IoS: BA places corpse next to first-class passenger

BA places corpse next to first-class passenger
By Ruth Elkins

Independent on Sunday
Published: 18 March 2007

A British Airways passenger was refused compensation and told by the
airline to "get over it" after a corpse was placed in the row where he
was sitting last week.

Paul Trinder, 54, a businessman from Brackley, Northamptonshire, spent
more than £3,000 for a first-class ticket from Delhi. He awoke during
the flight to find that cabin staff were propping up a dead woman
almost next to him. "The stewards just plonked down this body without
saying a thing," he said. "I remember looking at this thin, sparrow-
like woman and thinking she was very ill."

The woman had been in economy class when she died soon after the plane
left Delhi. "She kept slipping under the seat belt and moving about
with the motion of the plane," Mr Trinder said. "When I asked what was
going on, I was shocked to hear she was dead."

Mr Trinder, who was kept on board the plane when it landed and
questioned by police and a coroner, contacted British Airways to
complain, but was told to simply "get over" the experience.

British Airways says the dead woman was taken into first class because
the rest of the plane was full. "When a customer passes away on board
it is always difficult and we apologise for any distress caused," a BA
spokesperson said.

Mr Trinder remains unimpressed. "I just kept thinking to myself: 'I've
paid more than £3,000 for this'."


http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/article2368991.ece

<kuacou241@yahoo.com> wrote
news:1174205926.790423.292930@e65g2000hsc.googlegroups.com...
BA places corpse next to first-class passenger

A British Airways passenger was refused compensation and told by the
airline to "get over it" after a corpse was placed in the row where he
was sitting last week.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/transport/article2368991.ece
***

Nasty. He should get some sort of compensation. One can understand that the
body had to be be moved out of the cramped economy class, but sitting
practically next to a corpse doesn't really enhance flight experience
either. Some flowers and a travel voucher (although I don't think he _needs_
one after being able to pay 3.000 GBP for a tickets, but stil... it's a
gesture) would be nice and appropriate.
Greetings,

-hi there goodlookin`...

Thur wrote:

> Nasty. He should get some sort of compensation.

Nope. He should get over it, as the airline suggested.

--
Craig

Craig Welch wrote:
>> Nasty. He should get some sort of compensation.
> Nope. He should get over it, as the airline suggested.


Assuming this isn't a hoax, the passenger should have demanded he be moved if
they were unwilling to move the corpse.

Normal airlines would put put the person in a body bag and stowe in in a
lavatory. In the case of Singapore, on its 340-500s, they have stowage for a
dead body so it doesn't close down one of the lavatories.

It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to other
people, especially for a very long flight.


If BA really did what was written in that text, I suspect they are about to get
a visit from health inspectors. My gut tells me this article is a hoax.

Per John Doe:
>It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to other
>people, especially for a very long flight.

I started to ask "Why".... but after a few moments thought, I'm not sure I want
to know.
--
PeteCresswell

John Doe wrote:

> Craig Welch wrote:

>>> Nasty. He should get some sort of compensation.
>> Nope. He should get over it, as the airline suggested.

> Assuming this isn't a hoax, the passenger should have demanded he be
> moved if they were unwilling to move the corpse.

'Demanded'? How does that work? Perhaps you meant 'requested'.

But why should he have been moved? The body wasn't next to him. It was
on the other side of the cabin.

> Normal airlines would put put the person in a body bag and stowe in in a
> lavatory. In the case of Singapore, on its 340-500s, they have stowage
> for a dead body so it doesn't close down one of the lavatories.
>
> It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to
> other people, especially for a very long flight.

No it's not.

> If BA really did what was written in that text, I suspect they are about
> to get a visit from health inspectors. My gut tells me this article is a
> hoax.

There won't be any visit from health inspectors. What was described was
something that happens several times a year, on all major carriers.

--
Craig

"Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
news:29iLh.13010$8U4.1857@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> John Doe wrote:

>> It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to other
>> people, especially for a very long flight.
>
> No it's not.

Is there a specific reference to support that biohazard criteria?

Sancho Panza wrote:
> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
> news:29iLh.13010$8U4.1857@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>> John Doe wrote:
>
>>> It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to other
>>> people, especially for a very long flight.
>> No it's not.
>
> Is there a specific reference to support that biohazard criteria?

Which bio-hazard criteria?

--
Craig

"Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
news:bpDLh.13447$8U4.6769@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Sancho Panza wrote:
>> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
>> news:29iLh.13010$8U4.1857@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>>> John Doe wrote:
>>
>>>> It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to
>>>> other people, especially for a very long flight.
>>> No it's not.
>>
>> Is there a specific reference to support that biohazard criteria?
>
> Which bio-hazard criteria?

The prior post denied that it is unhygienic to keep corpses in open spaces
with people. The simple question is whether you have a reference to support
that or not.

Sancho Panza wrote:
> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
> news:bpDLh.13447$8U4.6769@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>> Sancho Panza wrote:
>>> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
>>> news:29iLh.13010$8U4.1857@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>>>> John Doe wrote:
>>>>> It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to
>>>>> other people, especially for a very long flight.
>>>> No it's not.
>>> Is there a specific reference to support that biohazard criteria?
>> Which bio-hazard criteria?
>
> The prior post denied that it is unhygienic to keep corpses in open spaces
> with people. The simple question is whether you have a reference to support
> that or not.

You referred to 'that [sic.] biohazard criteria'. The simple question is
'which bio-hazard criteria'?

