A couple on a Qatar Airways flight from Australia to Qatar were left in horror after a woman died mid-flight, forcing them to sit next to her body for the remainder of the 4-hour journey.
The airline has since issued an apology, but passengers are questioning the airline’s response to such a traumatic situation. A married couple said they were forced to sit next to a dead woman’s body for four hours on a flight from Australia to Qatar.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were on a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Doha, the Qatari capital, last week. About 10 hours into the flight, a woman exited the restroom, collapsed and died in front of them, the couple told said.
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“They did everything they could, but unfortunately the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch,” Ring said.
Ring said the flight crew then put the woman’s body in an empty seat next to the couple for the remaining four hours of the flight.
“They looked a bit frustrated, then 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.”
Qatar Airways, which is owned by the Qatari government, said in a statement Wednesday, “Our thoughts are with the family members of the passenger who sadly passed away on-board a recent Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne, Australia.”
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“We have been in contact with the family of the passenger who passed away to express our condolences on their loss,” the statement said.
The airline did not immediately return a request for comment about the deceased passenger’s identity.
The couple said the flight crew would not let them change seats for the rest of the flight and asked them to remain seated as medical staffers addressed the body upon landing. They added that Qatar Airlines did not offer them any support after the fact.
“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 counseling,” Ring said.
Qatar Airways said on Wednesday that they spoke “with the affected passengers to address their concerns.”
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The couple’s final destination was Venice, Italy. They said they are still trying to salvage their trip.
“I’m trying to make the best of a pretty hard situation, but, you know, we’re on holidays, so we’re really trying to have a good time,” Colin said.
