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An Australian couple’s journey to their dream vacation in Italy took a distressing turn when they were forced to sit next to a deceased passenger for nearly four hours on a Qatar Airways flight. Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were flying from Melbourne, Australia, to Venice, Italy, via Doha, Qatar, when an unidentified woman collapsed near their row. Despite efforts to save her life, she tragically passed away mid-flight.
“Unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch,” Ring told _A Current Affair._ He added that flight attendants initially tried to move the body towards business class but faced difficulties due to the passenger’s size.
 
Instead, the crew asked Ring and Colin to shift seats within their row to accommodate the deceased passenger. “They said, ‘Can you move over, please?’ and I just said, ‘Yes, no problem,’” Ring recalled. The woman’s body was then placed in his original seat and covered with a blanket.
While Colin was later offered an alternative seat by a fellow passenger, Ring was not given the same option. “There were a few spare seats I could see around us. I can’t believe they told us to stay,” he said.
 
Upon landing, the couple was instructed to remain in their seats as medical personnel removed the body. Ring recalled that the blanket covering the woman was removed, exposing her face. “I can’t believe they told us to stay … it wasn’t nice,” he added.
 
Despite their traumatic experience, the couple claims Qatar Airways has not reached out to offer any form of support. “They have a duty of care towards their customers as well as their staff,” Ring stated. “We should be contacted to make sure, do you need some support, do you need some counselling?” Colin, determined to salvage their trip, said, “I’m trying to make the best of a pretty hard situation, but, you know, we’re on holidays so we’re really trying to have a good time.”
 
Qatar Airways issued a statement addressing the incident: “First and foremost our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight. We apologise for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused and are in the process of contacting passengers in line with our policies and procedures.”
 
Meanwhile, Qantas, through which the couple had booked their tickets, stated that it would speak with them directly.