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View Full Version : BA passengers share first class cabin with dead traveller


4HolerPoler
5th Dec 2006, 20:18
In the rags tonight:

First Class travellers on a British Airways transatlantic flight were horrified :uhoh: when they were forced to sit next to a dead body for three hours. The elderly passenger had died of a heart attack just minutes earlier and was carried into their cabin to continue the journey to America. It followed a mid air drama in which a doctor and crew lost a 35 minute battle to resuscitate the man after he suffered a cardiac arrest in business class where he was travelling with his wife. Four stewards and a fellow passenger then struggled to carry the deceased American in his seventies into their exclusive area - where tickets cost up to £6,669 return. They propped him up in a semi-reclined position in one of just 14 of the seats - which can recline totally into a lie-flat bed - and which are set into individual pod-bays which also contain a TVs and a 'buddy stool' for chatting to fellow passengers. It meant the First Class passenger in the remaining seats shared their remaining journey of about three hours with the man whose body - though not his head - was covered by a blanket and strapped into the individual pod seat. The tragedy happened on BA Boeing 777 Flight 213 which left Heathrow from Boston at 10.30am carrying more than 200 passengers but details have just emerged. The deceased American had been travelling with his wife in the Club Word business class section when he suffered his heart attack about three hours into the six hour flight.

The crew made an announcement calling for a medical doctor, and the stricken passenger taken into the galley area between business and first class where attempts were made to resuscitate him. But after more than half an hour he was declared dead. The tragic case highlights the dilemma facing crews on a packed long-distance plane of what to do with a dead passenger - while balancing the dignity of the deceased with the distress of their family and the concerns of other often squeamish passengers. One First Class cabin eyewitness - a senior computer executive in her 30s - said: 'It was a very strange and unsettling thing to experience. 'We were about half way into the flight and getting my head down to sleep when I heard a commotion from behind the curtain in first class. 'Stewardesses were running up and down the aisle. There was no panic but there was a sense of urgency. The staff were very professional.

'There was a call over the loudspeakers for a medical doctor. From where I was sitting towards the back of First Class I was aware of them performing resuscitation techniques behind the curtains as I tried to watch the in-flight movie - Mission Impossible III.' 'I felt quite uneasy. But some passengers were being very British about it and simply not acknowledging there was anything wrong. 'One of the stewardesses then came to me and said there was some rather bad news. There had been a death on board. 'She asked would I mind awfully moving to the other side of the cabin because they needed to bring the body in. The first class section was about 80 per cent full. 'Four male stewards came I carrying the poor chap who was in his 60s or 70s and casually dressed. But he was a bit too big for them. Another passenger lent a hand as they propped him up. 'They wrapped him in a blanket and strapped him in and semi-reclined the seat. But his head was exposed and leaning to one said, as if he were asleep. I could see the top of his head throughout the flight.' She added:'The chap's wife came in an sat with him on the little buddy stool at the bottom of the bay in front of the seat. She was very distressed. We could hear her sobbing. 'It's not very enjoyable when this happens. But the staff were very good.'

A spokesman for British Airways confirmed: 'Sadly, an elderly male passenger died on board BA flight 213 from Heathrow to Boston on Tuesday November 28. 'Our cabin crew and a doctor who was on board the flight did absolutely all they could to save the man and treated him for more than 35 minutes with coronary pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). But unfortunately he passed away.'
The BA spokesman added:'Our thoughts and condolences are with the passengers, family and friends - especially his wife - who was travelling with him.' BA said the dead man was taken into First Class because business class was full. The plane had 14 first class seats (and was 80 per cent full), 48 seats in business class, 40 in premium economy (called 'World Traveller) and 122 in economy. The airline said there were about a dozen deaths aboard its planes each year - out of a total of 36million passengers.

akerosid
5th Dec 2006, 20:39
From the article above, it appears that the crew handled this event in a thoroughly professional fashion; they did what they could in a very difficult and unpleasant situation. Surely, the F Class passengers would understand that this was an unexpected situation and that necessity required the use of a seat in that cabin.

With the greatest respect to the gentleman and his wife, it seems a bit of a "non-story".

Ozzy
5th Dec 2006, 20:47
Just a quick question from a SLF. Do aircraft carry defibrillators?

Ozzy

fox niner
5th Dec 2006, 20:50
Yes they do.

perkin
5th Dec 2006, 20:54
Just a quick question from a SLF. Do aircraft carry defibrillators?

Ozzy

Also very much a last resort too...only something like 30% of people who are defibrillated actually recover (according to my first aid instructor). :(

hobie
5th Dec 2006, 20:57
Very sad and handled well by the crew in my humble opinion .....

I listened to TV news in a "What the papers say" section, late last night ...... a very eloquent Journalist (and not from a Red Top I hasten to add) said .....

"surely they could have put him in the luggage hold .... or in a Galley ..... or up with the Captain"

there is no answer to that is there .... :(

Pub User
5th Dec 2006, 21:05
Also very much a last resort too...only something like 30% of people who are defibrillated actually recover (according to my first aid instructor).

What are you suggesting, that they shouldn't bother?

What percentage of people who are not defibrillated actually recover?

Ozzy
5th Dec 2006, 21:11
Thanks everyone. I guess it just didn't work on this poor bloke.

Ozzy

PorcoRosso
5th Dec 2006, 21:32
I guess than 30% chances of success using a defibrillator worth to have one on board .. don't you ?

perkin
5th Dec 2006, 23:05
What are you suggesting, that they shouldn't bother?

What percentage of people who are not defibrillated actually recover?

