A couple from Australia had a “traumatic” journey on a flight to Europe, as they were seated next to a passenger who suddenly passed away mid-flight, lasting for four hours.
According to reports from Australia Sky News website, Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were flying with Qatar Airways from Melbourne to Doha and then connecting to Italy. Unfortunately, a female passenger collapsed in the aisle after using the restroom, despite efforts from the cabin crew, her life could not be saved.
Due to the long-haul nature of the flight, the cabin crew promptly placed the woman’s body in Mitchell’s original seat and asked him and his wife to move slightly to accommodate, covering the body with a blanket. Mitchell described feeling extremely uncomfortable for the following hours.
“They asked me to switch seats, and I could only agree.”
The couple recently shared their “unbearable” experience in an interview with “A Current Affair.”
“All of this happened right in the aisle next to me, they (the cabin crew) did everything they could to save her, but in the end, they couldn’t, it’s heartbreaking,” recalled Mitchell.
“At that moment, the cabin crew seemed a bit unsure of what to do, then they saw an empty seat next to me – my wife was seated on the other side, we had a total of four seats in the row – so they said to me, ‘Could you please move to another seat?’ and I could only respond, ‘Okay, no problem.’ Then they placed the lady in my original seat.”
Mitchell mentioned that he and his wife were asked to stay in their seats until the flight reached its destination and was taken over by medical personnel and authorities. “When the medical team uncovered the blanket, I saw her face, it was very distressing,” he said. “I couldn’t understand why they didn’t let us leave our seats but instead asked us to stay there until the medical team and police entered the cabin.”
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations, if a passenger unfortunately passes away during the flight, the body should be placed in an empty seat on board; if there are no empty seats available, the body should be moved back to the original seat and covered with a blanket as a sign of respect.
However, the Australian couple mentioned that Qatar Airways did not offer any psychological support or care after the incident.
“Airline companies have a responsibility to take care of passengers and crew members, they should have reached out to us proactively to ask if we needed psychological support or counseling,” Mitchell said. “I really don’t know how I feel, I want to talk to someone to make sure I’m okay.”
Currently, the couple has arrived in Venice, Italy, trying to put behind this unpleasant experience and enjoy their dream vacation. “We are trying to make ourselves happy, after all, this is our holiday time,” Jennifer expressed.
Reportedly, Qatar Airways is conducting an investigation into the incident.
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