A flight attendant has opened up about what really happens if a passenger dies on a plane.
Barbara Bacilieri, 33, has spent 14 years in the industry and shares her insights and experiences on social media.
Originally from Argentina, the flight attendant revealed exactly what goes down when someone passes away during a flight and the ‘special procedure’ airline staff follow.
‘A death on a flight is not too common, but it does happen sometimes,’ Barbara told What’s The Jam. ‘That’s why airlines have a special procedure for this.’
She emphasised that crew members are trained to handle the death with ‘dignity’.
The flight attendant went on the explain how the uncommon but sad situation could play out.
She said: ‘So, imagine you’re flying to Rome and you suspect the passenger next to you isn’t actually asleep.
‘You call the flight attendant, and she also thinks he’s not sleeping.
Barbara Bacilieri, 33, has spent 14 years in the industry and shares her insights and experiences on social media
‘First, she’ll alert the crew, who will then alert the captain. Meanwhile, she’ll check his vital signs and probably start CPR.
‘Once this happens, the crew will ask if there’s a doctor among the passengers. If one appears, they’ll attend to the passenger.’
Barbara shared that in most cases, airlines do not have their own doctor on the plane but ‘there’s almost always a healthcare worker among the passengers’.
She continued: ‘Remember, no one officially dies on a plane because they can’t declare someone dead until we reach the ground and a doctor confirms it.’
The flight attendant revealed there are two options if a passenger dies on board – captains usually either land at a nearby hub or continue the flight.
If the safety of those on board is compromised, the crew might decide to land as soon as possible at an airport.
But if ‘everything is under control’ they might choose to continue to the final destination.
The person who has passed away will be moved elsewhere, perhaps to an empty row.
Originally from Argentina, the flight attendant revealed exactly what goes down when someone passes away during a flight and the ‘special procedure’ airline staff follow
Barbara explained: ‘But if there are no empty seats, the dead passenger will be taken to a section of the plane where they’re out of view.’
The flight attendant was once travelling on a plane when someone passed away and recalled: ‘I realised, and a couple of other passengers did too, that someone had died.
‘A flight attendant got a sleep mask and put it on the deceased, only covering their eyes, and wrapped them in a blanket to disguise everything.
‘It happened on a fairly long flight where most of the passengers were asleep. Only those of us who were awake realised what was happening.’
Barbara explained the crew were ‘as discreet as possible’ until they were able to deal with the situation at the final destination.
In another incident, Barbara revealed how a passenger passed away on a transatlantic flight.
There weren’t any free seats on the plane so the crew ‘decided to put the body in the galley, the flight attendants’ kitchen, covered with a blanket’.
‘The flight continued as scheduled, and my friend had to spend hours with her foot propped up against the body to stop it moving around,’ Barbara added.
‘A death on a flight is not too common, but it does happen sometimes,’ Barbara told What’s The Jam. ‘That’s why airlines have a special procedure for this.’
‘The worst part was that the rest of the crew had to keep working around her because the passengers had to eat. She wasn’t comfortable, but this was the decision made on this flight.
What’s more, planes have capacity to carry coffins in the cargo hold.
Barbara explained: ‘Along with the luggage, bodies are often transported back to their country of origin, and there might be a family member accompanying them on the same flight.
‘Some airports, like Amsterdam, have a morgue to receive and prepare bodies before sending them back.’
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