After 9/11 it is only natural for a person to think that American Airlines would take every precaution necessary on its flights, but obviously American Airlines doesn't think it is necessary. I would say some of their flight attendants obviously need more training if they somehow missed a dead body. I'll bet they don't have trouble finding the pilots in the cockpit. Today's FAs need more than little two piece blue uniforms with a short skirt, they need training and skill to handle all emergency situations. Perhaps if someone were paying attention, this man could have received CPR and the proper medical attention, but then again, if they missed a dying man they probably wouldn't have had the training or brains to know CPR or to even know how to call for help. Who knows he may have lived if only a crew member would have paid attention. I have had some difficulty with AA and I will never fly the line again. The entire stew pool disappeared to the front of the plane, drawing the curtain behind them on my flight and did not reemerge for sometime. If I ever get stuck flying AA again for any reason, I will be on the edge of my seat the entire way. After this incident, 9/11 and other articles I have read, I will always hold their ability and skill in question. Thank God there are other lines.

Does this mean now that airline personnel will be required to knock on every lavatory door at precise 5 minute intervals and say "Hey, are you okay in there? You're not dead or anything? If you're dead, please knock twice."

If there's negligence here, maybe it's taking an airline flight knowing you have a heart condition? Plane or no plane, sometimes people die, and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

I wouldn't. People change seats mid-flight all the time. After about 30 minutes I'd of lifted his armrest and stretched out.

If someone sitting near me went to the lav and never returned, I'd just assume they were having digestive issues.

maybe she is trying to make a connection between the airline food he ate and his death...? Or maybe shes just a greedy bitch.

The lawyer seems to be throwing it all out there to see what sticks.

Not really worth a lawsuit or even a firing though.

either way, i wonder if he had the fish?

[waits for the discussion to devolve into one about cannibalism]

As far as planes, I've been on the pot immediately before landings and each time they knocked to let me know to hurry up. I'm surprised they didn't say anything. Maybe they thought the door somehow jiggled into the locked position? Anyway, I don't see what they're *responsible* for. The guy died. . . .

i don't know about Ms. Watts, but if my spouse never returned after going to the bathroom 20 minutes after leaving her seat, i'd be a bit worried... even more so if she didn't show up before we were scheduled to land

If they'd done that on this flight, they would have seen someone was in there, knocked for a response, and getting none (since he was dead), would unlock the door from the outside to determine if there was a problem in there.

I don't know why the wife is suing though-- he's dead regardless and it's not like she can make the claim that he died because of their neglect. Just that his body was unclaimed for a couple of hours.

Maybe the wife is mad because she and her hubby didn't get upgraded to first class after he died?

He could have had a heart attack in the fucking aisle and they could have watched him die and there is no liability, much less a duty to search a lavatory. I hope this women joins her husband soon, as a society we will be better off.