Qatar Airways is facing scrutiny after it was revealed passengers had to sit next to the body of a deceased woman for the last four hours of their flight from Melbourne to Doha. The airline issued statements defending its crew, following accounts from travelers who found the experience traumatic and the airline's response lacking.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were onboard the 14-hour flight when they were shocked to find themselves seated adjacent to the deceased passenger, who had succumbed to medical issues mid-flight. According to reports from Channel Nine, Ring recounted the harrowing experience, stating, "Unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch." The body, covered with blankets, was placed next to Ring after crew members struggled to move her to another section of the aircraft due to her size.
The couple described their ordeal as indelibly traumatic, expressing immediate distress at the handling of both the medical emergency and its aftermath. "We totally understand we can’t hold the airline responsible for the poor lady’s death, but there has to be protocols to look after the customers on board," Colin remarked. Their experience began 10 hours after takeoff, around the time Ring commented on seeing cabin crew attempt to revive the woman.
Qatar Airways responded publicly, confirming it conducted an internal review concluding its crew acted "quickly, appropriately, and professionally". The airline stated, "Passengers were accommodated to other seats, and a crew member was sitting at all times with the deceased passenger for the duration of the flight until landing in Doha." The airline also emphasized its commitment to dignity and respect when faced with such unforeseen deaths.
Despite these reassurances, Ring completely felt the airline's protocol failed to prioritize the passengers' emotional and psychological needs. After the flight landed, Ring said passengers were left seated to allow medical personnel to attend to the deceased, which led them to witness the body being uncovered. He articulated disbelief as he remembered ambulatory officers pulling away the blanket covering the deceased passenger. "I can’t believe they told us to stay," he exclaimed. This moment, along with the non-consensual exposure of the body to passengers, left him grappling with questions about responsibility and care on the part of the airline.
Further amplifying these concerns, aviation expert and former Virgin Atlantic pilot Barry Eustance commented, "The crew would normally try to isolate the body, so there is no passenger exposure to the body and vice versa, for respect and privacy but also for medical reasons." According to guidance from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the recommended procedures state the deceased should be relocated to minimize exposure to other passengers and ideally should not block aisles or exits.
Although Colin was offered to move to another seat by another sympathetic passenger, Ring described how he felt abandoned to sit side-by-side with the deceased woman, emphasizing vacuous concern on part of the crew. Despite acknowledging the crew's attempts to make accommodations, he noted, “Another passenger invited my wife to sit with them, but the staff did not offer to move me, even though there were vacant seats available around.”
After the re-emergence of this incident, restoration of customer faith and trust lies firmly within Qatar Airways’ hands. The airline reached out to provide emotional support and has acknowledged their duty of care to the affected passengers alongside the family of the deceased. Yet, as Ring and Colin seek closure from their trauma, they question whether the airline fulfilled its responsibilities beyond standard operational protocols.
Qantas Airways, the airline through which the couple booked their tickets, stated they are liaising with Qatar Airways directly on behalf of the affected passengers. The fallout from this incident prompts urgent calls for reassessment of how airlines manage such sensitive situations, reinforcing the balance between operational efficiency and the emotional welfare of passengers.
Although Qatar Airways continues to defend its crew's actions throughout the incident, it remains to be seen whether more comprehensive measures will be taken to mitigate distress and support passengers involved in mid-flight fatalities. Ensuring passengers do not experience additional trauma from airline procedures is now part of the significant discourse shaping the future of airline operational protocols—one Ring and Colin hope will be taken to heart as they navigate the impact of their harrowing experience.