Strange Encounter: Dead Body on Flight
This is the stuff of nightmares, akin to finding out the fellow snoozing next to you on a long-haul flight has suddenly shuffled off his mortal coil. Well, that’s what happened recently on a Qatar Airways flight. Imagine the surprise—and horror—of an Australian couple on their journey from Melbourne to Venice, only to find themselves sharing their airborne expedition with a dearly departed fellow passenger.
Woman Dies on Flight, Corpses for Company
Picture this: our unsuspecting couple is having a comfy ride in the economy class. They’re perhaps dreaming of their adventurous escapades at Val Seny ski resort when calamity strikes a few rows up. A woman tragically meets her end after collapsing in the aisle, shortly after exiting the lavatory. Efficient as ever, the crew jumps to action. But as luck would have it, reviving her was painfully beyond anyone’s capability.
Now, a bit of a complication arose—a sizeable one, you might say. The lifeless body was too unwieldy to transport all the way to business class. So, the flight crew did what seemed “best”—plopped her down in the nearest empty seat they could find, conveniently located next to our Australian duo.
Upon request, our gallant husband kindly scooted over, getting all cozy next to the camouflaged corpse. His wife, nudged by a tactful, presumably alive passenger, decided not to stick around for the neighboring cadaver and found refuge elsewhere. Apparently, the husband wasn’t granted this luxury of escape, leaving one to wonder why the seating shuffle was so one-sided.
Landed safely, and with a flood of emergency personnel awaiting, the blankets came off, leaving all passengers to witness what the crew cleverly tried to disguise. It’s no surprise that the couple found this whole charade less than satisfactory. “There needs to be a proper protocol,” echoed the wife, understandably peeved. “We get that the airline isn’t responsible for the lady’s death, but this is no way to handle it.”
Qatar Airways, in their classic damage-control demeanor, extended minimalist condolences: “Our thoughts are with the family… we apologize for any inconvenience.” Yes, at times, airline PR can be as soothing as a lukewarm airplane meal.
Flying High with Puzzles to Solve
Welcome to the weird world of air travel ethics, particularly the prudent practice of handling mid-air fatalities without rattling the already cagey flock of flyers. Despite how it sounds, in-flight demises aren’t that rare. It’s one of those hidden truths you’d prefer not written into your itinerary. Airlines aim to be discreet; Singapore Airlines once even had a “corpse cupboard” on their ultra-long-haul A340 flights. Imagine opening that compartment in flight!
Usually, an airline’s manual suggests minimizing the nuisance by tucking the body somewhere remote—be it a galley (hello, awful foreshadowing for dinner) or a blocked-off row of seats. However, our tale’s moral dilemma spun on the pivot point of physical logistics—movement and space—the perennial enemies of economy travel.
This situation should have been handled with a touch more finesse, don’t you think? It’s puzzling why this passenger purgatory persisted without the crew arranging an exodus for this couple. Did they ask for a grand migration to freedom’s empty seats? Perhaps not. But shouldn’t the flight staff have demonstrated a dash of Sherlock Holmes-level deduction here, effectively orchestrating such a move?
Time to Debrief
Death, distress, and a dash of diplomatic deficiency—all spot-checked on this Qatar Airways jet. A cataclysmic collapse post-loo visit led the crew to decide to leave the cadaver with the corporal crowd. The plan, if there was one, seemed flawed at its core. Rather than extricate our living passengers from the rows they occupied, the workaround involved keeping them put with the dearly departed as a row-mate.
On reflection, this could have all gone a touch smoother, like a landing free of turbulence. A little attention to passenger comfort and a thought for the deceased could have transformed this horrifying experience into something less macabre. So, fellow travelers, what’s your verdict on this eerie endurance test above the skies?
What would you have done differently? Let’s hope it doesn’t come to this again soon. Fly safe!