An Australian couple have gone public with their criticisms of how Qatar Airways handled a blanket-draped corpse during a long-haul flight they were on last week.
A passenger died during the 14-hour flight from Melbourne, Australia that made a stop in Doha, Qatar, before heading to Venice. The couple was headed to Venice for vacation.
About 10 hours into the flight, a woman who has not been publicly identified suffered a medical emergency on board and collapsed in the aisle. She was declared dead after attempts to revive her were unsuccessful.
The deceased was a “large lady,” according to passenger Mitchell Ring, who said the flight staff attempted to move the body up to business class but failed.
Then they spotted free seats beside him. He says he spent the final four hours of flight time beside the corpse. His wife, Jennifer Colin, was offered a new seat nearby, leaving Ring sitting next to the blanket-covered corpse.
“It wasn’t nice,” he told The Guardian.
According to the couple, the crew did not allow Ring to move to another seat, despite the availability of spare seats.
Upon landing, the passengers, including Ring, were instructed to remain seated until emergency personnel removed the deceased woman from her seat.
“Ambulance officers started pulling the blankets off the lady. I got to see her face. I can’t believe they told us to stay,” Ring said.
Qatar Airways later issued an apology in Australian media “for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused. First and foremost our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight.”
The couple said while the woman’s death was “heartbreaking” and no fault of the airline, they also felt some care should be extended to anyone affected by having to sit near the body for hours.
Since the distressing incident, Ring and Colin have been trying to cope with the traumatic experience while on their holiday in Venice. The couple reported feeling “traumatized” by the ordeal and expressed disappointment in the lack of support from the airline.
Qatar Airways emphasized that its crew followed international aviation protocols and handled the situation with sensitivity under challenging circumstances.
The airline stated that they were in the process of contacting affected passengers in accordance with their policies and procedures.
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