An Australian couple has described their “traumatic” experience on a Qatar Airways flight after the body of a deceased passenger was placed next to them for the remainder of the journey.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were traveling from Melbourne to Doha en route to Venice when a woman collapsed and died in the aisle beside them. Speaking to Australia’s Channel 9, they recounted how cabin crew initially attempted to move the deceased woman to business class but were unable to do so due to space constraints. Instead, they covered her body with blankets and seated her next to Mr. Ring for the remaining four hours of the flight—without offering him the option to move, despite vacant seats being available.
Upon landing, passengers were asked to remain seated while medical personnel boarded the aircraft. Mr. Ring recalled seeing ambulance officers remove the blankets from the woman, exposing her face—a moment he described as deeply unsettling.
The couple criticized the airline for failing to provide support following the incident. “We should be contacted to make sure—do you need some support, do you need some counseling?” said Mr. Ring.
Ms. Colin emphasized that while they do not hold the airline responsible for the woman’s death, better protocols should be in place to care for passengers who witness such traumatic events. “There has to be a protocol to look after the customers on board,” she said.
In a statement, Qatar Airways expressed condolences to the deceased woman’s family and said they had since spoken with the affected passengers to address their concerns. “The safety and comfort of all our passengers is of paramount importance to us,” the airline stated.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Qantas—the airline through which the couple booked their flight—clarified that Qatar Airways was responsible for handling such incidents.
Aviation experts say that deaths on flights, while not common, occur more frequently than many passengers realize. Former Virgin Atlantic captain Barry Eustance noted that airlines do not have a universal protocol for handling such situations. “On a long-haul flight, it depends on when and where it occurs and what facilities are available,” he explained.
Eustance also questioned why the cabin crew did not move Mr. Ring to another seat if vacancies were available. “In my experience, the crew would normally try to isolate the body to avoid passenger exposure, out of respect and for medical reasons,” he said.
Credit: NineNetwork/CNN
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