In brief
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin express their distress over the management of the incident and emphasize the need for better protocols.
An Australian couple has relayed their traumatic experience on a Qatar Airways flight, where the body of a deceased passenger was shockingly placed next to them. Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were en route to Venice for a long-awaited holiday when a woman passed away in the aisle adjacent to them during the journey from Melbourne to Doha. To their horror, cabin crew opted to set the woman’s corpse, covered with blankets, beside Mr. Ring for the last four hours of the flight, despite numerous empty seats available.During an interview with Australia’s Channel 9, the couple shared that the airline did not reach out to them following the incident nor did they offer any support, leaving them feeling abandoned. Qatar Airways extended their apologies for any distress the incident may have caused, mentioning they were in the process of reaching out to affected passengers.Mr. Ring explained how the staff responded quickly when the woman collapsed, but unfortunately, she could not be revived. He noted the crew attempted to move her body upwards toward business class, but due to her size, they ended up placing her next to him after he had been asked to shift. Ms. Colin managed to relocate to a nearby empty seat but lamented the lack of options given to her partner.Once the flight landed, passengers were instructed to remain seated until authorities arrived to manage the situation. It was then that Mr. Ring recalled seeing medical personnel removing blankets and subsequently glimpsing the woman's face. Both he and Ms. Colin underscored the necessity for the airline to have a proper protocol in place to care for passengers during such distressing events."This experience was dreadful, and while we understand the airline isn’t responsible for the lady’s passing, they must ensure the wellbeing of customers on board," Ms. Colin voiced, calling the situation 'traumatic'. In a statement, Qatar Airways expressed condolences to the family of the deceased passenger and confirmed they were following their policies by reaching out to all passengers involved. Meanwhile, a Qantas representative clarified that such incidents are managed by the operating airline, which in this case is Qatar Airways.
