Mitch and Jenny were en route from Melbourne to Doha when a fellow passenger collapsed in the aisle beside them.

The couple say they have been left “traumatized” by the experience. Credit: Channel 9/A Current Affair/YouTube

Despite the crew’s best efforts to revive her, she tragically did not survive.

“The staff were there in no time, and I pat them on the back, they did a wonderful job trying to revive her,” Mitch told A Current Affair’s Ally Langdon, per News.com.au.

“It [happened] right beside me in the aisle, and they did everything they could, but unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch.”

Flight Crew Struggled to Relocate the Body

According to Mitch, airline staff initially attempted to move the deceased passenger to business class using a two-wheeled chair but were unsuccessful.

The couple says there were other empty seats on the plane. Credit: Channel 9/A Current Affair/Youtube

“They looked a bit frustrated and then they just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me — my wife was on the other side, we’re in a row of four by ourselves — and they just said to me, ‘Can you move over, please?’ and I just said, ‘Yes, no problem,’ and then they placed the lady in the chair that I was in.”

Jenny, visibly shaken while recounting the ordeal, described it as “traumatizing.”

She was eventually able to move to another seat when a fellow passenger offered the empty spot next to them.

Airline Protocol Not Followed?

According to the International Air Transport Association’s guidelines, if a passenger dies midflight, the body should be moved to an empty row if available or returned to their original seat if the flight is full.

The deceased should be restrained to the seat via a”seat belt or other equipment”, there eyes should be closed, and then there are to be covered with a blanket as a mark of respect.

However, Mitch and Jenny claim that despite available seats elsewhere on the aircraft, they were not offered an alternative place to sit for the remaining four hours of the flight.

A Distressing End to the Journey

The situation became even more upsetting when emergency personnel boarded the aircraft upon landing. Mitch recalled how the blanket covering the deceased woman was removed while passengers were still in the cabin.

The couple says the incident occured on a Qatar Airways flight. Credit: Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“They told us in our area to stay in our seats, and then the ambulance officers and the police came in, and then the ambulance officers started pulling the blankets off,” he said.

“I was there and I got to see her face. Yeah, it wasn’t nice,” he admitted. “I can’t believe they told us to stay. I thought they would have got us out quickly and let the ambulance and the police in there with no other people in there. But they told us to sit down and wait.”

Once again, the International Air Transport Association’s guidelines state that other passengers should be disembarked before the body, and that the deceased cannot be removed “until the proper local authority has arrived to take care of the body and that the ground personnel is available to assist the family members.”

The airline has not yet publicly responded to Mitch and Jenny’s claims.

VT has reached out to Qatar Airways for comment.