An Australian couple has expressed their disappointment with Qatar Airways after they found themselves sitting next to a deceased passenger on a long flight. Mitchell Ring and his wife, Jennifer Colin, were on a 14-hour journey from Melbourne to Doha when a fellow traveler passed away during the flight last week.
Mitchell explained that airline staff attempted to move the deceased passenger to a different area, but they faced challenges due to the woman’s size. He noted, “They tried to wheel her up towards business class, but she was quite a large lady and they couldn’t get her through the aisle.” After some struggle, the crew noticed empty seats next to Mitchell and made the decision to place the deceased passenger there.
Remarkably, Mitchell said he had to sit next to the body for about four hours, even after the plane landed. He recounted the moment when emergency services arrived at the plane. “The ambulance officers and the police came in, and the ambulance officers started pulling the blankets off the lady,” he said. He described the experience as very uncomfortable.
Jennifer, who admitted that flying is already stressful for her, added, “There has to be a protocol that looks after the customers on board.” The couple was on their way to Venice when they had to endure this unexpected and distressing situation. Mitchell said that although he was asked to move over for the body, he pointed out that there were several other vacant seats available on the plane.
In response to the incident, Qatar Airways issued an apology to the couple. They expressed their condolences and issued a statement to the Australian media, saying, “First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight.” They also apologized for any inconvenience or distress that the incident may have caused to the other passengers.
This unsettling situation raises questions about the protocols airlines have in place for dealing with similar occurrences. Many travelers hope that airlines will handle such sensitive matters better in the future to provide comfort and dignity to all passengers, particularly in distressing situations like this one.