The airline which is said to have placed a dead body in a seat next to a couple on a long-haul flight has spoken out about the incident.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were embarking on what was meant to be a dream vacation which quickly turned into a nightmare when they were ‘forced’ to endure their flight while seated by a dead body.
The couple, who were reportedly nervous about flying, had departed from their hometown, Melbourne, Australia, on a 20-hour trip with their sights set on Venice, Italy, when another passenger on the Qatar Airways flight suddenly died in the aisle.
Ring and Colin told Australian TV outlet 9Now how cabin crew attempted to revive the woman but she ‘couldn’t be saved’, making for a ‘heartbreaking’ watch.
However, her body was then placed on the same row as the couple, despite there being other empty seats, Ring claimed.
Colin said: “I was really shocked,” before calling the ordeal ‘traumatic.’
“We totally understand that we can’t hold the airline responsible for the poor lady’s death, but there has to be a protocol then to look after the customers that are on board,” she said.
The airline has addressed the incident (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Now, a spokesperson for Qatar Airways has issued a statement about the incident.
In an email to CNN, the airline said its ‘thoughts are with the family members of the passenger who sadly passed away on-board a recent Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne, Australia.’
The statement continues: “We have been in contact with the family of the passenger who passed away to express our condolences on their loss. We have also directly spoken with the affected passengers to address their concerns.
“The safety and comfort of all our passengers is of paramount importance to us.”
For the last four hours of their journey, the ‘traumatized’ couple sat next to the body, right up until they landed in Doha, Qatar, though Colin was able to move to another empty seat across the aisle.
Mitchell Ring said he sat next to the passenger who had died on the flight (YouTube/A Current Affair)
Ring also said the couple were told to stay seated when the jet landed to allow paramedics to recover the body.
“I can’t believe they told us to stay… it wasn’t nice,” he said, as he witnessed medics pull away the blanket that had been covering the deceased flyer.
The couple said they weren’t initially contacted by the airline and had expected the company to offer counselling.
Qantas Airways, where the travellers purchased their tickets, told CNN it was in touch with the pair and has followed up with Qatar Airways.
It added in a statement: “The process for handling incidents onboard an aircraft like this is managed by the operating airline, which in this case is Qatar Airways.”
As for the duo, Ring said they are still trying to process the traumatic event.
“I don’t really know how I feel and would like to speak to somebody to make sure I’m alright,” he added.
A passenger went to extreme lengths to avoid paying an extra luggage fee.
Look, we’ve all been there, wheeling our little suitcases along in the airport to try and stroll into the cabin unquestioned, well aware there’s a strong chance our bag won’t fit. Even worse if there’s a stickler-for-the-rules flight attendant who should force us to pop it in the measuring bay.
Sadly for one flyer, they didn’t make it past staff unnoticed, although, they certainly put their foot down in a bid to avoid coughing up an extra $76.
Daniel was catching a Ryanair flight from Palma Airport to Costa del Sol, Spain when he was apprehended by staff members.
He was informed his hand luggage didn’t meet the air carrier’s requirements and he’d have to pay an additional fee to be allowed to board the flight.
Ryanair’s Bag Policy states as per its website: “Priority & two Cabin Bags: This allows you to carry a small personal bag (40x20x25cm), which must fit under the seat in front of you and a 10kg bag (55x40x20cm) onboard, to be stored in the overhead locker. It also allows you to board the plane first using the Priority Boarding queue at the gate.”
Daniel was flying with Ryanair (DAVID GANNON/AFP via Getty Images)
And Daniel wasn’t just asked to spend an extra tenner here or there, but a whopping $75.85 to get his bag onboard with him.
Alas, unfortunately for the airline, Daniel wasn’t having it and rather than trying to argue further with Ryanair officials, the passenger decided to take matters into his own hands – quite literally.
Refusing to cough up the amount all for a few extra pairs of shorts, shoes and hair products, Daniel decided to force his suitcase to fit the airline’s baggage measurement requirements by snapping off its wheels.
He said: “I told Ryanair it cost me €30 ($32.50) 10 years ago and I wasn’t going to pay the €70 ($85.85) they were asking me for, so I decided to break it.”
And a video shows the moment Daniel decided to alter his suitcase, the passenger heard in the video joking: “Imagine if it doesn’t fit after this.”
Daniel decided to force his bag to fit by ripping off its wheels (Solarpix)
Upon finishing his DIY job on his suitcase, the video shows Daniel being met with raucous applause from those around him.
And when he tested the bag in the Ryanair measurement slot and it fit? Well, as you can anticipate, the reaction only got more joyous from there.
The passenger resolves: “It would have cost me more to check the case in than I spent on the flight.”
One small win for Daniel, one big leap for all budget airline flyers?
Passengers have spoken out about the moment their flight experienced ‘strong’ turbulence as being like a scene from a ‘horror movie’.
Yesterday (July 1), Air Europa Flight UX045 – a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner – took off from Spain, set to travel to Uruguay, however, it ended up being diverted to Natal in Brazil after experiencing turbulence which left a reported 30 passengers injured.
The 325-passenger plane began experiencing turbulence while over the Atlantic, the BBC reports.
Air Europa confirmed the incident in a series of posts to X.
It stated: [Translation] “Our flight UX045 bound for Montevideo has been diverted to Natal airport (Brazil) due to strong turbulence.
“The plane has landed normally and the minor injuries that were reported are already being treated.”
Ambulances and fire engines attended the scene, with at least 30 passengers tended to by local medical teams, Brazilian media reports.
