for the poor lady’s death, but there has to be a protocol to look after the customers on board.”
Barry Eustance, a former Virgin Atlantic captain, noted that in-flight deaths “occur more frequently than people would think” but acknowledged no specific protocol exists. He explained that handling depends on timing, location, and available facilities. While toilets or galley areas could be cordoned off, crews must maintain certain facilities.
Eustance expressed surprise that crew didn’t relocate Mr. Ring given available seating, stating: “In my experience the crew would normally try to isolate the body… for respect and privacy but also for medical reasons.”
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