Disturbing plane act doesn’t pass ‘pub test’

An Australian aviation expert has lashed Qatar Airways for placing a corpse next to a passenger as a truly disturbing airline practice is revealed. WARNING: Disturbing content

Qatar Airways is facing fierce backlash for forcing an Aussie couple to sit next to a corpse for four hours after a female passenger died mid-flight.

Melbourne couple Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were on the trip of a lifetime to Venice via Doha when the passenger collapsed and was unable to be revived by flight attendants.

The airline is now under fire over its decision to place the dead body next to the pair and removing the blanket covering the woman’s body before allowing passengers off the plane.

Australian aviation expert of 30 years Neil Hansford said the airline’s response “wouldn’t pass the pub test”.

“Normally the crews are all trained in some form of advanced resuscitation procedures. You always call for a ‘is there a doctor or a nurse’ and amazingly, invariably you do find one travelling as a passenger,” he told news.com.au.

“Any airline with half a bit of character or organisation would’ve upgraded those passengers into business class.”

AN Aviation expert has criticised Qatar Airways for not passing ‘the pub test’ after dealing with a recent mid-flight death. Picture: iStock/LordRunar

Qatar Airways responds

Qatar Airways defended the actions of its staff on Friday, insisting it had conducted an interal review that found the flight attendants “acted quickly, appropriately and profesionally at all times in line with training and industry practice”.

“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 added in a statement provided to news.com.au.

The airline said it has 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”.

“We deeply sympathise with all those involved in this sad situation, and our thoughts remain with the family members of the passenger who passed away on board our flight,” the spokesperson said.

“It is an unfortunate reality that unexpected deaths do sometimes occur on board aircraft across the aviation industry and our crew are highly trained to deal with these situations with as much respect and dignity as possible.”

‘Traumatising experience’

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin recalled the grim scenario to A Current Affair on Monday.

While they applauded the crew for their attempts to try and revive the passenger, they were shocked to learn they had to be seated next to the corpse, describing it as a “traumatising experience”.

“The staff were there in no time, and I pat them on the back, they did a wonderful job trying to revive her,” Mr Ring told the program.

“It [happened] right beside me in the aisle, and they did everything they could, but unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch.”

However, things took an unexpected turn when they placed the corpse next to the couple.

Mr Ring said airline staff brought in a two-wheeled chair to try and move the deceased passenger to business class, but they were unable to.

“They looked a bit frustrated and then they just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me – my wife was on the other side, we’re in a row of four by ourselves – and they just said to me, ‘Can you move over, please?’, and I just said, ‘Yes, no problem,’ and then they placed the lady in the chair that I was in.”

He claims to have sat next to the deceased for the four remaining hours of their journey from Melbourne to Doha.

Mr Ring explained that when they landed “they told us in our area to stay in our seats”.

[And] then the ambulance officers and the police came in, and then the ambulance officers started pulling the blankets off.

“I was there and I got to see her face. Yeah, it wasn’t nice.

“I can’t believe they told us to stay. I thought they would have got us out quickly and let the ambulance and the police in there with no other people in there. But they told us to sit down and wait.”

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin recalled the moment Mitchell was forced to sit next to a corpse on a recent Qatar flight. Picture: Facebook/A Current Affair, 9 News

Guidelines say deceased passengers should be zipped in a body bag or covered with a blanket. Picture: iStock/Hi-Point

List of practices to follow

All cabin crew have a list of practices they need to follow to ensure the deceased is handled respectfully, while still being considerate of everyone else on-board.

Each aircraft also carries an emergency first aid kit, including an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED), with staff also trained in CPR.

Protocols may change depending on the circumstances, such as how full the flight is and the type of aircraft, but the International Air Transport Association (IATA) have a set of suggested guidelines which apply everywhere.

• Alert the pilot: Firstly, crew members will let the captain know someone is “presumed dead” so they can ensure authorities like the police and ambulance officers are waiting when the plane lands.

• Move the body: If possible, the deceased is then relocated to a seat where there aren’t many passengers. For full flights, the corpse can either be kept in their original seat or in an area away from the aisle or exit. Crew members should “take care when moving the person” and “be aware of the difficulty of the situation for companions and onlookers”.

• Cover the corpse: The person will be placed in a body bag zipped up to the neck, or covered with a blanket (also up to the neck), before being secured such as with a seat belt.

• Close person’s eyes: Finally, crew members will close the deceased person’s eyes and get their contact details from anyone they were flying with.

• Disembark other passengers: The body, along with the deceased’s family, should be stay on the plane until all passengers have left.

Shine Lawyers General Manager of NSW, Cara Jones explains the laws around in-flight death can be quite tricky. But airlines generally have a duty of care to its passengers and are “typically in charge of making sure people board, fly and land safely”.

This includes a “responsibility to provide medical assistance on board” and “follow emergency protocols to ensure medical assistance is ready and waiting on the ground at the nearest airport to ensure the deceased person is attended to as early as practicable”.

Mitchell, who was sat next to the corpse, said the experience left him ‘traumatised. Picture: A Current Affair/9 News

Mr Hansford, who has dealt with mid-flight deaths first hand in his career, said when somebody dies in an aircraft “it pulls a lull all over the cabin”.

“And not only these poor people from Melbourne, everybody’s flying experience is affected because we are all emotional. Very few of us handle death”.

A deceased person will be usually moved to a seat with fewer passengers nearby, or a more private area. Picture: iStock/urbazon

And for anyone who ends up having a corpse seated next to them – Ms Jones of Shine Lawyers suggests “you may be eligible to seek compensation for any emotional distress caused”.

However, Finder travel expert Angus Kidman warns in most cases, people are more likely to succeed with getting some form of compensation like seat upgrades or vouchers if the complaint relates to a cancellation or delay.

“If you end up seated next to a corpse, you’re not entitled to any compensation as such,” he told news.com.au.

“Having said that, I would expect the airline should be going out of their way to make it up to you – they should be offering to refund your flight or offering you a ticket to another flight in business class.

“If it did happen, I would be politely but firmly suggesting to the airline that they need to do something about it.”

He said there needs to be some degree of compensation for what is a significant disruption to the travelling experience.