An Australian couple’s dream trip to Venice turned nightmare when a passenger died mid-flight on a Qatar Airways flight. Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin witnessed a woman collapse in the aisle and, despite crew efforts, she could not be revived. Following her death, crew members placed her wrapped body in an empty seat next to the couple, forcing them to endure four hours beside it. Traumatised, they expressed shock and disappointment that they weren’t offered alternative seating despite other vacancies. Qatar Airways apologized, stating they are investigating the incident, and Qantas, who booked the tickets, will reach out to the couple.
An Australian couple’s dream trip to Venice turned into a nightmare when a passenger died during their flight, and the crew chose to place the deceased in a seat next to them. Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were traveling on a Qatar Airways flight when a woman suddenly collapsed in the aisle after returning from the restroom, as reported by news.com.au
Despite the crew’s attempts at resuscitation, she could not be saved and tragically died on the spot. “It was pretty heartbreaking to watch, and unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved,” Mr. Ring recounted.
When the crew noticed vacant seats nearby, they requested the couple to move over to accommodate the body.
“They seemed a bit frustrated and then just turned to me, noticing the available seats beside me—my wife was on the other side, in a row of four just for us—and said, ‘Can you move over, please?'”
The dead woman’s body, wrapped in a blanket, was then positioned in the seat next to the couple, causing them immense distress as they had to endure the remaining four hours of the flight alongside it.
“When my husband turned around and said, ‘move, move,’ I was in shock and asked, ‘are they really going to put her there?'” shared Ms. Colin, who acknowledges being a nervous flyer.
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The situation worsened when the couple had to wait after landing as police and medical personnel boarded the aircraft. They described their experience as traumatic and mentioned that there were other available seats on the flight, but the crew did not offer to relocate them.
Following the couple’s disturbing experience going viral, Qatar Airways issued an apology, stating they were investigating the incident.
“We apologize for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused and are in the process of reaching out to passengers in accordance with our policies and procedures.”
Additionally, Qantas, through which the couple booked their flight, announced they would also be in contact with them.
“Ms. Colin booked tickets via Qantas and traveled with Qatar Airways, a fellow Oneworld Alliance carrier,” a Qantas spokesperson explained.
“The procedures for managing incidents onboard an aircraft like this fall under the responsibilities of the operating airline, which is Qatar Airways in this case.”