Tearful couple forced to sit next to dead passenger on long haul flight to Italy

Express UK ^ | 2/25/25 | Lauran O'Toole

[DallasBiff]

The couple's once in a lifetime holiday was overshadowed when a woman died mid flight and was placed in the seat next to them.

An emotional Australian couple have been left "traumatised" after they were forced to sit next to a dead woman for hours after she died suddenly mid-flight.

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were on a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Doha, en route to Venice in Italy, when a woman suddenly collapsed in the aisle after going to the toilet.

[b4me]

seems the dead woman had an original seat prior to mid flight death.

what wasn’t the woman left in original seat?

I have put up with a lot on flights but I would not just accept a dead passenger being moved from their original seat to one next to me.

[Carl Vehse]

it would be like sitting next to Flatlinejoe or Flatlinemitch but not having to worry about the odiferous indication of a need for a change of Depends.

[Morgana]

“Do not all airlines have contingency plans for such an incident. “

I was always told if a person dies on an airplane their body was always moved to first class out of respect for the dead.

[rlmorel]

I feel much the same way as you do, but I figure they should have been able to stretch out the body in the rear of the plane near the galley. They could have tied it down and covered it with something so people using the head wouldn’t have to view it directly. And the flight attendants might have had to extend their legs over the body, but...if the flight is full, what are you going to do?

I don’t like that they put the body in a seat next to someone. There must have been a better solution, but...I wasn’t there, so I can’t say for sure.

[healy61]

I had a tenant die. I let the ambulance men in, and they declared him dead. They left, and asked me to stay until the funeral hearse arrived. I did. It was odd, but I didn’t cry. I had known Dave for 15 years.

[wildcard_redneck]

I don’t think the hold is available for access from the passenger compartment

[Carl Vehse]

"The couple can whine all they want but there’s no other place to put the dead passenger except back in their seat."

So I guess there were no empty overhead bins.

[milagro]

Okay—I’m bad—but you made me LOL!

[PGR88]

I agree that airlines do not have contingencies for storing dead people.

According to the American Journal of American medicine, the mortality rate from in-flight medical emergencies is 0.21 deaths per million passengers (Jones & Lee, 2023).

there’s something like 800 million passenger flights domestic and international for US airlines

so that’s around 168 deaths in-flight (domestic and Intl) that US airlines have to deal with. FWIW, the number of in flight health emergencies is much higher - about 18 per million. Obviously, few of those result in immediate death.

So for 168 total deaths, are aircraft builders and airlines going to go to the probably huge cost of designing, building, training staff, etc... for on-board morgues/caskets/cold storage? Probably not

[Magnum44]

[skr]

The pilot should’ve asked for volunteers. If the plane’s full, there’s not much else they could do.

[DainBramage]

I once made a call to a MVA with a fatality. We covered the car with a tarp so people passing wouldn’t see in and waited for the medical examiner to come.
We waited for 1 1/2 hours. My captain had me climb under that tarp and check for a pulse every 15 minutes. Dead of night, flashlights only. Ill never forget it but it didnt traumatize me.

[Williams]

Imagine how the dead woman felt. And her family.

[Fledermaus]

Talk about dead head flying

[Robert DeLong]

No mention in the article that he had cried, or his wife had cried either.

[Williams]

Let me say it more clearly. This illustrates perfectly the childish selfish privileged pricks in society. The poor woman died. You’re on an airplane. Did they want the airline to put her body in an overhead bin? She’s dead. How about an ounce of compassion. But no, it spoiled their vacation. Boo hoo.

[b4me]

also may be possible to strap the dead person into one of the flight attendant seats in the back galley area? out of the way.

[shaggy eel]

I’ve been on flights where I would have much preferred to sit next to a dead person.

,,, ha! Yeah.

[Whatever Works]

Should have put the body in a flight attendant’s seat. That person could have sat next to Tue passengers when required to buckle up. They should get free flights FOR LIFE! (Get it?)

[Mean Daddy]

Less posturing for the shared arm rest.