Phil the Flyer

As the last post in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ba-flight.html

was more than five years ago I am compelled to start a new thread to highlight this newspaper article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/tr...assengers.html

Sixth Freedom

Regrettably I have reached my quota of Torygraph articles for the month and cannot see the article.

However this is FT so I shall plug on regardless...

From time to time a passenger would die on one of our QR flights.

It was most likely to happen on a JFK flight due to a combination of long block hours, high seat factor and high capacity.

The procedure was to strap the deceased passenger into their seat and if possible move passengers sitting next to the deceased to another seat. If no other seats were available then the living passengers would need to sit next to the deceased until the aircraft reached it's destination.

I recommended passenger complaints from having to sit next to a deceased passenger be addressed by issuing a full refund. But I don't think that this was actually implemented.

LondonElite

See my posts #2 and #31 in this thread...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...version-3.html

crazy8534

Looks like the press have been sneek-preview-ing next Tuesday's 'A Very British Airline'. I think SQ have a 'corpse closet'.

Paralytic

If the cadaver was in an aisle seat, would it be moved to the window seat, or did the window seat passenger have to climb over them to get out?

HIDDY

How awful that would be especially for the person sat next to the body.

In that situation would they divert the aircraft as soon as possible or carry on to the destination regardless?

Sixth Freedom

The deceased passenger would be strapped into their assigned seat.

It would be awful, hence my recommendation that we issue a full refund to the adjacent passengers. But diverting the aircraft is extremely costly so I think that carrying on to the destination is the right thing to do.

DrGee

Perhaps the deceased person's neighbour could be offered their food and drink in compensation, if still available of course.

I suppose it could be considered the ultimate DYKWIA (or DYKWIW) moment to pass away on board an aircraft while in flight.

Note to self. Must try to stop being so flippant.

BOH

SQ's ultra long range A345 aircraft actually have a specific refrigerated container in the cabin to put a body in if a fatality occurs in flight. Given one sector length is 18-ish hours non-stop from SIN to EWR I guess they estimated the likelihood of an occasional fatality was reasonably high to install this.

It would not be pleasant for pax to have a corpse for some 12 hours close by someone if a fatality occurred early on.

IIRC, SQ no longer operates these ULH flights anymore.

csutter

Quite probably - not to mention if your life gets "enhanced", you receive one final op-up to F...

origin

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...traveller.html


An older article from the DM, about poor people having to sit next to a lifeless person.

paulwuk

Typical daily mail accuracy and eye for detail

exilencfc

I'm glad you posted that because it save me look like the crass one.

Personally I think that the presence of any relatives of the dead person onboard would likely end up being rather more distressing for all concerned than the presence of dead themselves - and i'm not for a moment suggesting that any relatives in that situation should be other than extremely upset.

pinkcat

Mr Pinkcat and I did idly wonder about this as a final voyage but decided it would be unfair on other pax . The consultant was less than impressed at his attending the JER do last year and he was told to keep his feet on the ground

ruby55

That comment caused a tea-spluttering laugh...now I have to wipe my screen!