Man forced to sit next to dead passenger in Qatar Airways flight: Airline defends handling of situation
Qatar Airways has defended its handling of a passenger's death on a 14-hour flight, stating that its crew "acted quickly, appropriately and professionally."
In a statement to the BBC, the airline said an internal review confirmed that the response was "in line with the training and industry standard practice."
It also stated that support and compensation were offered to the deceased’s family and passengers "directly affected" by the incident.
"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 told the outlet.
It added that in-flight deaths are an "unfortunate reality" in aviation, and its crew is trained to handle such situations with "respect and dignity."
The airline’s statement followed complaints from Australian couple Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, who told Channel Nine they were traumatised by the experience.
They alleged that the cabin crew placed the deceased woman, covered in blankets, next to Ring for the final four hours of the Melbourne-to-Doha flight.
Recalling the incident, Ring said the crew asked him to move over and then placed the deceased in his original seat.
Another passenger offered Colin a seat across the aisle, but he claimed the airline staff did not attempt to move him elsewhere, despite vacant seats being available.
"We totally understand that we can't hold the airline responsible for the poor lady's death, but surely after that there has to be a protocol to look after the customers on board," Colin said.
Ring also recounted that upon landing, passengers were instructed to remain seated while medical personnel and police boarded the aircraft.
He described witnessing ambulance officers remove the blankets from the deceased woman.
"I can't believe they told us to stay," he said, adding that he expected passengers to be allowed to disembark before medical staff arrived.
Expressing frustration at the lack of post-flight support, he said, "They have a duty of care towards their customers as well as their staff. We should be contacted to make sure, do you need some support, do you need some counselling?"
Qatar Airways had previously apologised for "any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused," stating, "First and foremost our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight."
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