Unbelievable BA story

[Carnage Matey!]

Originally Posted by Mixed Up

Mr Trindler was clearly traumatized by the experience but was offered BA. Not as much as a stiff drink.

If he was in First he could have a stiff drink, or any other kind of drink, any time he wanted. Just had to press his call bell. I suspect the only thing that would appease Mr Trindler would be a big fat compo cheque.

No, I think the airlines have the repsonsibility to make better provisions on their long-haul flights

Never had anyone snuff it on one of my flights and the only person I know who has experienced that situation had it happen so late nothing could be done anyway. Perhaps we should also start loading parachutes as plane crashes are a fact of life, or maybe we could have seige-negotiators on board as hijackings are a fact of life too.

they'd do better than ofering their first-class cabin as a morgue

Where would you like them then? In the galley? Thats not very hygienic when you're meal is coming from there. In the lav? I can already see the Daily Mail "Heartless BA stuffed my dead gran in the bog" headlines. In an economy seat? Are you going to volunteer to drag the stiff across three rows of seats to strap it in?

It would make me think twice about travelling first-class, not that I've ever thought once about it so far.

..quite evidently.

[gravity victim]

I wonder if the daughter had to leave her mother's duty-free allowance behind?

[Dried ears]

I wouldn't have thought a bodybag would have been suitable until the lady was pronounced dead officially. I've been told only a doctor can do this because a death certificate has to be produced. So for arguements sake let's say she was still just barely alive, a bodybag would seal her fate.

Good point. As they are not yet officially dead shouldn't it be mandatory to divert to nearest for medical assistance?

[Palyvestre]

This is not the first time for BA to act this way..

Sorry it's in french but the date is December 2006, the 6th

http://www.crash-aerien.com/forum/br...ts-vt2724.html

[4Foxtrot]

Would it have made any difference if someone in First had died rather than someone in World Traveller? Would using the economy cabin as a morgue for 1st class passengers be acceptable? The story would have played out the same.

The same arguement applies to building nuclear power stations, landfill sites or motorways - Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY). When the decision is not entirely about money, the path taken is often the one that causes the least amount of pain for all of those involved.

IMHO the BA staff, faced with a difficult decision, acted with as much discretion as possible by placing the deceased in a quieter cabin. What they probably didn't count on was the grieving relative.

People that die in the air should be treated with respect, as they are on the ground. While there are practical considerations (dead bodies leak), I wouldn't be thrilled about having a deceased travelling relative of mine stuffed into a 'corpse cupboard' to protect the sensitivities of the other passengers.

It seems you're damned whatever you do, but perhaps a statement from BA on their deceased passenger policy would be helpful.

[Final 3 Greens]

Well said Avman.

I don't think that ANY PAX should have to sit next to a corpse on a long haul aircraft.

To do it to your premium paying pax is mad.

I do however agree with upgrading the daughter, if for no other reason that the crew could look after her better in a premium cabin, with its higher ratio of crew to pax.

Had I been in F that day, I would have felt great sympathy for the daughter, but less for an airline that hadn't got a plan to store the cadaver properly - it must be a risk that could be better catered for.

Carnage Matey says "suspect the only thing that would appease Mr Trindler would be a big fat compo cheque."

I suspect that CM is correct and also believe that Mr Trindler deserves some big fat compensation after experiencing this.

[cheesycol]

AVMAN said:

the brutal reality of life is that for that kind of money I don't want to fly in the company of a deceased person next to - or in close proximity to me

Because for that kind of money you want to be isolated from the brutal reality of life??? Do you think people in economy are required to put up with a corpse than those in business and and those in business more than those in first?? Are you completely bonkers

The crew are faced with a difficult situation, they did the best they could -in my book the first class cabin would be the best place on the a/c to place the corpse as it is by it's nature a quieter cabin. I don't have the BA FCO book to hand and my airline simply says that a report must be submitted to the CAA.

If I was the person inconvenienced by the greiveing relatives, I would have offered my seat to them and taken another on the aircraft - they have just witnessed the death of a relation.

I heard on the news this morning that BA has changed its mind and actually apologised to the customer concerned - why? Did the crew do something wrong? I don't believe they did.

Has society gone mad?

BTW, the design of the BA 1st cabin, means that nobody will actually be sat next to the corpse. and is the only cabin where this is the case.

[renrut]

I wonder if the daughter had to leave her mother's duty-free allowance behind?


It happened tp me many years ago on a charter flight back from TFS. The flight was full and fortunatelt the gentleman was seated at a window seat with his wife next to him. The CC strapped him in and placed a blanket over him. The only question the wife asked was a worry that Customs would not let her take his duty free in.

[manintheback]

Yes some may perceive it lacks dignity, but its a plane so why not use one of the loos? And have a clear and public policy on it.

[cheesycol]

If your mother just died on an aircraft - would you want her propped up in a toilet?

