Thread: Airline Moves Dead Body to 1st Class

LONDON - A first-class passenger on a flight from Delhi to London awoke find the corpse of a woman who had died in the economy cabin being placed in a seat next to him, British Airways said Monday.

The economy section of the flight was full, and the cabin crew needed to move the woman and her grieving family out of that compartment to give them some privacy, the airline said.

The first-class passenger, Paul Trinder, told the Sunday Times newspaper that he was sleeping during a February flight from India and woke up when the crew placed the dead woman in an empty seat near him.

"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," the newspaper quoted Trinder as saying. "When I asked what was going on, I was shocked to hear she was dead."


British Airways said in a statement that about 10 passengers die each year in flight and that while each situation is dealt with on an individual basis, safety is paramount.

"The deceased must not be placed in the galley or blocking aisles or exits, and there should be clear space around the deceased," the statement said. "The wishes of family or friends traveling with the deceased will always be considered, and account taken of the reactions of other passengers."

Because there was space in the first class cabin, that "allowed the family members traveling with the deceased some level of privacy in their grief," the airline said.

"We apologize to passengers in the first cabin who were distressed by the situation _ our cabin crew were working in difficult circumstances and chose the option that they believed would cause the least disruption," the statement said.

David Learmount, a former pilot and cabin crew member who now writes about the aviation industry for Flight International magazine, said that each airline has to deal with the relatively rare situation on an individual basis. He said that diverting the flight would be an unusual move, and that the captain would be consulted before the crew acted.

"Personally, I think they did the thing that was the best thing to do," he said. "Really, you want as much as possible to isolate the person.

"It's an isolated incident. It's not as if it happens every day, but you do have to take in people's sensibilities when it does happen."

http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/03/19/ap/strange/d8nva2so0.txt

Personally, I would rather sit next to a dead person than some of the asshats I've sat next to on flights.

"Prophet" wrote:

Personally, I would rather sit next to a dead person than some of the asshats I've sat next to on flights.

Atleast you wouldn't have to worry about them taking your arm rest... that pisses me off more than anything.

I wonder if they qualified for extra airmiles having been moved in 1st Class?

Another good reason to bring grandma on vacation.

"Del" wrote:

Another good reason to bring grandma on vacation.

Just don't tie the dog to the bumper or strap grandma to the roof

I was taking a flight form Denver to Chicago and the dead woman on this flight would have smelled 20 times better than the woman I was stuck next to on that flight.

If somebody smells so bad that they make you gage should they be allowed to be on the plane?

Ok Dumb question but if she was that sick why was she even on the plane in the first place? I am in no way trying to be mean but I have to question why they would let her travel if she was in as bad of shape as it seemed.

I think I would be upset if I woke up in first class next to a dead woman.
If her grieving family is present, biatching about the situation probably won't be appropriate either.
I guess you just suck it up and deal with it.

What exactly would you be mad about? A dead person ruining your first class experience?

lol, I could see it all now....we're sorry sir but she wouldnt fit in overhead storage......