--
Craig

On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 02:33:00 GMT, Craig Welch <craig@pacific.net.sg>
wrote:

>Sancho Panza wrote:
>> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
>> news:bpDLh.13447$8U4.6769@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>>> Sancho Panza wrote:
>>>> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
>>>> news:29iLh.13010$8U4.1857@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>>>>> John Doe wrote:
>>>>>> It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to
>>>>>> other people, especially for a very long flight.
>>>>> No it's not.
>>>> Is there a specific reference to support that biohazard criteria?
>>> Which bio-hazard criteria?
>>
>> The prior post denied that it is unhygienic to keep corpses in open spaces
>> with people. The simple question is whether you have a reference to support
>> that or not.
>
>You referred to 'that [sic.] biohazard criteria'. The simple question is
>'which bio-hazard criteria'?

Craig, if he said that the sun rises in the east you would stamp your
widdle feet and demand a site. Little man it's time you got over
yourself :)

Bogart wrote:
> On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 02:33:00 GMT, Craig Welch <craig@pacific.net.sg>
> wrote:
>
>> Sancho Panza wrote:
>>> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
>>> news:bpDLh.13447$8U4.6769@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>>>> Sancho Panza wrote:
>>>>> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
>>>>> news:29iLh.13010$8U4.1857@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>>>>>> John Doe wrote:
>>>>>>> It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to
>>>>>>> other people, especially for a very long flight.
>>>>>> No it's not.
>>>>> Is there a specific reference to support that biohazard criteria?
>>>> Which bio-hazard criteria?
>>> The prior post denied that it is unhygienic to keep corpses in open spaces
>>> with people. The simple question is whether you have a reference to support
>>> that or not.
>> You referred to 'that [sic.] biohazard criteria'. The simple question is
>> 'which bio-hazard criteria'?
>
> Craig, if he said that the sun rises in the east you would stamp your
> widdle feet and demand a site. Little man it's time you got over
> yourself :)

So you don't know either ...

--
Craig

"Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
news:qb2Nh.1118$M.876@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> Bogart wrote:
>> On Sat, 24 Mar 2007 02:33:00 GMT, Craig Welch <craig@pacific.net.sg>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Sancho Panza wrote:
>>>> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote ...
>>>>> Sancho Panza wrote:
>>>>>> "Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote ...
>>>>>>> John Doe wrote:
>>>>>>>> It is absolutely unhygienic to keep a corpse in open spaces next to
>>>>>>>> other people, especially for a very long flight.
>>>>>>> No it's not.
>>>>>> Is there a specific reference to support that biohazard criteria?
>>>>> Which bio-hazard criteria?
>>>> The prior post denied that it is unhygienic to keep corpses in open
>>>> spaces with people. The simple question is whether you have a reference
>>>> to support that or not.
>>> You referred to 'that [sic.] biohazard criteria'. The simple question is
>>> 'which bio-hazard criteria'?
>>
>> Craig, if he said that the sun rises in the east you would stamp your
>> widdle feet and demand a site. Little man it's time you got over
>> yourself :)
>
> So you don't know either ...
>
As earlier mentioned, many of the newly departed suffer from having beshat
themselves right at the departure gate. Additionally, during the immediate
post-mortem cooling period, some of the terminally cadaverous develop rather
offensive noise-making potential, from outright barks to loud gurgles and
even involuntary flatulence. Why, rigor will occasionally cause a lad to
rear upright, discomfiting to no small extent those sitting nearby.

All of those characteristics, while not universal, are enough to make
sitting beside a fresh corpse potentially unpleasant. As for bio-hazard,
different strokes for different folks, but at least on international
flights, a bit of shit can be hazardous...

TMO

TMOliver wrote:

> As for bio-hazard,
> different strokes for different folks, but at least on international
> flights, a bit of shit can be hazardous...

Really? The lavatories on international flights are often covered in it,
to a degree that would not be acceptable at a ground location.

--
Craig

"Craig Welch" <craig@pacific.net.sg> wrote in message
news:B5kNh.1356$M.576@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
> TMOliver wrote:
>
>> As for bio-hazard, different strokes for different folks, but at least on
>> international flights, a bit of shit can be hazardous...
>
> Really? The lavatories on international flights are often covered in it,
> to a degree that would not be acceptable at a ground location.
>
On your better airlines, at least the ones with trained FAs, cleaning the
heads en route with handi-wipes, disinfectant, etc. is still not completely
unknown. While Air Indja is notorious for crappy crappers, I tend to avoid
it and those with similar lack of employee motivation. Why think of the new
employment opportunities...Airlines noted for feelthy heads could employ a
low caste/class/income/rung of the social/economic ladder "sweeper"/crapper
cleansing agent for long flights.

Of course, soon labor organizers would have them banded and bonded as the
IAACC, International Association of Airborne Crapper Cleaners, reduce
motivation and raise wages.

Craigo, Me lad, I'll tell you from personal experience, time, brief or
lengthy, next to a beshat corpse is less enjoyable and more threatening as a
potential biohazard than any number of crappy crappers/bedunged heads/vile
loos.

ICAO/whatever need to specify that in all a/c with accessible hatches to the
baggage/freight hold, departees should be exiled to the lower deck, while
where no access exists, vertical stowage in the lav (with proper signage on
the door required).

"Out of Service"
"Temporary Mortuary"

Why Egyptian Airlines could even call the "Necropoli" while DC9-MD80 a/c
could make use of the After Ladder behind the door in the after bulkhead.