# "I didn't pay for First Class just to sit next to a dead body!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 20, 2007, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661 "2007-03-20T02:28:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/1 "2007-03-20T02:28:58Z")
Not a real quote, but nicely somes up what [happened](http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070319/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_flight_corpse;_ylt=Aqtvk4ATxpn0POBoe9SkcLTtiBIF) to some British Airways passengers :eek: . It was a nine hour international flight and the women was already dead before any possible emergency landing, but if she died right after take off why did the airliner just turn around? Which would you, as a passenger, find more annoying; having you flight delayed or sharing a cabin with a corpse? Why did they have to upgrade her to first class (true there’s more space)? Wouldn’t a flight that long have a crew compartment where she could be stowed? A crew can’t access the luggage hold mid-flight can they? ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/2 "2007-03-20T02:56:47Z")
I had heard that it was about 3 hours after takeoff that she died, which clearly would make it more difficult to land; lots of mountains and deserts and water, not so many convenient landing strips. And landing in, say, Bulgaria probably didn’t sound too great either; perhaps they figured it would be simpler to just push on. From what I could figure out, they don’t seem to have covered the corpse? Does anyone know? I should think they’d put a blanket over her or something, but then maybe it kept falling off. I don’t know why they couldn’t stash her someplace more out of the way, but would be interested in finding out. A strange story all’round, since planes are supposed to be prepared for this sort of thing; it happens a few times a year, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/3 "2007-03-20T02:59:40Z")
Well, at least whoever sat next to her didn’t have to have a deal with a nosy seatmate, or look at baby pictures or anything. Although, it could make an semi-amusing Airtran Airways commercial. Moreso than the pirate one. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/4 "2007-03-20T03:02:03Z")
I wonder if they will charge her estate for the upgrade to a first class seat? ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/5 "2007-03-20T03:48:30Z")
Um. Her daughter was on the flight. She might have objected to having her mom ‘stashed someplace’. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/6 "2007-03-20T03:55:18Z")
Do we know if the daughter gave her permission to proceed with the flight? Assuming she was British and not Indian, returning to Delhi would have meant they’d just have to ship Mom to London anyway. I think I would have said okay. Alternatively, perhaps the daughter was simply bound and determined to take Mom on that dream vacation she’d always wanted no matter whether she was dead or alive. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/7 "2007-03-20T04:22:28Z")
I see an advertising campaign. “British Airways: People are dying to fly us first class.” ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/8 "2007-03-20T05:26:50Z")
BA is shooting itself in the foot by not sufficiently comping the fellow who was distrubed by the body – talk about bad press! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/9 "2007-03-20T11:39:36Z")
[This is a much better article, the other one conviently left out details.](http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/WeirdNews/2007/03/19/3783009-ap.html) The body was put near him after she died on the trip. She wasn’t in the seat next to him. The imediate family on the plane, was put in the same area, to get them out of the full cheap seats. They did just bring her in and not tell the guy what was happening. They couldn’t put her in food prep areas or anywhere that blocked access. You would think they’ would at least have a company wide plan figured out for this situation. I couldn’t have sat in theare with the corpse, and they would be refunding my money or taking the body back to where it was, and I’d be somewhere else the rest of the trip. Economy class is better than corpse class. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/10 "2007-03-20T11:53:46Z")
I’d have made room in some of the overhead compartments. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/11 "2007-03-20T11:54:36Z")
Thing is, there probably _are_ people who would pay extra to sit next to a dead body; even if there is only one person out of five hundred that feels this way, the chances are quite good that at least one of them would be on the plane. The airline could have solved this problem quickly and easily, not only that, but they could have turned it into a profit centre. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/12 "2007-03-20T12:30:03Z")
Well, they had to do something with her; its not like they could just dump her over the side. HomeOwner#1: “Honey, something just smashed through the roof into our living room…!” HomeOwner#2: “Dammit! I hope its not more of that Blue Ice again…” But then that would only lead to: Horatio Cain: “Suddenly… _Sunglasses Flip_ …airtravel has gotten much more dangerous.” - WHO ‘Baba O’Riley’ Riff\* ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/13 "2007-03-20T12:41:24Z")
She could sit next to me if I could get her drink and peanuts. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/14 "2007-03-20T12:48:05Z")
I’m sure if she’d have been unaccompanied, she’d have been stashed in the hold. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/15 "2007-03-20T12:49:15Z")
Just as well it wasn’t Ryanair. They’d have charged the family a £30 corpse-handling fee. ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/16 "2007-03-20T12:54:55Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] She could sit next to me if I could get her drink and **peanuts**. [/QUOTE] [Been a while](http://www.cnn.com/TRAVEL/NEWS/9809/04/peanuts/index.html?eref=sitesearch) since you last flew, has it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/17 "2007-03-20T13:04:09Z")
[QUOTE=jjimm] I’m sure if she’d have been unaccompanied, she’d have been stashed in the hold. [/QUOTE] Is there access to the hold from the cabin in commercial airliners, outside of the movies? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/18 "2007-03-20T13:10:20Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Is there access to the hold from the cabin in commercial airliners, outside of the movies? [/QUOTE] On 747s there’s an elevator. It’s very small, and I wouldn’t like to squeeze into one with a dead body, mind. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/19 "2007-03-20T13:20:38Z")
[QUOTE=dangermom] From what I could figure out, they don’t seem to have covered the corpse? Does anyone know? I should think they’d put a blanket over her or something, but then maybe it kept falling off. [/QUOTE] What. On a plane like that no one has a stapler? Sheez. 😉 I don’t think I would mind much if I was under the impression she hadn’t died of anything contagious. However, if the morning family members were all around that would be different. > [@](#): > > _Originally Posted by Siam Sam_ Do we know if the daughter gave her permission to proceed with the flight? Assuming she was British and not Indian, returning to Delhi would have meant they’d just have to ship Mom to London anyway. I think I would have said okay. “…ship _Mum_ to London…” ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2007, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661/20 "2007-03-20T13:37:40Z")
[QUOTE=alphaboi867] Which would you, as a passenger, find more annoying; having you flight delayed or sharing a cabin with a corpse? [/QUOTE] The delay would be more annoying. How could a corpse be more annoying? It’s no fault of the airline or the corpse. Let’s see here: crying children, dead corpse loud coughing passengers, dead corpse passengers that need to get up, dead corpse The choice is clear 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-pay-for-first-class-just-to-sit-next-to-a-dead-body/396661.md?page=2)