Around 10 who had suffered cuts or cranial fractures to their face – having reportedly hit their heads during the incident – were transported to a local hospital.
And several passengers have since spoken out about the ‘terrifying’ experience.
Passengers are reported as having gone ‘flying’.(X/@MarielaJodal)
A passenger called Norys told El Observador the pilot informed passengers the aircraft was about to ‘enter a turbulence zone’ when the plane was around an hour from South America. Travelers were reportedly told to remain seated and ensure their seatbelts were fastened.
Norys explained at first there was ‘very, very slight turbulence’ which you could ‘barely feel’ but then ‘suddenly the plane abruptly fell’.
“Those who were not wearing seatbelts flew away and some were stuck to the ceiling,” he added.
Another passenger, Federico, claimed children were sent ‘flying’ and Juan Pablo described the scene as being like a ‘horror movie’.
A further traveler called Juan added: “The sensation was terrifying, feeling like you were falling and that it was never going to end. And you were aware that you were falling at an incalculable speed.
“And you felt like it was going to end there, that you were going to die. Until we started to see on the screen that the plane was starting to rise.”
The plane diverted to Natal, Brazil. (X/@pichipastoso)
As per CNN, passenger Stevan told Reuters: “It was a pretty horrible feeling; we thought we were going to die there, but thank God it didn’t happen.”
As of yesterday, Air Europa updated a plane had reportedly taken off from Madrid to pick up the passengers from Natal to continue their journey to Uruguay.
The airline added: [Translation] “We inform that our clients are moving to Recife, where they will stay and then travel to Montevideo.
“Natal was the airport that could serve passengers with medical needs the fastest. As it is not an AirEuropa destination, company personnel travel to Natal and Recife also to provide better service to our clients. All people who have required healthcare are being treated in centers in Natal.
“Passengers will be notified with updated information about this operation. We will update with more information.”
A plane passenger has revealed the note they received from a flight attendant after getting stuck in the loo for the entire journey.
Flying is hardly all fun and games at the best of times – especially now some people have decided to start ‘raw-dogging’ on their plane journeys.
However, there’s one way which would leave you having the worst flying experience of your life and that’s being trapped in a plane’s bathroom for the whole duration of it.
It sounds too nightmarish to be true, but unfortunately for one passenger it was their actual reality soon after they took off from Mumbai airport in India earlier this year.
The only lucky part of this story is the SpiceJet Flight SG-268 lasted just over an hour, traveling from Mumbai airport at 2am local time to Bengaluru in India’s southern Karnataka state.
However, that didn’t mean the experience was any less anxiety-inducing for the unnamed male passenger when they first realized they were locked in.
The passenger had gone to the toilet as soon as the seatbelt signs switched off after takeoff.
But he then could not get out of the toilet due to the door failing to open.
The passenger was stuck onboard a SpiceJet flight. (Nasir Kachroo/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The budget airline said in a statement: “A passenger unfortunately got stuck inside the lavatory for about an hour.”
The crew and many others onboard tried to free the man, but nothing seemed to work.
It meant that the passenger was stuck in the toilet for the landing of the commercial aircraft at Kempegowda International Airport.
The man was understandably panicked by the whole ordeal, so a flight attendant decided to slide a note under the door in an attempt to reassure him.
And it didn’t take long for the note to go viral following all the drama.
The flight attendant’s note. (X)
“Sir we tried our best to open the door, however, we could not,” it began.
“Do not panic. We are landing in a few minutes, so please close the commode lid and sit on it and secure yourself. As soon as the main door is open, an engineer will come. Do not panic.”
And that’s exactly what happened as the plane landed, with two engineers boarding and breaking down the door once it was on the ground.
After the man was freed from the toilet captive, he received ‘immediate medical support’.
Since the passenger’s story made worldwide headlines, the airline has issued him with a full refund.
“SpiceJet regrets and apologizes for the inconvenience caused to the passenger,” SpiceJet said in a statement.
“The passenger is being provided a full refund.”
A flight had to be cut short after an ‘unusual smell’ in the cabin, which resulted in a member of the cabin crew being taken to hospital.
We’ve heard some unsettling travel stories in recent months, including the plane that flew for nine hours but landed back at its original destination.
It’s safe to say passengers won’t be forgetting this recent Qantas flight from Australia to New Zealand anytime soon.
The Boeing 737 took off from Sydney Airport at 6.45pm on Wednesday evening (October 2) as scheduled.
The flight to Wellington International Airport usually takes around three hours and 15 minutes. But around an hour into the journey, cabin crew and the plane’s pilot noticed a poignant odor and the aircraft was turned around.
The plane (not pictured) was forced to turn around after an hour in the air (Morgan Hancock/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The plane landed back at Sydney Airport just after 9pm.
A Qantas spokesperson told The Australian the pilot called for a ‘priority landing’ – not an ’emergency landing’.
On landing, a cabin crew member was whisked away to hospital for ‘a precautionary medical examination’.
An engineering assessment was able to find the source of the smell.
Turns out a product used while fixing a part in the galley area during routine maintenance caused the disruption.
The Qantas spokesperson explained: “The aircraft landed safely and will be checked by engineers before returning to service.”
Passengers were given accommodation and booked onto the next available flight.
The plane took off from Sydney Airport before landing back again (James D. Morgan/Getty Images)
The spokesperson added: “We apologise for the disruption to their journey and thank them for their understanding.”
The plane had reportedly completed two flights on Wednesday before the incident, as per 7NEWS.
It had flown from Wellington to Sydney and as well as a return trip to Norfolk Island – a tiny Australian island in the South Pacific Ocean located between Australia and New Zealand.
