What Happens When a Passenger Dies Mid-flight? The Answer May Surprise You
01.03.2025 - 00:37
/ travelandleisure.com
/ Mike Arnot
A mid-flight tragedy is raising questions about the protocols for when someone dies on an airplane.
On a recent Qatar Airways flight, a person tragically died and was placed next to another pair of passengers. Jennifer Colin and Mitchell Ring say they were on an hours-long flight when a woman became ill and collapsed to the ground near their row of seats, Nine.com.au reports.
«Unfortunately, the lady couldn't be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch,» Ring told the Australian outlet. «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.”
The crew reportedly asked them to move over one seat, and placed the deceased person in their original seat, despite the other seats being unoccupied. The passengers said the crew placed blankets over the body, and recalled seeing medical staff pull back the blankets upon landing.
Qatar Airways reviewed the events internally, and determined that all protocols were followed.
“Passengers were accommodated to other seats, and a crew member was sitting at all times with the deceased passenger for the duration of the flight until landing in Doha,” a spokesperson for Qatar Airways told Travel + Leisure. “We have been in direct contact with the family of the deceased as well as other passengers who were directly affected by this difficult situation and have offered emotional support and compensation.»
The airline added that the tragedy is an unfortunate reality of unexpected deaths occurring on aircraft, and their crew is trained to deal with these situations with respect and dignity.
“After an internal review, it is clear that Qatar Airways cabin crew acted quickly, appropriately and professionally at all times in line with training and industry standard practice,” the spokesperson added to T+L.
In the aftermath of the news, hundreds of people shared their perspective and confusion on how a deceased passenger could be seated next to other paying customers, when other seats were reportedly available.
“I simply don’t understand the reasoning behind not allowing a change of seats,” one person shared on Reddit. “If there were no other seats available I suppose someone would have to sit next to the decedent but it sounds like that wasn’t the case.”
That said, aviation experts say that in-flight deaths are not common.
«There’s no good outcome in this scenario for the airline or its customers,” Mike Arnot, head of airline communications firm Juliett Alpha, told T+L. “In-flight deaths are extremely rare—about one per 8 million passengers—but medical emergencies, including overdoses, heart issues, seizures, are more common. Even births which are even more rare than in-flight death.”
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