Flight attendants must expect the unexpected and be prepared for all on board eventualities – including death.
But what is the protocol for when a passenger passes away at 40,000ft?
Cabin crew have revealed the steps they are trained to take should the unthinkable happen.
Former flight attendant Jay Robert said dealing with an in-flight death is ‘very stressful’ and can be ‘traumatic’ for everyone involved.
He told HuffPost: ‘A death on board at 35,000 feet is one of the most feared situations for flight attendants, often because it follows a medical emergency, which is already very stressful to manage.’
He added: ‘When a medical emergency results in death, it can be a very traumatic experience for everyone on board, especially if the passenger is young.’
It comes as just yesterday an emotional Australian couple recalled how they were forced to sit beside a dead woman for hours after she passed away on their long-haul flight.
According to Mr Robert, a flight attendant’s chances of encountering a death in the sky increases if they are working on larger planes on long-haul routes.
Yesterday an emotional Australian couple recalled how they were forced to sit beside a dead woman (above) for hours after she passed away on their long-haul flight
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin (pictured) were on a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Venice when the woman suddenly collapsed in the aisle after going to the toilet
This is because there are more passengers, fewer opportunities to divert, and flyers have to sit down for extended periods which can lead to serious health problems.
Many safety measures are put in place to try and limit fatalities on board.
Airlines usually develop their emergency medical procedures in compliance with international aviation regulations and guidelines but can adjust them to fit their specific needs.
Although the exact protocol varies per airline flight attendants dealing with an unwell passenger are usually trained to provide life support, inform the pilots and get advice from medical professionals.
The captain will then decide with the airline’s operations center whether to continue to the intended destination or divert to another airport.
All cabin crew are taught CPR and there are defibrillators on board planes to use if a passenger stops breathing.
But, sadly, not all in-flight deaths can be prevented.
Former air hostess Sheen Marie took to TikTok to explain what happens when someone passes away thousands of feet in the air.
‘If they have a heart attack and die, and there is nothing we can do about it, and we can’t start CPR, we are just going to wait until we get to our final destination.
‘We are going to keep that dead body where it is at,’ she said.
Ms Marie added that when possible the deceased would be moved to some spare seats and covered with a blanket.
The other passengers on board would not be told and would be allowed to leave before the medical team came on board.
She also explained what would happen if the plane was unable to land for a long period of time.
Ms Marie said: ‘If a passenger does die, however, we do have to store the body, we’re not going to leave it there. I’m on long haul, so keep in mind that the equipment available might not be present on every aircraft or on every airline.
‘We do, however, often cross the Atlantic without the means to land for a few hours, so we do have to store the body for the remaining time.
‘We have a body bag, in our medical kit, and if possible we will wrap the body inside but always leave it open around the head, as it can only be closed by a doctor on duty (meaning not even a passenger that happens to be a doctor).’
Dr. Paulo Alves, the global medical director of aviation health at MedAire, added that there are best practices for handling a deceased person’s body with respect while also showing sensitivity to anyone they might have been travelling with.
He said these include covering the body with a blanket and moving it away from other passengers if that option is available.
However, if this isn’t possible, the deceased person will remain in their original seat with the seatbelt fastened to prevent movement during the flight.
It comes as on February 24 a couple described how they had to sit beside a dead woman for hours after she passed away on their long-haul flight.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were on a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Venice when the woman suddenly collapsed in the aisle after going to the toilet.
She was unable to be revived despite the cabin crew’s efforts.
‘Unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch,’ Mr Ring told A Current Affair.
‘They went to try and move her, they brought this chair down… and they put her in the chair and tried to wheel her up towards business class.
‘But she was quite a large lady, and they couldn’t get her through the aisle.’
Crew members noticed there were vacant seats on both sides of the couple and asked them to move over to make room for the body.
The dead woman was put beside Mr Ring, and covered in blankets for the remaining four hours of the flight to Doha.
For Ms Colin, who is a nervous flyer, the ordeal was traumatising.
‘When my husband turned around and said, “move, move”, I was pretty shocked and I said, “are they going to put her there?”,’ she said.
Luckily, a woman with a spare seat in another row invited Ms Colin to sit with her after they claim the cabin crew failed to offer to relocate them further away from the body.