What Happens If a Passenger Dies Mid-Flight?

What Happens When a Passenger Dies Mid-Flight?

Cabin crew face numerous responsibilities, from serving meals to managing medical emergencies—including the rare and sensitive situation of handling a passenger’s death while airborne.

Jay Robert, a veteran flight attendant with over a decade of experience, including with Emirates and now a chief purser at a major European airline, describes it as an incredibly complex and emotional scenario.

“Your brain has to work in two modes,” he explained. “On one hand, you're preparing meals for 300 passengers, and on the other, you're responding to the death of someone onboard. It's a lot to manage at once.”

Though rare, in-flight deaths do happen. Robert himself has only encountered one such incident throughout his career. He notes that long-haul flights carry a higher risk due to passengers sitting for extended periods, potentially leading to fatal complications.

A 2013 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine analyzed medical emergency calls from five airlines between January 2008 and October 2010. The findings showed that only 0.3% of in-flight medical emergencies resulted in death.

The Disturbing Reality

In a recent case, Australian couple Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin recounted a distressing experience on a flight from Melbourne to Doha, where the body of a deceased woman was placed near them for four hours without being moved. Qatar Airways apologized, stating it followed proper protocols and expressed regret for any discomfort caused.

While crew members are trained to handle such incidents, they are not authorized to officially declare a death—that must be done by medical personnel, either onboard (if present) or after landing. If a doctor or nurse is traveling, they may assist in confirming the death, but often this confirmation is delayed until the plane reaches the ground.

Standard Protocols and Real-World Challenges

Most airlines adhere to guidelines set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for managing suspected deaths during flight. However, execution may vary slightly between carriers.

If a passenger falls critically ill, cabin crew administer first aid and may seek assistance from any medical professionals onboard. Simultaneously, the pilot contacts ground-based emergency doctors for guidance. Diversion decisions are made rapidly if a life can be saved, but are rarely made when a death is suspected, as explained by former pilot and aviation lecturer Marco Chan.

If the passenger is presumed deceased, the body is typically moved to an unoccupied seat or an area away from other passengers, if space permits. According to IATA, if a body bag is not available, the body should be covered up to the neck. However, with limited space in most aircraft, especially on smaller regional jets, this can prove extremely difficult.

In fully booked flights, the body may remain in the purchased seat. Where possible, flight attendants will draw curtains, dim lights, and place blankets around the body to afford it dignity, said Robert.

The galley, aisles, or crew rest areas cannot be used to store the body due to safety regulations and space constraints. Crew must find a balance between honoring the deceased and maintaining onboard safety.

"We Had to Shield Other Passengers"

Ivan Stevenson, assistant professor of aviation management at Coventry University, noted that on smaller aircraft, the only practical option may be to keep the deceased in their seat. In such cases, efforts are made to shield the scene from other passengers.

One such incident involving Qatar Airways underscored the difficulty: passengers reported that the deceased could not be moved due to space limitations.

Airlines typically notify their operations and destination airport communication centers as soon as a death is suspected. Upon landing, authorities await the aircraft’s arrival. If the deceased was traveling alone, the airline works with officials to contact the next of kin.

A Flight Attendant's Firsthand Account

Ally Murphy, a flight attendant and host of the Red Eye Podcast, experienced an onboard death during her 14-year career. A male passenger flying solo from Accra to London collapsed mid-flight.

Alerted by another passenger, the crew found him unresponsive and immediately performed CPR. For 40 minutes, Murphy and a colleague tried to resuscitate him using onboard medical equipment.

Though the pilot diverted the flight to Lyon, France, emergency responders declared the man dead upon arrival. “I held him in his final moments,” Murphy recounted. “He wasn’t alone. That mattered.”

The flight later resumed, and though the cabin was quiet, some passengers expressed frustration over missed connecting flights. Murphy recalls that it was the only time she ever asked passengers to “please step aside.”

The emotional toll lingered. “I went home, sat in the bathroom, and cried,” she shared. “For a week, I couldn’t get his last breath out of my mind.”

Murphy avoided TV shows depicting CPR scenes for months afterward. According to Robert, airline staff are usually granted time off after such traumatic events.

“These are not daily occurrences for us,” Robert emphasized. “We’re not doctors or nurses, even though we’re trained. That doesn’t make us immune.”