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How would you feel about this on a plane

252 replies

eyeeyeeyeeyeeye · 26/02/2025 09:27

Couple made to sit next to a dead body of a lady who died onboard

apple.news/A8Nu4zbMtRYOtJwBUKIhyqw

OP posts:
Squeakpopcorn · 26/02/2025 09:28

Shocking. I’m a bit confused as to why the man didn’t ask if he could move but I suppose he was probably in shock too.

eyeeyeeyeeyeeye · 26/02/2025 09:30

Squeakpopcorn · 26/02/2025 09:28

Shocking. I’m a bit confused as to why the man didn’t ask if he could move but I suppose he was probably in shock too.

Yes I thought that myself but I'm guessing like you said he was shocked and felt like he couldn't ? I don't know but it's pretty horrible and obviously really upsetting for all involved

OP posts:
RoseDog · 26/02/2025 09:31

I've read this story on a few news sites and can't get my head round it,

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 26/02/2025 09:34

It's a dreadful story and I'd hate to have that happen to me. What the hell were those airport staff thing?

SwanOfThoseThings · 26/02/2025 09:39

I'm probably going to sound really weird, but it wouldn't bother me unless the dead person was one of my loved ones, or if they had lost control of their bodily functions on death (as can happen) so there was a hygiene concern. I'd feel sad for the person's family, but it's just dead flesh - the person no longer exists - if you knew the person, it's horrible seeing the body and knowing all that they were is gone - but if they are a stranger, there isn't that sense of loss.

IUnderstandTheWeird · 26/02/2025 09:45

Where are they supposed to move a dead body to though? It’s not like they have an onboard facility. Should they have propped the body up in the galley and prepped meals whilst stepping over the deceased? I’m not saying I wouldn’t be a bit upset if I was having to sit next to a dead person, but it really can’t be helped when there isn’t anywhere for a body to be moved to, or spare seats for the other passengers. It’s been happening for years.

helpfulperson · 26/02/2025 09:50

This is standard protocol on longhaul flights. They should have moved the passengers but on a full flight that isn't always possible. To me this is just one of the risks of flying long haul that this might happen. When did we as a society become so scared of death?

EleanorReally · 26/02/2025 09:52

were they in a body bag?

GuiltyGiraffe · 26/02/2025 09:53

If it was a full flight, then I'm not sure where they could have moved the body to? Generally aeroplanes don't have any free space for storage. Empty space will have been completely minimised.

eyeeyeeyeeyeeye · 26/02/2025 09:54

The guy said there was quite a few vacant seats around, surely it would've made more sense to put the body as far away as possible from other passengers and covered it over for some dignity in death too.

OP posts:
eyeeyeeyeeyeeye · 26/02/2025 09:55

Aren't the Qatar airlines aeroplanes huge usually ?

OP posts:
Paddingtonscaresme · 26/02/2025 09:56

On a full flight where do you think they could have moved the body though?

On my airline (and I'm sure on others) we'll move passengers around if possible but on a full flight there's nowhere to move either a body or passengers.

SkankingWombat · 26/02/2025 09:58

My grandfather died on a plane. They had to lie him in the aisle until they landed, which is arguably much worse as my DGM described people needing to step over him to get to the toilet.
Even on a full plane, putting the body back in a seat is still a better option IMO.

whatonearthisgoingonnow · 26/02/2025 09:59

As always, people haven't read the article. There were other empty seats, it wasn't a full flight.

Clearinguptheclutter · 26/02/2025 09:59

Obviously dreadful but if there were empty seats I don’t know why they didn’t just move themselves.

if the flight was full (doesn’t sound like it was) then options were clearly limited if the dead body was too large to move.

whatonearthisgoingonnow · 26/02/2025 10:00

Paddingtonscaresme · 26/02/2025 09:56

On a full flight where do you think they could have moved the body though?

On my airline (and I'm sure on others) we'll move passengers around if possible but on a full flight there's nowhere to move either a body or passengers.

One of the spare seats at the back of the cockpit?

LadyKenya · 26/02/2025 10:00

eyeeyeeyeeyeeye · 26/02/2025 09:54

The guy said there was quite a few vacant seats around, surely it would've made more sense to put the body as far away as possible from other passengers and covered it over for some dignity in death too.

It would have made more sense for the man to go, and sit in a vacant seat then.

Paddingtonscaresme · 26/02/2025 10:00

eyeeyeeyeeyeeye · 26/02/2025 09:54

The guy said there was quite a few vacant seats around, surely it would've made more sense to put the body as far away as possible from other passengers and covered it over for some dignity in death too.

I really wouldn't go by someone saying there were seats available.

I had a passengers complain we wouldn't upgrade him to first class. Said he saw the first class cabin with his own eyes. Wrote an email complaining and named me personally.

Except he was on an aircraft that didn't have a first class - no matter what he "saw".

Paddingtonscaresme · 26/02/2025 10:01

whatonearthisgoingonnow · 26/02/2025 10:00

One of the spare seats at the back of the cockpit?

No way. That's a massive security risk. And on some long haul flights where they carry extra crew or if if it's a check flight there won't be a spare seat anyway.

MhariMe · 26/02/2025 10:03

whatonearthisgoingonnow · 26/02/2025 10:00

One of the spare seats at the back of the cockpit?

How easy do you think it would be to lift a dead body into a tiny cockpit? Also, what if they have a rough landing and the body becomes a projectile onto the controller?

jellyfishperiwinkle · 26/02/2025 10:03

Why didn't the couple just move themselves if there were spare seats?

MhariMe · 26/02/2025 10:05

jellyfishperiwinkle · 26/02/2025 10:03

Why didn't the couple just move themselves if there were spare seats?

Because then they couldn't complain about how they were "mistreated" and get compo and a newspaper story.

Obviously they have suffered more than the poor person that died.

Mingenious · 26/02/2025 10:07

Obviously it wasn’t a nice experience for anyone involved but I’m not sure what else could be done!

Death is part of life, horrible though it is. It’s likely we’ll all encounter a dead body at some point.

ComtesseDeSpair · 26/02/2025 10:15

The articles I’ve read make it sound as though air stewards asked man in question if he could move seats so they could place the body in his row, and the man just scooched over to the window seat to make room. Which sounds like an odd thing to do, rather than say “are there any seats anywhere else, not sure I want to sit next to a dead body for the rest of the flight”, though maybe just the shock rendering him unable to articulate that.

It’s unfortunate, but things happen. I’d like to think the airline offered some sort of voucher or air points etc to thank him for being a good sport, but they can’t prevent situations like this.

notwavingbutsinking · 26/02/2025 10:21

I feel incredibly sorry for the family and friends of the woman who died. The reporting of the story has been entirely focused on the other passengers while she has been reduced to "the body" and "the corpse". Utterly dehumanising. And this was on the BBC.

It must have been very difficult for the passengers and I am not in any way suggesting that this is on them - but I think the reporting is very distasteful.

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