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Original poster

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:
EleanorReally · 26/02/2025 10:23

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.

very well said, appalling

Fluffylizard1 · 26/02/2025 10:25

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.

The article I read said the lady who died was very large and that's why they were limited in where they could move her to.

It also said they asked him if he could 'move along' and then put her in the seat he had been sitting in. So I imagine he was probably trapped close to the window and the lady's body was then in the seat nearest the aisle.

I can understand why he might have been hoping the airline crew would have the sense and sensitivity to move him without him having to ask. If it was me, I can imagine not wanting to seem insensitive or focused on myself when someone had died (and their loved ones could have potentially been other passengers). And if the crew had already struggled to get her into the seat and then you would need to ask them to move the body again to let you out.

Fuuuuuckit · 26/02/2025 10:26

I read that the deceased passenger was quite large so moving down the aisle was too hard.

There were plenty of other empty seats though, why didn't the man open his mouth and ask if it was ok to move? Or just move himself?

HoppingPavlova · 26/02/2025 10:28

Wouldn’t bother me whatsoever as long as they were in a window seat. Living passengers are far more annoying in general. Also probably preferable to someone climbing over you constantly to go to the loo.

HoppingPavlova · 26/02/2025 10:29

Also very confused why the guy himself didn’t move if there were spare seats which is what they are saying. It’s odd, if they were unhappy, that they just sat there and looked at spare seats🤷‍♀️

ParrotParty · 26/02/2025 10:30

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.

There is usually somewhere bodies can be put. However in this case it sounds like size was the issue and they couldn't move the body through.
I hope none of the ladies relatives were on board, such a traumatising situation.

ParrotParty · 26/02/2025 10:32

HoppingPavlova · 26/02/2025 10:28

Wouldn’t bother me whatsoever as long as they were in a window seat. Living passengers are far more annoying in general. Also probably preferable to someone climbing over you constantly to go to the loo.

Bodies aren't just like a sleeping person. The muscles all stop working so there will be toileting smells.

cranberryhaddock · 26/02/2025 10:34

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?

What a ridiculous response. Different people have had different levels of exposure to death. This couple might not have had much. I'd find it pretty horrifying myself having only ever seen one dead body in my life. Fair enough if you wouldn't mind sitting next to a decomposing corpse but it's a bit much being critical of others who wouldn't be able to cope with this.

DeepFatFried · 26/02/2025 10:34

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.

The link hits the Apple News pay wall

Original poster
eyeeyeeyeeyeeye · 26/02/2025 10:34

I think it's just awful all round. The man probably felt awkward about asking to move and didn't want to seem insensitive. Of course it goes without saying it's awful for the lady who died too. I do think she deserved some dignity. Maybe it was her size that complicated things.

OP posts:
Original poster
eyeeyeeyeeyeeye · 26/02/2025 10:35

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.

I'm very sorry to hear that. That is so bad people having to step over him and I'm sure people must've also felt equally as bad doing so.

OP posts:
Mingenious · 26/02/2025 10:36

cranberryhaddock · 26/02/2025 10:34

What a ridiculous response. Different people have had different levels of exposure to death. This couple might not have had much. I'd find it pretty horrifying myself having only ever seen one dead body in my life. Fair enough if you wouldn't mind sitting next to a decomposing corpse but it's a bit much being critical of others who wouldn't be able to cope with this.

Show quote history

you cannot compare sitting next to a recently deceased person to “sitting next to a decomposing corpse”

vitahelp · 26/02/2025 10:37

I don’t understand why they didn’t move, surely you would just do so whether the airline staff told you to or not.

I feel sorry for the family of the person who died, there is mention of them being too large for the staff to move to another area of the plane in the article and it just feels very undignified and would be upsetting to read. Surely the biggest sadness is the fact this person passed away on a flight where there was no medical help, rather than the plight of fellow passengers..

Disturbia81 · 26/02/2025 10:37

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.

This... To be honest I'd rather sit next to a quiet still dead body than someone alive on a plane.

SwanOfThoseThings · 26/02/2025 10:38

DeepFatFried · 26/02/2025 10:34

The link hits the Apple News pay wall

Show quote history

Here's a BBC article https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz03l18jv97o

EleanorReally · 26/02/2025 10:39

they're after Compensation

DeepFatFried · 26/02/2025 10:42

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz03l18jv97o.amp

BBC coverage.

Very puzzling that the man didn’t move seats or insist on being allowed to move seats.

It sounds as if the crew needed to put the poor woman into the nearest seat, with spare seats on the plane they could then have created a space with blankets around the dead woman and moved passengers around

I am sure people would have been understanding.

Bizarre that he didn’t move.

DeepFatFried · 26/02/2025 10:45

EleanorReally · 26/02/2025 10:39

they're after Compensation

Yup.

And while deaths on flights usually go unreported the family of this poor woman now have to see it splashed across news outlets as a problem for the other passengers. Including details which undermine her dignity ( account if the crew trying to move her etc).

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 26/02/2025 10:46

From what I’ve read, there were spare seats.

But apparently the dead woman was ‘very large’, so I can’t help wondering whether the couple in question - very taken aback, in shock - were then unable to get out, if the woman was in the aisle seat.

I’ve had to climb over a very fat person who was asleep in the aisle seat, stepping on the armrests! - in order to get to the loo, but not everybody is sufficiently agile. But that’s why I invariably book an aisle seat nowadays.

queenofthemay · 26/02/2025 10:46

Poor family knowing that there was no dignity in death afforded there.

HoppingPavlova · 26/02/2025 10:50

@cranberryhaddock What a ridiculous response. Different people have had different levels of exposure to death. This couple might not have had much. I'd find it pretty horrifying myself having only ever seen one dead body in my life. Fair enough if you wouldn't mind sitting next to a decomposing corpse but it's a bit much being critical of others who wouldn't be able to cope with this

What’s the actual issue though that’s pretty horrifying? The body will just ‘sit’ there, it can’t turn into a zombie and attack you! And in reality it will be far less annoying than a live person.

MarioLink · 26/02/2025 10:51

I wouldn't mind the body being nearby as they need to go somewhere but not in the seat next to me! I think I would have spoken up and insisted I could move to one of the empty seats elsewhere.

JustMyView13 · 26/02/2025 10:52

I really don’t understand why the passenger who was capable of asking to move (aka alive) didn’t open their mouth and ask.

I think it’s shameful of them to go to the press vs just asking the crew for new seats.

It’s pretty standard protocol for deceased passengers to be seated for safety reasons. If you’re unlucky enough for it to happen on a full flight, this is unfortunately how it goes.

Hwi · 26/02/2025 10:58

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?

When we stopped thinking about it at all - like it is not going to happen to us, which is both ridiculous and sad.

notwavingbutsinking · 26/02/2025 10:59

I assume that when the passengers in question were asked to move, the man simply shifted to the window seat without fully understanding what was about to happen. Once the lady's body had been placed in the ailse seat, presumably it was too difficult for him to pass her to switch seats, and it's understandable that he would not have felt comfortable with asking the crew to move her again. It was clearly a very difficult situation for everyone involved.