Although the exact protocols vary from airline to airline, most follow some general guidelines in the event of a death on board.Those who fly frequently may have heard this question asked at some point on a plane. In-flight medical incidents can range from minor to serious, and sometimes the outcome is fatal.died after falling ill on an American Airlines flight from the Dominican Republic to North Carolina.
“We have AEDs on board the planes to use if a passenger goes unconscious and stops breathing, and we’re all trained to do CPR,” said Heather Poole, a flight attendant and the“We’ll page for a medical professional to help us if we need them,” she said. “And if there’s not one on board, we can contact a physician on the ground.”Airlines use services like MedAire’s MedLink to get guidance from on-call medical professionals during emergencies.
“To handle the body with dignity and respect while ensuring minimal disruption to other passengers, the crew covers the deceased passenger with a blanket,” Alves said. “Nearby passengers may be moved to other seats if space permits. The body may be moved to a less populated area, such as an empty row, if available. Otherwise, the body is secured in the original seat with the seatbelt fastened to prevent movement during the flight.
“We were trained to use the onboard wheelchair, which we discreetly wheeled backward through the cabin to move the body to a suitable location,” Robert said. “Once the body was in the body bag, we were trained to zip it only to the neck, as the person wouldn’t be officially declared dead until after the plane landed. We could use a blanket to cover the head out of respect.”
“A significant part of our training on death on board was how to break the news to the people traveling with the deceased,” Robert recalled. “We had scripts to follow loosely, and we role-played how to tell someone their travel partner had died. A lot of care goes into this process.” Airlines can provide mental health resources like counseling and peer support through MedAire and similar companies.As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.