I'm not suggesting anything whatsoever, merely making a point of interest. Had I been suggesting anything, I would have said so, so please do not attempt to find non-existent hidden suggestions in my post.

obgraham
5th Dec 2006, 23:28
Im not too sure what those FC folks are whining about. Sounds like everything was handled appropriately and sensitively.
I guess the other FC pax just figured the deceased should ride back with the masses "where he came from".

stagger
5th Dec 2006, 23:35
Remember defibrillators defibrillate a heart - i.e. they help to restore normal rhythm when there is a serious rhythm disturbance (these often accompany "heart attacks").

Defibrillators, however, are not effective for dealing with situations where heart activity has completely stopped (asystole). Although they are always used for this in the movies.

So they are not helpful in all cardiac emergencies.

The defibrillators installed on aircraft and in other public places are automated - they actually diagnose the problem and decide whether to administer a shock. So the electrodes are attached for all cardiac emergencies - and the unit decides whether it's the sort of problem where a shock would help.

flybywire
5th Dec 2006, 23:55
So they are not helpful in all cardiac emergencies.
The defibrillators installed on aircraft and in other public places are automated - they actually diagnose the problem and decide whether to administer a shock. So the electrodes are attached for all cardiac emergencies - and the unit decides whether it's the sort of problem where a shock would help.

Absolutely correct. The defibrillators on board BA planes actually tell you whether a shock is "advised" or not. If not, it asks you to check for pulse, and if you do not find any pulse to start CPR. The shock is only advised if some cardiac electrical activity, however weak or irregular, is found. It can only restore a heart in fibrillation, it cannot start it beating again if it has stopped beating. At this point CPR is the only option which is just to keep the blood going around and some oxygen into the system.

Perkin is also correct in what he says. Unfortunately of all the people who have required the use of the defibrillator on BA flights over the last few years only a very small number recovered but, according to our AVMed trainers, only one if them was still alive after a year. That means that the others had survived the crisis at that time but died of complications later on.

It's very sad, but unfortunately happens and we do think that even for that only person who is still alive nowadays it's worth trying, and it's worth carrying them on all the planes and training 15,000 cabin crew every year to use them. There's no price for life!

FBW

PAXboy
6th Dec 2006, 00:16
My guess is that the FC pax reacted like any other Westerner that does not see dead human bodies very often.

Even 50 years ago, children would see their grandparents, aunts/uncles and even siblings laid out in the front room for everyone to pay their last respects. By the time they reached adulthood it was not quite a common place but nothing unusual.

Nowadays, we only see dead bodies in extremis and VERY rarely are they brought into the library-quiet FC cabin. Also, the journo asking the question would have been looking for a sensationalist reply.

Sounds like the cabin folks and the dcotor did all they could and we should have sympathy for them. Not to mention for the widow.

Some A340s have a storage compartment that can be used for bodies, I recall seeing a photograph of it on Airliners when this subject was discussed here on a previous occcasion. I cannot find the image off hand. However, that would only be suitable when the person that died was travelling alone.

flybywire
6th Dec 2006, 00:22
exactly. When the deceased is accompanied by a relative it is imperative to keep it decent and especially keep the person's dignity. Dealing with a distressed relative can be as hard as dealing with a "failure" to resuscitate a person.

I believe there was no other alternative, the body couldn't have been put anywhere else. Some BA 777s have a crew rest area in the ceiling, and seeing that this particular person wasn't very slim it would have been way too difficult and dangerous for the crew to carry his body up there.

Curious Pax
6th Dec 2006, 08:34
Im not too sure what those FC folks are whining about. Sounds like everything was handled appropriately and sensitively.
I guess the other FC pax just figured the deceased should ride back with the masses "where he came from".

If you re-read the article I don't think they are whining. Most people would be horrified if a dead body was carried past them, however good the reason, and possibly uneasy too - Paxboy describes why eloquently. However there appears to be no criticism of the crew's actions, and an underlying acknowledgement that what was done was necessary.

Good job under difficult circumstances by all concerned.

grimmrad
7th Dec 2006, 15:24
Defibrillators, however, are not effective for dealing with situations where heart activity has completely stopped (asystole). Although they are always used for this in the movies.
So they are not helpful in all cardiac emergencies.
Even though it is automated if I remember correctly it also shows a basic lead ECG - and that can be quite helpful in certain situations, e.g. to rule out a cardiac cause of some events (as I have experienced myself while attending to an comatous passenger onboard that exact same route - only eastbound).

flybywire
7th Dec 2006, 21:38
Even though it is automated if I remember correctly it also shows a basic lead ECG - and that can be quite helpful in certain situations, e.g. to rule out a cardiac cause of some events (as I have experienced myself while attending to an comatous passenger onboard that exact same route - only eastbound).

Sorry I do not know what defibrillator you used to operate, but those on board BA planes do not have this facility, so stagger was quite correct in their statement.

FBW (who absolutely enjoys AVMed recurrent training sessions...:8 )

rugmuncher
7th Dec 2006, 21:57
Four options,

1, leave him where he fell in the galley,,, complaints obvoiusly!

2, leave him sitting next to his missus,,, complaints obviously!

3, lock him in the ****ter,,, complaints obviously!

4, lay him out in the comfy seats with a bit of dignity,,,

First class decision !

BZ BA !

:ok:

GwynM
8th Dec 2006, 08:48
The things people do for an upgrade:hmm:

SXB
9th Dec 2006, 11:30
Just a quick question from a SLF. Do aircraft carry defibrillators?

Not all of them, RYR do not for example. If defibrillators have a 30% success rate then all passenger jets should be required to carry them. I suspect the reason airlines like RYR don't carry them is because of the cost of training rather than the cost of the unit. That said their staff pay for their own training in anycase....

This particular incident looks to have been very professionally handled, I don't think there was anything more the crew could have done....