London, March 19 (IANS) A passenger travelling from Delhi to London died in flight last week and was strapped to a first-class seat during the remaining part of the journey, much to the discomfort of other passengers, British Airways admitted Monday.
Apologising to passengers, BA 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 statement said: "The deceased must not be placed in the galley or blocking aisles or exits, and there should be clear space around the deceased. The wishes of family or friends travelling with the deceased will always be considered, and account taken of the reactions of other passengers."
The body was kept in the first class cabin because that "allowed the family members travelling with the deceased some level of privacy in their grief," the airline said.
"We apologize to passengers in the first cabin who were distressed by the situation - our cabin crew were working in difficult circumstances and chose the option that they believed would cause the least disruption," the statement said.
David Learmount, a former pilot and cabin crewmember 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 told the news media. "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."
One of the passengers who witnessed the events was Paul Trinder, who woke up on the flight and saw the crew strap the body of a dead woman to his next seat. The woman had apparently died just after take off.
"I woke to see cabin crew manoeuvring what looked like a sack of potatoes into the seat. Slowly, through the darkness, I realized it was a body. At first, I thought I was dreaming. Then I was convinced it was a big wind-up," Trinder said of his experience.
He added that he was frightened the body was decomposing. The relatives of the dead passenger also kept wailing throughout the flight, which further depressed him.
"The corpse was strapped into the seat but because of turbulence it kept slipping down on to the floor. It was horrific. The body had to be wedged in place with lots of pillows," he recalled. "Then the relatives were allowed to sit in First Class and spent the next five hours wailing and weeping."
Trinder, 54, was refused compensation and told by the airline to "get over it" after the corpse was placed in the row where he was sitting last week. He spent more than 3,000 pounds for the first-class ticket from Delhi.
"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," he added.
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.
Trinder said: "I just kept thinking to myself: 'I've paid more than 3,000 pounds for this'."
Aviation experts said that other carriers use different procedures. Singapore Airlines has introduced "corpse cupboards" on its Airbus 340-500 aircraft. Cabin crew use the locker if there is no empty row of seats to place a corpse.