I Was shocked to read the news about the corpse on the B.A. flight that Paul Trinder had to fly with. I'm surprised with B.A.'s response to him and would have thought they could have offered him a free first class ticket - I know if it would have been me I would have fought for it.

Poppy , London, England

I agree with the person, this is outrageous, he pays a small fortune and everything he states I concur with - BA should have a back up - some airlines put corpses in the hold as it is cold. This is DISGUSTING - say that all of you who feel he is heartless is you were couped in economy with a stiff

alison jones, london, uk

i feel bussiness man should be compensated, the incident is natural and there is nothing BA can do about it but nobody wants to experiance that in a flight. so BA should't dismiss the bussiness mans distress.

king, london, ealing

Truly quite astonishing to say the least that a buisness man & I imagine a well adjusted & highly educated individual can hold himself in such high regard in what must have been a very traumatic event for everyone concerned!
Very selfish.......get over it!

Fi, Kent,

How would you like to be stuffed in a cupboard Mr Trinder? The BA staff acted appropriately under the circumstances. If I died on board a flight I would EXPECT to be put in First Class! If you were so distrested by the incident i'm sure that there would have been room for you in the cargo hold.....

Natalie, Royal Tunbridge Wells,

BA didn't plan, and they should offer him something to compensate him, some airmiles or something. He was a good citizen by not interfering with the grieving family, he isn't angry with them, but he would like something.

Connor, Edinburgh, Scotland

BA was right. get over it. a woman has died, the family is in shock and grief...and you are thinking that you spent 3000 pounds.....silly man

filipa , lisbon,

I agree with Fran, what has happened to this world. That poor lady 's family would have been devistated, it's not time to complain it;s time to buck up and be a good person. Don't they deserve a little comfort?
I think British Airways acted perfectly fine.

Jane, london, england

Forward Planning-Forward Planning.
B.A. simply did not forward plan, otherwise this situation would not have arisen.
Both the passengar who complained and the grieving relatives have my sympathy.
I certainly would not have liked to have a 'dead body' placed near to me .

Marie, Exeter, England

This is a sad story, every body talks about money , compensation and the services. Every body should sympathy and cooperate with this situation.What is happening to human being in this mad world?!!!!

Fran, burnaby,

I think the best thing someone said is to put the body in the crew rest area, and politely let her family say goodbye but return to their seats at some point. Then there is a serious issue of bodily fluids...and if it was a full flight and you moved people around, who would want to sit on a soiled seat? A body bag is not a bad idea to have on board, as having room for a body itself? Depends on the size of the plane. The crew area seems the best even if the body is on the floor, not to sound cruel, but would creat the least distress on everyone, regardless of what class they were in. The other possibitly depending on where they were in flight would have been to temporary divert it and land so as the body could be taken off. There really is no solution other than a plan in place for the flight attendents to have if this happens.

Brad, Los Angeles, CA

This one is a tough situation, one the airlines have to worry about space, and two the comfort of the passangers. then you throw in the mix a dead person. they look at the odds and play the 1 in 3.6 million chance a year. Thats hard to make from a buisness stand point, but then again that seems to be the problem with companys now adays, no heart, just cold hard cash. It really is "all about the benjamins" makes me sick.

there are "rows" in first class

http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/British_Airways/British_Airways_Boeing_747-400_B.php

Davud, hampton,

The plane should have turned back to Delhi. To fly with a decomposing body at room temperature is something that I would not be willing to put up with.

Disgusting behaviour, BA should be ashamed, but hey, they didn't lose any money that day through compensation claims for not arriving at the advertised destination,

Linda Hoey, Bournemouth, Dorset

Personally, I would feel very sorry for the distressed daughter and son-in-law rather than the inconvenience it caused me.
What would Mr Trinder feal if in was his mother? Would he be happy to put here in a corpse cubored!!

Gilbert, Cheltenham,

A query..............

There are not ROWS in first class so is this story true?

Alison Walker, Ash, Surrey

Maybe the story is not a myth all way down, but the truth's that all customers, especially in UK, ale very spoiled by assorted laws, i.e. shopping or services so they could make complaints everywhere it is virtually possible, about anything. My friend used to work in a doughnut shop. One of the customers cameback to her to say there was not enough jam in his doughnut!!! Or not enough powder on it!! I feel sorry for that kind of people.

So when mentioned passenger sniffed an occasion to mourn and complaint and, as a business person- make money out of it, even out of someone's death - he went for it.
Simple. But how sad is it, Mr Trinder?

