IoS: BA places corpse next to first-class passenger

BA places corpse next to first-class passenger
By Ruth Elkins

Independent on Sunday
Published: 18 March 2007

A British Airways passenger was refused compensation and told by the
airline to "get over it" after a corpse was placed in the row where he
was sitting last week.

Paul Trinder, 54, a businessman from Brackley, Northamptonshire, spent
more than £3,000 for a first-class ticket from Delhi. He awoke during
the flight to find that cabin staff were propping up a dead woman
almost next to him. "The stewards just plonked down this body without
saying a thing," he said. "I remember looking at this thin, sparrow-
like woman and thinking she was very ill."

The woman had been in economy class when she died soon after the plane
left Delhi. "She kept slipping under the seat belt and moving about
with the motion of the plane," Mr Trinder said. "When I asked what was
going on, I was shocked to hear she was dead."

Mr Trinder, who was kept on board the plane when it landed and
questioned by police and a coroner, contacted British Airways to
complain, but was told to simply "get over" the experience.

British Airways says the dead woman was taken into first class because
the rest of the plane was full. "When a customer passes away on board
it is always difficult and we apologise for any distress caused," a BA
spokesperson said.

Mr Trinder remains unimpressed. "I just kept thinking to myself: 'I've
paid more than £3,000 for this'."


http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/tra...cle2368991.ece

wrote
oups.com...
BA places corpse next to first-class passenger

A British Airways passenger was refused compensation and told by the
airline to "get over it" after a corpse was placed in the row where he
was sitting last week.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/tra...cle2368991.ece
***

Nasty. He should get some sort of compensation. One can understand that the
body had to be be moved out of the cramped economy class, but sitting
practically next to a corpse doesn't really enhance flight experience
either. Some flowers and a travel voucher (although I don't think he _needs_
one after being able to pay 3.000 GBP for a tickets, but stil... it's a
gesture) would be nice and appropriate.
Greetings,

-hi there goodlookin`...

Thur wrote:

Nasty. He should get some sort of compensation.

Nope. He should get over it, as the airline suggested.

--
Craig

Craig Welch wrote:
Nasty. He should get some sort of compensation.
Nope. He should get over it, as the airline suggested.


Assuming this isn't a hoax, the passenger should have demanded he be moved if
they were unwilling to move the corpse.

Normal airlines would put put the person in a body bag and stowe in in a
lavatory. In the case of Singapore, on its 340-500s, they have stowage for a
dead body so it doesn't close down one of the lavatories.

It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to other
people, especially for a very long flight.


If BA really did what was written in that text, I suspect they are about to get
a visit from health inspectors. My gut tells me this article is a hoax.

On 18 Mar 2007 01:18:46 -0700 '
posted this onto rec.travel.air:

BA places corpse next to first-class passenger
By Ruth Elkins

Independent on Sunday
Published: 18 March 2007

A British Airways passenger was refused compensation and told by the
airline to "get over it" after a corpse was placed in the row where he
was sitting last week.

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/tra...cle2368991.ece

This doesn't surprise me.
Airlines are a law unto themselves.
No govt dares to introduce enforceable standards of air travel.

They can overbook your flight and bump you off, seat you next to
a grossly oversized passenger so you can hardly sit in your seat,
lose/damage/delay your luggage and now it appears can place a corpse
next to you for the duration of a long haul flight. And you have
hardly any recourse against them.

On Mar 18, 6:33 am, Craig Welch wrote:
Thur wrote:
Nasty. He should get some sort of compensation.

Nope. He should get over it, as the airline suggested.

--
Craig

What does it mean the economy was full? The dead woman didn't have a
seat assignment? I think it is absolutely horible to let the first
class pasenger suffer rather than to leave her where she was seated
for the flight.

"yaofeng" wrote:

What does it mean the economy was full? The dead woman didn't have a
seat assignment? I think it is absolutely horible to let the first
class pasenger suffer rather than to leave her where she was seated
for the flight.

So it's OK if the dead passenger is left right beside someone in economy?
What if she had a middle seat?

Per John Doe:
It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to other
people, especially for a very long flight.

I started to ask "Why".... but after a few moments thought, I'm not sure I want
to know.
--
PeteCresswell

wrote:

BA places corpse next to first-class passenger
By Ruth Elkins

Independent on Sunday
Published: 18 March 2007

A British Airways passenger was refused compensation and told by the
airline to "get over it" after a corpse was placed in the row where he
was sitting last week.

Seems to be a not uncommon occurrence on British Airways, as a similar
incident occurred on a transatlantic flight last November...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770


--
Dave Fossett
Saitama, Japan

On Mar 18, 9:21 am, James Robinson wrote:
"yaofeng" wrote:
What does it mean the economy was full? The dead woman didn't have a
seat assignment? I think it is absolutely horible to let the first
class pasenger suffer rather than to leave her where she was seated
for the flight.

So it's OK if the dead passenger is left right beside someone in economy?
What if she had a middle seat?

Not any more OK than leaving it next to a passenger who pay upward
$6000, $7000 for a long flight in first. I can understand if there
are two empty seats in a row in first/business to place the corpse in
one. If I were to sit next to a corpse in first/business, I'd move to
economy where the dead person used to sit.