Paul Trinder, who awoke to see the body at the end of his row, last week described the journey as "deeply disturbing", and complained that the airline dismissed his concerns by telling him to "get over it".]]> British Airways responds: BA said the dead woman was taken into first class because the rest of the plane was full."It was a complete mess -- they seemed to have no proper plans in place to deal with the situation," said Trinder, 54, a businessman from Brackley, Northamptonshire.
The woman died during a nine-hour flight on a Boeing 747. Trinder was catching up on sleep when he was woken by a commotion and opened his eyes to see staff maneuvering the body into a seat.
"I didn't have a clue what was going on. The stewards just plonked the body down without saying a thing. I remember looking at this frail, sparrow-like woman and thinking she was very ill," said Trinder.
"She kept slipping under the seatbelt and moving about with the motion of the plane. When I asked what was going on I was shocked to hear she was dead."
A spokesman said: "When a customer passes away on board it is always difficult and we apologise for any distress caused."
He said there were about 10 deaths each year out of 36m passengers.
Other carriers use different procedures. Singapore Airlines has introduced "corpse cupboards" on its Airbus 340-500 aircraft. Cabin crews use the locker if there is no empty row of seats to place a corpse.
Note to self, do not fly Singapore airlines during zombie attack. Who knows how often they clean out the locker?—MEGHANN MARCO
BA Sat Corpse In First Class [Times Online]
(Photo: smartjunco)
I thought that old people eating tins of cat food was urban legend, but after this and the Perina Death Chow stories, maybe not?
]]>This happens 10 times a year. How many of them die because the airline can't be bothered to land?
I imagine some Poor Tortured Soul sitting out in a mountain wilderness where he's gone to meditate and seek a religious vision. Suddenly, my (bearded, long-haired) corpse falls out of the sky, and he decides Christ has come again, but this time He's dead until and unless He gets enough believers to make it worth His while. So Mr. Tortured Soul picks up my corpse and hies off to civilization to build a temple around it. Eventually my wife sees it in the news and laughs her head off.
the flight crew contains no doctorsMaybe there was a doctor among the passengers? ]]>
and when they shipped the coffin back home, they lost him like a piece of luggage. took them 2 days to get him home.
absolutely true story. now remind me why i fly again?
]]>On a lighter note: "I'm getting better." "no you're not, you'll be stone dead in a moment"
]]>This happens 10 times a year. How many of them die because the airline can't be bothered to land?
]]>She wasn't booked in first so no $5500 refund. But depending on the fare rules, her estate would be able to get back something for any unused ticket. :)
]]>Does that mean that she gets her money back? Being dead and all y'know it's the least that they could do is refund her monies.
]]>Crew rest on a 747 is far aft in the tail and/or in the 'attic' above the lowerdeck. 777s also have 'attic' rest areas depending on configuration. 757s, 767s, etc. don't have options crew rest areas aside from set aside-seats.
And it's quite possible to see 747s on North America - Europe flights. United routinesly schedules 744s on trans atlantics, as do BA and (formerly) American.
]]>Like it's going to decompose there on the spot or come back to life. Maybe not decompose, but it is my understanding that when a person dies, how should I put this delicately, certain muscles that are normally tightly closed-ahem-release what they are retaining. That is not what I want to be sitting next to on a flight. So IMHO, that guy did suffer.
Note: IANAD
]]>I'd give British Airways the benefit of the doubt. People die. You can't have a dead corpse close to another passenger who's freaking out. Move it to the empty seats in first class. Kudos on resourceful thinking.
]]>Only on 747s. And most transatlantic/transpolar flights are on 767 and other twinjets these days - jets that have only one deck.
]]>Hmmm... did she have the fish or the chicken?"
LOL, I thought of that too -- or did she order a special meal and if so, can I have it?
I'm going to hell for that.
]]>"The deceased must not be placed in the galley or blocking aisles or exits, and there should be clear space around the deceased. The wishes of family or friends traveling with the deceased will always be considered, and account taken of the reactions of other passengers."
I laughed myself to tears. Yes, please don't keep corpses in the galley ...
]]>Unfortunately I come from the same county as the complainer. Rose of the British Shires, and home of whiners too.
]]>It might make for a few less people going to the potty that flight...
]]>K
]]>Great minds and all that : )
]]>
Oh, you mean the not dead guy. Nevermind.
MotherFury: Maybe they should have offered the guy one of the three seats that were now freed up in coach? If they were all together, he could have stretched out and resumed his nap in peace.
The flight was from Delhi to London. Have you seen the prices of overseas first class tickets? If they offered him coach, he better be getting a couple grand of his money back.
Anyway, couldn't they clear out a row in coach?
I'm actually impressed that British Airways decided to inconvenience the few and the rich over the masses.
]]>Colleague of mine died on a plane over the Atlantic. I know they diverted to London, but not sure if they stopped working on him before they landed.
]]>I'm not sure what I would have done, or would have expected the airline to do. I'd say that's a pretty akward situation and the flight crew handled as best they could.
"Madam, is that passenger dead???"
"No sir, she's just pinin' for the fjords"
]]>
Seriously - they could have covered her. I don't know what they could have done about the wailing woman.
Maybe they should have offered the guy one of the three seats that were now freed up in coach? If they were all together, he could have stretched out and resumed his nap in peace.
]]>]]>
Also: You know it's a sad state of affairs when I too weigh the pros and cons of having a dead neighbor on a plane. On one hand, peace and quiet; on the other, if I've got a window seat going to and from the bathroom just became a lot more difficult.
]]>It is not the movies...it is use your head.
]]>Except Singapore airlines, apparently.
]]>Realistically, what would have had BA do? Set down immediately and unload the body, inconveniencing hundreds of not-dead people? Re-animate the passenger?
Life is not the movies. Dead people on the flight can't be removed to some secret compartment, because there are no accessible secret compartments on a passenger jet. Entering the flight deck is prohibited, so you can't stow the body in the jump seat.
]]>