Couple Gets Seated Next To Dead Body On Qatar Airways: Traumatizing?
Intro
Unfortunately, since the era of aviation began, plenty of deaths have occurred onboard aircraft. It got to the point where certain airplanes had separate compartments to store dead bodies in if/when these deaths occurred. Well, a couple was flying Qatar from Melbourne to Doha when a passenger passed away on the plane. However, some of these details don't make much sense.
The Details
First and foremost, I would like to say that my thoughts and prayers go out to the loved ones of the deceased. Death is horrible and scary; I can't imagine what it's like to lose someone who you would think is enjoying a flight to Doha.
Not too long ago, a passenger passed away onboard Qatar Airways when the aircraft was about 4 hours out of Doha. It is reported that she collapsed after leaving the restroom in which case the crew pronounced her deceased.
The crew attempted to move the deceased woman up towards business class, but they couldn't make it that far. They placed the woman in one of the middle sections on the 77W with four seats, where two people were sitting.
Supposedly, when the crew placed the deceased woman in the seat, there was a couple sitting next to the deceased woman. While the (alive) woman moved to a different seat, the man decided to stay in his assigned seat next to the deceased woman covered in blankets.
While the couple is expressing discontent with how the situation was handled, I am curious as to why.
As mentioned by the couple, there were plenty of seats available throughout the cabin, and the (alive) woman ended up moving to a different seat. That would leave a man and the deceased woman across the whole set of four seats with an option to move. The couple are saying that Qatar should have handled the situation better, but why not just ask to move?
My Thoughts
My take on this situation is that firstly, it must have been extremely traumatizing to see a woman collapse and die in front of your eyes, only to have her corpse sit next to you for the next four hours. While it is no fault of the airline, it doesn't mitigate the trauma. Heck, I couldn't imagine sitting on a plane next to a deceased person, I'd be a little shaken.
Secondly, I would have to imagine that the couple aren't seasoned travelers. Most frequent flyers I know would have been out of that situation before you could even blink (if there were open seats available like this flight). So yes, I sort of understand where they are coming from as Qatar should have offered them another option of seats, but they also should have asked.
That's just my opinion. What do I know (not much)?
Final Thoughts
A couple flying from Melbourne to Doha, unfortunately, ended up sitting next to a deceased woman for 4 hours. While the crew certainly could have done a better job at offering up different seating option, they both should have*** just moved. Perhaps I am coming off too harsh, but is it really wrong to even just ask the flight crew? While deaths tragically do happen on planes, I feel like it is always a delicate situation when one occurs for everyone around.
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