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Post by CRASHER on Mar 19, 2007 14:46:02 GMT -5
news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/wo...S00010000000001Woman Dies on Flight, Gets Upgraded Reuters and AP LONDON (March 19) - A first-class passenger on a flight from New Delhi to London awoke to find the corpse of a woman who had died in the economy cabin being placed in a seat next to him, British Airways said Monday. Paul Trinder , 54, said cabin crew moved the body of the elderly woman from the economy section where she had died after take-off. The incident was first reported in British newspapers. "The corpse was strapped into the seat but because of turbulence it kept slipping down on to the floor," Trinder , a businessman, was quoted as saying. "It was horrific. The body had to be wedged in place with lots of pillows." The woman's daughter was also upgraded and spent the rest of the nine-hour flight from Delhi to London grieving next to her dead mother, the Sun reported. The Guardian newspaper said the incident happened last week. British Airways said in a statement that about 10 passengers die each year in flight and that while each situation is dealt with on an individual basis, safety is paramount. "The deceased must not be placed in the galley or blocking aisles or exits, and there should be clear space around the deceased," the statement said. "The wishes of family or friends traveling with the deceased will always be considered, and account taken of the reactions of other passengers." David Learmount, a former pilot and cabin crew member who now writes about the aviation industry for Flight International magazine, said that each airline has to deal with the relatively rare situation on an individual basis. He said it would be unusual to divert the flight, and that the captain would be consulted before the crew acted. "Personally, I think they did the thing that was the best thing to do," he said. "It's an isolated incident. It's not as if it happens every day, but you do have to take in people's sensibilities when it does happen."
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