Flight Nightmare: Couple Sits Next to Dead Passenger for Four Hours

DOHA, Qatar — An Australian couple’s dream vacation was marred by tragedy when they were forced to sit next to a deceased passenger during a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Venice.

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were on their long-haul journey when a fellow passenger collapsed after leaving the restroom. Despite the cabin crew’s attempts to revive the woman, she was unable to be saved, which left Ring and Colin in a state of shock.

“Unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch,” said Ring. “They tried to move her up towards business class, but she was quite large and couldn’t fit through the aisle.”

As the crew searched for a solution, they noticed empty seats near Ring and Colin and asked the couple to shift over, positioning the deceased woman in the seat previously occupied by Ring. “They just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me, and then they placed the lady in the chair I had been sitting in,” he recalled.

Colin, who is a nervous flyer, described her horror when she understood what was happening. “When my husband turned around and said, ‘move, move,’ I was pretty shocked and I asked, ‘are they going to put her there?’” she said.

During the remaining four hours of the flight to Doha, the couple sat in close proximity to the corpse, which was covered with a blanket. They reported that no alternative seating was offered by the cabin crew, and Colin was eventually invited to sit elsewhere by another passenger while Ring remained near the deceased.

Upon landing, the couple faced further distress as they were instructed to remain seated while authorities boarded to address the situation. “I can’t believe they told us to stay… it wasn’t nice,” Ring stated. “They have a duty of care towards their customers as well as their staff. We should be contacted to make sure we are okay,” said Ring.

Neither Qatar Airways nor Qantas, through which the flight was booked, had reached out to provide support following the incident. “I don’t really know how I feel and would like to speak to somebody to make sure I’m alright,” he added.

Colin expressed her desire to enjoy their holiday despite the traumatic experience. “I’m trying to make the best of a pretty hard situation, but we’re on holidays so we’re really trying to have a good time,” she said.

In response to the incident, Qatar Airways stated they are looking into the matter. “Our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board. We apologize for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused, and we are in the process of contacting passengers in line with our policies and procedures,” said a spokesperson for the airline.

A spokesperson for Qantas indicated that the responsibility for incident management lies with the operating airline, which in this case is Qatar Airways. They have also committed to addressing the couple’s concerns directly.