Couple Says Airline Seated Dead Passenger Next to Them

An Australian couple's trip to Venice, Italy, turned into a "pretty hard situation" after they say they were forced to sit beside a dead passenger during the first leg of their flight. NBC News reports Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were on a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Doha, Qatar, when a fellow passenger collapsed after exiting the plane's bathroom and died despite onboard efforts to save her. Ring says the cabin crew then decided to place the body, covered in blankets, next to him.

"They just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me, my wife was on the other side, we were in a row of four," Ring said. "They said, 'Can you move over please?' and I just said, 'Yes no problem'. Then they placed the lady in the chair I was in." The BBC reports Colin was able to move to a free seat but that Ring was not offered another seat though there were some available. He says they had to stay seated after landing as the body was dealt with. Ring says things got more distressing at that point as the blankets were removed. "I was there and I got to see her face. Yeah, it wasn't nice," he said, "I can't believe they told us to stay. I thought they would have got us out quickly."

Per news.com.au, International Air Transport Association protocol recommends a person who has died midflight be placed in an empty row, or, if there are no such rows, returned to their assigned seat. They should be covered with a blanket to preserve their dignity. As for Ring and Colin, they say they received no "support" post-flight. Qatar Airways has "apologize[d] for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused" and says it is reaching out to passengers "in line with our policies and procedures." Colin calls the entire experience "traumatizing" and says they are trying to make the most of their Venice trip. (More Qatar Airways stories.)