Air flight distress

Having listened to an interview the couple have given they explained were in a row of four seats. Husband moved to the seat at the end of the row, wife moved out of the row into a seat across the aisle from her husband (which is probably why he remained in that seat. There were then two empty seats between husband and dead woman. Wife seemed very upset, husband less so. They praised the crew for trying to revive the woman.

Link to the couple's interview explaining what happened.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz03l18jv97o.amp

Years ago my DDIL and DGS aged 1 were on a plane to NZ when a woman across the aisle died. She, the body, was moved into the kitchen area but the plane, which was approaching NZ, had to return to Australia because the death had occurred in Australian airspace and landed in Sydney.
No food could be served and the baby food was inaccessible in the kitchen. The baby howled!

To add insult to injury, the body was taken off the plane and the woman's poor husband also disembarked.
He was then , according to the newspaper report, separated from his wife and asked why he didn't have a visa to enter Australia!!

Shocking really.
My DDiL is a nurse but was very glad that there was also a doctor on board who volunteered to help.

The plane couldn't take off again for several hours because a new crew had to be found.
I suppose when you take a plane, you have to be prepared for the unexpected.

I listened to the report of this on the news and tbh they are just out to get compensation, which personally I find despicable. Someone is dead, they are sitting several feet away and people want to make money out of their death. What sort of world do we live in? Are we all frightened of dead bodies? I'm most certainly not. I've been privileged to be with my father and my mother in law when they died and I am pleased that I was. We need to grow up. We all die and the best we can hope is that those who are around us at that time show us respect rather than try to make money out of us.

Not Qatar Airways again!
Not that my DD had to sit next to a dead body (just horrific and unacceptable) but they didn't get fed on a long-haul flight until they really complained (calmly without fuss but quite emphatically).
The world's only 5* airline has gone right down to the bottom of the pile.

Absolutely unacceptable

I remember someone needing CPR on a flight we were on, not sure which airline ad I don't know if the passenger died but all was very discreet after the first panic.

nightowl

Well it looks as if this was handled very badly by the airline. We don’t know who went to the press with the story, we do know that once the press get a whiff of a story they can be pretty ruthless in pursuing those involved for more information and it is usually the press who sensationalise things from there.

I think to suggest the couple are after compensation is pretty cynical, I’m sure they would have preferred a flight free from the trauma of watching someone die and then having to sit next to that person for several hours. I don’t think I would ever want to fly again.

Well said, nightowl

foxie48

I listened to the report of this on the news and tbh they are just out to get compensation, which personally I find despicable. Someone is dead, they are sitting several feet away and people want to make money out of their death. What sort of world do we live in? Are we all frightened of dead bodies? I'm most certainly not. I've been privileged to be with my father and my mother in law when they died and I am pleased that I was. We need to grow up. We all die and the best we can hope is that those who are around us at that time show us respect rather than try to make money out of us.

Sorry, but I wouldn't want to sit next to a dead body on a plane for hours.

There is surely some kind of facility, a refrigerated space, to put a dead body for the duration of the flight as it does happen occasionally.

foxie48

I listened to the report of this on the news and tbh they are just out to get compensation, which personally I find despicable. Someone is dead, they are sitting several feet away and people want to make money out of their death. What sort of world do we live in? Are we all frightened of dead bodies? I'm most certainly not. I've been privileged to be with my father and my mother in law when they died and I am pleased that I was. We need to grow up. We all die and the best we can hope is that those who are around us at that time show us respect rather than try to make money out of us.

But these are people that are known to you. The passengers had no way of knowing what this lady died of. I do think that as the crew were trying to drag the corpse into Business class that the man could’ve just gone and sat there, so I’m guessing that he wasn’t that bothered?

There were two empty seats between him and the body.

Just saying.

Sago

My FIL died on a plane, it was very traumatic for my MIL.
There was a doctor on the plane who came to their aid but sadly it was too late.

In such circumstances the priority has to be for the deceased.