[PAXboy]

This story was hammered in this forum when it actually happened, as opposed to the low news Sunday that had the story fill up spare space in the paper.

As a matter of fact: In the UK, only a doctor can pronounce death.

[Farrell]

I travel first and business but I seldomn pay for it.

That would just be foolish.

[llondel]

Not quite sure why this ended up in the SLF section, because the unfortunates being discussed aren't capable of self-loading any more.

[davethelimey]

If the passenger died "shortly after takeoff", wouldn't the obvious solution be to turn back? I can't believe that storing a body anywhere unrefrigerated on a plane, much less in a passenger cabin, is preferable to losing some fuel, landing, offloading and going again.

And BA would have had none of the bad publicity that they've had since the story broke.

[palmtree]

AVMAN - your comments are so awful who would want to sit next to or in the vicinity of you when you are alive! It dosnt matter how rich you are. Someone died. How would you feel if you were in Y and your mother died on the flight? Wasnt it kind that the crew allowed the lady to sit next to her dead mother.

Like you I fly in F and I am so pleased BA have the little private areas because so many of the people in F are people I have no desire to be near or associate with basically because of their attitude. It seems that often as you move from Y to C to F the attitude of people worsens. Not all are like this of couse but many are as I am sure CC will confirm.

Which is better to have money or be a kind person? I think we sometimes forget we came in with nothing and we go out with nothing.

Why dont you post your real name so that the worlds airlines can ban you.

[Taildragger]

Don't know where this woman was seated, but I would have thought a bit of judicious upgrading to F/C of the people around. Or Y-J-F. Summat like that. Definitely it would be upsetting for ANYBODY to be seated next to a corpse without any means of escape to another area.
Many years ago, when I worked for BEA (Remember them.?? Tridents.?? Ahhhhh de Haviland.!) I heard one of those stories which was probably true about the bored Dispatcher who had a coffin to be sent as cargo, and filled in one of those complaint forms using the Air Waybill details, name address etc., complained of being cold, stiff and cramped, and not even offerred so much as a cup of coffee. I have no idea how it turned out, but would love to have been a fly on the wall when it came to light in the complaints department at Teatime House.

[Final 3 Greens]

Palmtree
Like you I fly in F and I am so pleased BA have the little private areas because so many of the people in F are people I have no desire to be near or associate with basically because of their attitude.??????????????????

I would agree that this CAN be a description of some found in J, but normally F pax are polite and quiet in my experience.

Then again I've only flown 7-8 F sectors in the last 6 months, so I only see a snapshot of the big picture. I've flown business over 50 times in the same period, so can comment with a little more authority in that conext.

I also think that putting corpses in F is completely wrong - or J or W or Y for that matter.

Corpses are not pleasant things to be around and exposing the poor daughter to her mothers body for a number of hours also seems to me to be cruel - this would not happen in a hospital - one says one's goodbyes and then departs, to try to cope with the grief - I know this from personal experience.

How must the daughter have felt sitting in a metal tube, with her mother's body there, surrounded by people she did not know.

As I said earlier, the daughter should have been upgraded so that she could be looked after as best possible, but the deceased should have been looked after better- just my opinion.

A 747 is a very large aeroplane, there must be a way of providing proper storage in the case of a passenger dying.

[G-CPTN]

From comments that BA experience about ten deaths per year and QANTAS about one a month, such occurrences are obviously statistically significant, and, as such, should be 'catered for'.
So come on, Mr Airline Manager Guy - what ya gonna about it? It seems that a significant number of pax are unhappy about being sat next to a dead person (though I believe I would be compassionate to accept such inconvenience - however without the farce of the deceased slipping down onto the floor . . . )

[Andy_S]

such occurrences are obviously statistically significant, and, as such, should be 'catered for'.

Indeed, and this is what puzzles me. Surely BA must have a procedure or policy for death of a passenger on board - where to remove the body to, how to deal with grieving relatives etc. If so, was it followed on this particular occasion? And if not, why not?

Other than that, I'm not convinced there's really a story here.

[Rainboe]

So there's calls to 'turn back and land', and have strict protocols for storage of bodies? Get this understood- once you turn back and let the Police make a meal of it, that crew are probably not going to complete the flight, getting standbys out takes hours, and the flight is probably not going anywhere. There are no protocols- it is up to the crew to handle it pragmatically. Sometimes you can put bodies in the lavatories, though with relatives on board it's not a viable option. There is no alternative to leaving them in a seat, suitably covered. If you were to ask the passengers 'we've had one stiff on us, shall we go back and land or continue to your destination?', there would be a unanimous show of hands for 'well they're dead already, we might as well carry on.'

People die. They are inconsiderate enough to do it on aeroplanes sometimes. All airlines suffer this, not just BA. They all do the same. Get over it, it happens. It's not all BA's fault. There was nothing else the crew could do.