Incident under investigation Couple forced to sit next to corpse on plane
A couple were flying from Melbourne to Doha when the crew sat a deceased passenger next to them - without offering an alternative. Qatar Airways apologized.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A couple experienced a traumatic flight from Melbourne to Doha when the crew seated a deceased passenger next to them.
- Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were not offered another seat.
- Qatar Airways apologizes and states that the case is being investigated.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin recently flew from Melbourne to Doha. The couple were delighted to have a free row of seats on the plane.
But their joy did not last long. The reason: the crew decided to put a passenger who had just died next to them in the empty seat.
As Ring and Collin tell the Australian news portal 9Now.com, the woman had come out of the toilet and then collapsed right next to their row of seats. "Unfortunately, the lady couldn't be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch," says Ring.
No other seat was offered
The flight attendants tried to move the woman to business class, but she was "quite a large woman and they couldn't move her through the aisle", says Ring.
The flight crew noticed that there were two empty seats next to the couple in the row of four. The crew then said: "Can you please move one seat over?" Ring agreed. "Then they put the lady in my old seat."
Ring and Colin were not offered another seat. Instead, a passenger in the back row offered Colin a seat because she was a nervous flyer.
Ring, however, spent the remaining four hours of the flight in the same row as the corpse. After landing, he had to remain seated while medical staff removed the blankets covering the lifeless body.
Incident under investigation
The couple is disappointed with Qatar Airways: "They have a responsibility to customers and staff. They should have called us to see how we were - whether we needed help or advice," says Ring. "I'm not sure how I feel and would like to talk to someone to make me feel safe." The couple are now trying to make the most of their vacation in Italy.
Qatar Airways has informed the portal that the incident is being investigated. The passengers affected will be contacted. "Above all, our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight," said a spokesperson. "We apologize for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused and are in the process of contacting passengers in accordance with our policies and procedures."