I think you probably right ....it wouldn't have been right to drag the body any distance ....Best they could do was prop the lady up on the nearest seat...think they draped her in blankets too

It was a four hour flight the body won’t be a problem for four hours he should have moved himself and left the poor woman in peace I ve sat with dead bodies My Mum my Dad my Nan and with non relatives in the job I did for a while, it’s not like shes going to jump up and grab you
Not a nice start to your holiday but far worse for the poor lady who died he should have moved or just sat quietly and be pen glad it wasn’t him Needs to show some respect how must that poor lady’s family feel

If he did it so he could complain and get compensation that’s despicable

This is not that rare, have read several news stories of passengers dying on flights, but never of other passengers having to sit near the body. Surely there should be a contingency plan on board the plane for when this happens, including where the body can be stored until landing. I really couldn’t sit near a dead body I would just feel awful the entire time so I would have had to move.
What a dreadful situation.

Babs03

This is not that rare, have read several news stories of passengers dying on flights, but never of other passengers having to sit near the body. Surely there should be a contingency plan on board the plane for when this happens, including where the body can be stored until landing. I really couldn’t sit near a dead body I would just feel awful the entire time so I would have had to move.
What a dreadful situation.

Absolutely agree, Babs03.

I am astonished at the callousness of so many posters.

Sago

I am astonished at the callousness of so many posters.

I'm astonished too, Sago.

I have never seen a dead person. The thought of having to sit near an unknown dead person for hours fills me with horror.

I have seen dead people but the thought f sitting next to one on a plane for so long would e very distressing.

I'm even more resolved never to travel with Qatar Airways now.

He was two seats away, husband wife was even further away.

Wherever, it was unacceptable

I would have got up and moved, there are usually a few free seats at the back. They don’t care once you have gone through takeoff procedures so long as you don’t ‘upgrade’ yourself. I suppose at least he didn’t have to put up with inane chatter ,putting a positive spin on it!

Oh goodness Allira and Barleyfields a dead body isn’t going to jump up and hurt you, there is nothing frightening about holding the hand of a dying or dead person. I m sure her family must be mortified to hear people say things like that about their loved one
It shouldn’t have happened but I think that was the man’s problem he should have spoken up and moved out the way in respect of the dead lady and for his own comfort She should have had the three or four seats to herself for her and her family and the other flyers
If anyone should have sat with her it should have been one of the staff

You sit next to the dead body next time, then, Bluebelle.
I'll go into Business Class.

It wasn't very dignified for the poor deceased woman either.

A relative died on a flight many years ago and was treated with dignity.

BlueBelle

Oh goodness Allira and Barleyfields a dead body isn’t going to jump up and hurt you, there is nothing frightening about holding the hand of a dying or dead person. I m sure her family must be mortified to hear people say things like that about their loved one
It shouldn’t have happened but I think that was the man’s problem he should have spoken up and moved out the way in respect of the dead lady and for his own comfort She should have had the three or four seats to herself for her and her family and the other flyers
If anyone should have sat with her it should have been one of the staff

Oh goodness Allira and Barleyfields a dead body isn’t going to jump up and hurt you....

Obviously not - but that isn't the point.

We are allowed to have sensitivities and don't need scolding for having them.

The situation might not faze you, but we are all rather different from each other.

It shouldn’t have happened but I think that was the man’s problem he should have spoken up and moved out the way in respect of the dead lady and for his own comfort

Or maybe the staff should have taken control of the situation - they do have training for these events - and immediately suggested the man move to another seat if, as is alleged, there were indeed seats available. That would have been the more civilised and sensitive way to deal with it.

Space on an aircraft is very tight. Apparently the deceased passenger was very large and heavy so I imagine moving a literal dead weight from one seat to another was almost impossible. It is protocol to strap a deceased person into a seat for safety reasons. Most of these long haul flights are full to capacity so it’s possible the only free seat was taken by the female passenger. I’m surprised her husband wasn’t offered a crew jump seat as a temporary measure. If there had been another empty seat surely he would have been moved to it. A crew member could have taken the seat next to the deceased for landing. Very distressing for all concerned but blaming Qatar without all the facts is rather naive. I’m sure the crew did all they could under very difficult & distressing circumstances as do crews of all airlines when faced with similar situations.

I hope all those who would be totally unfazed by sitting next to a stranger's dead body and feel free to condemn those who would be affected won't ever complain about any situation they find distressing because I'm certain there will be others who'd not feel affected. If you're so lacking in the ability to understand that others feel differently to you, and that those feelings are valid, then you deserve zero sympathy for any distress you'd feel in different circumstances.