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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[–] DozensOfDonner@mander.xyz 3 points 4 hours ago

Yeah fuck Qatar Air

[–] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 10 points 6 hours ago (1 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 14 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

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.

[–] dparticiple@sh.itjust.works 31 points 11 hours ago (1 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 29 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 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.

[–] dparticiple@sh.itjust.works 7 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago) (2 children)

Accurate. Are you a summarization bot?

[–] GaMEChld@lemmy.world 5 points 5 hours ago

I think he might just be some guy. Possibly the 3rd in a long line of guys.

[–] deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz 22 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Yes, but it's operating on a biological substrate.

[–] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 9 points 9 hours ago

A trained neural network of sorts

[–] meowmeowbeanz@sopuli.xyz 21 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Qatar Airways introduces new "corpse class" seating—no upgrades, but plenty of legroom for one.

😿😿😿😿

[–] And009@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 5 hours ago

Can I get more seat room instead of leg room. Wanna lie down for a bit

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 139 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (18 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.

[–] Boxscape@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 7 hours ago

Personally, I'd take the dead person.

[–] Ledericas@lemm.ee 6 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

dead bodies sometimes shit or urinate themselves. and your just being hotboxed in a plane.

[–] Feelfold@lemm.ee 10 points 7 hours ago

Babies shit and piss themselves constantly.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

Is there an option to turn even more of the other passengers into bodies?

Wait! No, don't put me on the list -

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 5 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

I hate that your offer is appealing. But only briefly -- the baby was never going to win.

I rather sit next to a baby than half the people on flights

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 115 points 20 hours ago (4 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.

[–] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 9 hours ago

I mean, only sometimes. Stuff kind of comes out of bodies at it's own pace.

[–] Kolanaki@pawb.social 36 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

So do babies. At least the dead person just stinks and isn't also screaming.

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 48 points 20 hours ago (2 children)
[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 10 hours ago

Baby shit =/= Adult shit

For the parents, no.

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[–] FauxPseudo@lemmy.world 8 points 15 hours ago

I have bad news for you about babies. And many people make sure to fully evacuate before a flight because they will do anything to avoid that bathroom.

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[–] kinther@lemmy.world 4 points 11 hours ago

Damn it, I'll take the corpse

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[–] ThePantser@lemmy.world 56 points 20 hours ago (9 children)

Couldn't have placed the body in the cargo hold or one of the bathrooms? I think passengers wouldn't have minded being one bathroom down.

[–] OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 10 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Even if the body was in the aisle seat... Can you imagine hauling a body down the aisle of a fully booked flight?

[–] Kitathalla@lemy.lol 22 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

It sounds like they already moved the body after death. They specifically moved the body to that seat.

[–] liv@lemmy.nz 7 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

I feel like they low key hated that particular couple.

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[–] latesleeper@lemmy.world 53 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

I think the only thing they're pissed about is the airline didn't allow them to move seats after they put the woman not in her original seat and probably being forced to stay on the plane longer than needed, potentially missing their connection to Venice, while medics came on board to haul her away.

[–] robbinhood@lemmy.world 47 points 20 hours ago (8 children)

If the flight wasn't full and they didn't allow them to move seats that's extremely messed up.

[–] Broken@lemmy.ml 6 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

Technically, there was at least 1 free seat since the woman wasn't using it anymore.

But that begs the question, assuming the entire plane was full then the lady was sitting next to at least one other person. They moved her from that seat to be in next to the couple in question. So it seems to me there is no situation where it's not extremely messed up.

[–] robbinhood@lemmy.world 2 points 7 hours ago

Yeah the only thing I could think of was that maybe the couple didn't want to split up and there was only 1 other free seat.

But I think we'll just learn that the airline was being incompetent.

[–] kyle@lemm.ee 27 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Honestly they could've secured the body to one of the flight staff seats. If there's no extra, the flight attendant could sit next to a passenger.

[–] robbinhood@lemmy.world 3 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

That's a good point. Wonder why they didn't just do that?

[–] Krukenberg@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

Cause flight crew are seated next to emergency exits for a reason. Safety > inconvenience

[–] robbinhood@lemmy.world 1 points 4 hours ago

Most of the planes I've been on had at least some crew seats tucked into the back and out of the way of the primary exits if I am remembering correctly. There probably is a good reason, such as tripping hazards for the crew doing their work or the seats not really being effective for long term seating and keeping the body in place (I'm thinking of the fold down crew seats).

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