Passenger Seated Next to Deceased Traveler on Long-Haul Flight

A routine long-haul flight turned into an unsettling experience for an Australian man after he was seated next to a deceased passenger for four hours, the Times reports.

Mitchell Ring and his partner, Jennifer Colin, were traveling with Qatar Airways from Melbourne to Doha on their way to Venice when a fellow passenger collapsed and died mid-flight. The woman had exited the restroom before suddenly falling near their row, about ten hours into the journey.

According to Ring, the flight attendants acted swiftly, attempting to resuscitate the woman in the aisle next to him. Despite their efforts, they were unable to save her. The crew initially tried to move the body toward the business class section but faced difficulties due to space constraints.

“They looked a bit frustrated,” Ring told Australia’s Channel 9, before asking him to switch seats.

“They placed the lady in the chair I was in,” he recalled.

His partner, already an anxious flyer, became distressed but was offered a seat elsewhere by a fellow passenger.

The deceased remained seated until the flight landed in Doha, at which point medical personnel boarded the plane to remove the body. Passengers were instructed to remain in their seats as the emergency teams attended to the situation.

Qatar Airways follows the International Air Transport Association (IATA) protocol for in-flight medical emergencies. The guidelines recommend that, when possible, a deceased passenger be moved to a seat with fewer surrounding passengers. If the flight is full, the body may remain in its original seat or be relocated at the crew’s discretion.

Despite this procedure, Ring and Colin expressed disappointment in the airline’s handling of the aftermath. They stated they had not been contacted for any support or counseling following the traumatic experience.

“They have a duty of care towards their customers as well as their staff,” Ring said. “I don’t really know how I feel and would like to speak to somebody to make sure I’m alright.”

In response, Qatar Airways issued a statement offering condolences to the family of the deceased passenger and apologizing for any distress caused. The airline also confirmed that they were in the process of reaching out to affected passengers.

Medical emergencies on flights are rare, with a 2021 study in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine estimating a mortality rate of just 0.21 per million passengers annually. While in-flight medical incidents occur more frequently—around 18.2 per million passengers—deaths remain uncommon.

This incident follows a similar case in January when a passenger died on an Air France flight from Paris to Boston. Airlines generally have set protocols for handling such emergencies, balancing the need for passenger dignity with operational challenges.