this post was submitted on 25 Feb 2025
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Summary

A couple on a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Doha was forced to sit next to a deceased passenger for four hours after she collapsed and died mid-flight.

The flight crew moved the woman’s body to an empty seat beside them and denied their request to change seats.

Qatar Airways apologized but did not offer the couple support after the incident.

The couple, en route to Venice, criticized the airline’s handling of the situation but are trying to continue their trip despite the distressing experience.

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[–] Scuzzm0nkey@lemmy.world 49 points 1 day ago (8 children)

In his autobiography Ozzy Osborne related a story about the guy next to him dying on a flight. He informed the flight attendant who gave him the choice of moving seats or staying put with free drinks for the remainder of the flight, so he stayed in place and got blasted out of his mind.

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[–] Allonzee@lemmy.world 1 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago)

It really should be policy to allow at least the seat(s) next to the deceased (I understand not moving the body for coroner/investigation reasons, though they did in this case at which point why not put them in a bathroom and guard It you have extras) use any surplus steward seats or those staff seats in the cockpit for employees.

Just basic decency in the event of an extreme circumstance.

[–] peaceful_world_view@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'd sit next to a dead person on every damn flight if I had the choice.

There's bodily fluids that leak out afterwards. I don't think you'd want that to splash on you during turbulence.

[–] samus12345@lemm.ee 6 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I feel like if they had asked for volunteers to sit next to the body they would have gotten some. It's morbid, yes, but on a practical level it's more comfortable than being squished next to a living stranger.

[–] Flocklesscrow@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

"Hey, this is MY armrest." shoves corpse

[–] Critical_Thinker@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago

I think that's a fairly reasonable solution. The problem is asking people though. Can't really blast on the loud speaker that someone died, hard to go seat by seat.

[–] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (13 children)

Instincts, man. People here lack them. Don't hang out next to a dead body of someone who just randomly collapsed, especially on something like a plane which can experience bad turbulence.

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[–] BilboBargains@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago

I've sat next to many a passenger who was dead from the neck upwards.

[–] cley_faye@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago (4 children)

No more fighting for the armrest, no snoring, no chit chat? Well…

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[–] MyNameIsIgglePiggle@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 days ago (11 children)

On a related note, why don't more people just drop dead while driving a car? Like I can't think of a single story that I'm aware of that went "yeah he had a heart attack and then ran the car off the road"

I feel like it should be a daily occurrence

[–] frezik@midwest.social 3 points 1 day ago

Wait until they figure out self driving cars enough for grandmas to show up dead at places.

[–] Vytle@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

The news just doesn't report shit like that.

[–] Red_October@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Probably because after they do, they crash and it will generally be assumed the crash is what killed them.

[–] Glitterbomb@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's going to be real weird when self driving cars finally work and sometimes cars just pull up with a dead body in it.

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[–] bitchkat@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

I knew someone that was orphaned in high school because his dad had a heart attack, crashed, killed himself and his wife.

[–] SelfHigh5@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago

I used to work with a lady who, upon missing her shift, the next day the managers were all going around quietly telling staff that she died on her way to work, that she’d had a massive stroke while driving. New fear unlocked that day. But yeah I guess you don’t hear about it on the news because the may just assume car accident is what causes the fatalities.

[–] Wizzard@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago

I lost the first car I'd purchased outright to a "dead behind the wheel' driver, and I wasn't even in it!

A friend had borrowed the car, just a couple weeks after buying it, and was stopped at an intersection - An older man had a heart attack, barreled through the intersection, hit a pole, and then kept turning and t-boned my friend in my car. No injuries (other than the dead guy) but my car was totaled. Insurance payout was super!

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[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 165 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (23 children)

Poll:

Would you rather sit next to a dead person or a crying baby for 4 hours on a plane?

Personally, I'd take the dead person.

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 143 points 2 days ago (8 children)

Keep in mind, dead people evacuate their bowels. It's not a mummy type situation, but more of a sitting next to an open, used by concert goers, porta potty situation.

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[–] Boxscape@lemmy.sdf.org 20 points 2 days ago

Personally, I'd take the dead person.

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[–] dparticiple@sh.itjust.works 46 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Perhaps it's time to bring back the amenity that Singapore Airlines devised to handle this situation on their ultra-long-haul flights in the Airbus 340-500 -- the corpse cupboard: https://simpleflying.com/singapore-airlines-airbus-a340-500-corpse-cupboards-history/

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 40 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)

The airline installed a discreet locker next to one of the aircraft's exit doors to hold an average-sized human body. Special straps were also provided to secure the body and prevent it from being moved by turbulence or during landing.

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[–] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Does anyone know if there's actual protocol in these situations?

I actually know someone who died on a plane last year and, while they did at least make an emergency landing at a nearby airport, I've never thought about where they kept the body during that time. I'm not sure if it's appropriate to ask his surviving family that was with him, probably not.

[–] childOfMagenta@lemm.ee 24 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (5 children)

Cover the body, and relocate surrounding passengers, if possible, if you can't move the body to business class (moving a dead body respectfully is very hard).

Apparently there were free seats elsewhere, the pax should have been offered relocation. ~~However it's not clear if the passengers asked. The cabin crew could have been rattled too and forgot.~~

Edit: They apparently asked, I don't see why they couldn't move.

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[–] Pandemanium@lemm.ee 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Slightly unrelated, but last time I vomited during a flight they refused to take the bag and throw it away. I had to sit there for 6 hours, holding an uncloseable plastic bag full of my own vomit. Next to other passengers. Like, I get that it's technically some kind of hazard waste that flight attendants shouldn't have to handle, but the alternative is me potentially accidentally spilling it on or near other passengers. I had to carry it off the plane with me like it was my carry-on. It was absolutely ridiculous.

just empty it in the plane bathroom

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