A couple has recoounted the tragic moments a woman suddenly collapsed in the aisle on a Qatar Airways flight to Doha, Qatar. Sadly despite emergency interventions by the cabin crew, she sadly passed away leaving fellow passengers distressed as the woman’s body was placed under blankets on a seat for the duration of the four-hour journey that remained.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, en route for a connecting flight to Venice, recounted the “pretty heartbreaking” moments they witnessed as the woman lost her life. The flight, booked via Qantas, is now the subject of an investigation following the incident which is reported to have occurred last week.
Mr Ring spoke to A Current Affair about the heart-rending event: “Unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch. They went to try and move her, they brought this chair down… and they put her in the chair and tried to wheel her up towards business class. But she was quite a large lady, and they couldn’t get her through the aisle.”
The couple was later approached by crew members who noted empty seats next to them, asking if they could shift over to accommodate the deceased. Consequently, the woman was laid near Mr Ring for the remainder of the flight, covered in blankets.
Ms Colin, already anxious about flying, found the experience haunting. She reflected on the shock of the moment, saying: “When my husband turned around and said, ‘move, move’, I was pretty shocked and I said, ‘are they going to put her there? ” reports The Mirror.
Qatar Airways has also pledged to conduct a thorough review of the incident.
Passengers on a flight to Doha were left in shock when the cabin crew reportedly failed to move them away from a deceased person on board. Ms Colin gratefully accepted an offer from another passenger, who had a spare seat, after claiming that no such assistance came from the flight attendants.
The ordeal didn’t end upon landing, as Mr. Ring described waiting for authorities to board: “It wasn’t nice. They have a duty of care towards their customers as well as their staff, we should be contacted to make sure, do you need some support, do you need some counselling? I don’t really know how I feel and would like to speak to somebody to make sure I’m alright.”
The Melbourne-based couple’s dream holiday to Venice has been overshadowed by this distressing experience, and they are apprehensive about their upcoming return flights.