Tom, London,

I feel sorry for the man on the plane, but also for the cabin crew. If I were put in the similar situation to that I would not know what to with the corpse. Maybe all airlines should invest in some form of place to put the bodies, no matter how low the chance of passing away on the airplane is. To see a dead body propped up with the family grieving closeby is a terrible thing to witness, and BA should've at least given the poor man a refund. That is an event he will never forget, and also one he would've found rather strange and disturbing.

Beckie Jones, Cheltenham,

I would recommend each reader reviews Trinder's response in this comments section (approx half way down) in order that they can reach their own conclusion as to this person's general professionalism.
I would strongly recommend that this 'high flying' businessman invests in a spell checker.
For the avoidance of any doubt, here is a section:
"Deceased memeber being carried unceremoniously some 50 rows. and b) the potential health hazard to other passengers.
This flight had originated in India where contagious disease is comon, "

GJ, Runcorn, UK

i don't belive this is ture. because why would any airline place a dead body in any section of thier aircraft let alone first class. If this MYTH is ture the aircraft would of have to landed im sure. becuse it would disturbed many people. what they would of probely done would of place it in the crew rest area out of the passingers site. This story is made up the men wanted to sell his MYTH to the papers so he could refund his trip on first class. In real life i hope this man can lern that people do die and you shouldn't complain about it !!!!

Toby, Oxford , England

This passenger has described that the lady's body was 'at the end of the row' where he was seated. It was the only place available and no one should be made to sit next to a corpse in the economy section of the plane while there are spaces in the first or business class area. The more difficult aspect was the loud grief expressed by the lady's family. That certainly constitutes a disturbance. However, a passenger could get drunk in the same area and become loud and disturb other passengers, and no doubt less complaint would be hears. I'm glad that there are apparently new measures being put in place to be able to place corpse when it unfortuntately arises in a specific area, preferably cold.

Jane, Coulsdon, Greater London, United Kingdom

I can't believe Mr Trinder said quote 'I can't believe I paid £3000 for this' A body takes longer than 5 hours to decompose, so no worries there. Whilst I appreciate he is a 'high yield customer,' death is unaviodable, or should the 'low yield customers' been subjected to sitting next to the poor dead woman (Houston Oil comment above) for the sake of a few thousand pounds difference in air fare?. BA did not at the time have 'corpse cupboards' and as the flight was full, was it not better to move the coprse to a quieter area and not infront of 300 passengsers? Or would it have been better to place it in the food galleys? Pray and thank god it was not you or your family that had to endure the death and potentially have a loved one stuffed in a corpse cupboard...get over it Mr Trinder.

Kay, London, UK

I don't think the passenger was insensitive at all. He has said that grieving is a personal thing and I too would be concerned if I woke up next to a corpse that had been moved there because no other plans were in place. We are talking about BA here a major airline that should cater for this type of issue. There should be a dedicated cabin when this typ of incident does ocurr which should allow the family to grieve in private. As regards the staff they should be trained by BA to deal sensitively with a situation when this arrives as part of their in flight procedures. It is 2007 for goodness sake, mind you a dedicated room takes up passenger space or is this just me being cynical!

Darren, Pontefract,

If the airline has not provided appropriate accommodation for such unavoidable instances, they should at least not subject their highest yield customers to this unfortunate circumstance. Should no alternatives exist during the event, the carrier must ensure their loyal customers are treated in such a manner as to continue and earn their demonstrated repetitive and valued business.

HoustonOil, Houston, Texas

Like Singapore Airlines, British Airways should have a dedicated space for the dead. It's insensitive to both the family and other passengers for BA to be so ill prepared for such eventualities.

abz, london,

Doesn't anyone think the passenger himself was completely insensitive and that all human beings, not just flight staff, really ought to be trained or train themselves for the eventual end of all our lives -- which is death? Yes, it can happen anywhere, anytime. Does anyone care about the daughter left behind? Or the trauma to the flight staff who certainly isn't paid to carry a dead body around or explain it to anyone? Where is the humanity in your responses?

Ashira, Rockville,

I think that BA's insensitivety is shocking. The passengers should have been warned that this was happening and there should be a proivision such as being able to curtain a few seats off should this awful event happen, The distress for the daughter is just too awful but, as ths is a probability on longhaul flights in particular provision should be made for this eventuality and a more caring way of explaining the situation would make such a difference.. "et over it" does not lead to good customer relations.

Desiree Rail, London, England

What is it about U.K. airlines? Do they just continue the flight no matter what? Last year they continued on a trip off the west coast of the U.S. with an engine out! Now this?
Stay away from U.K. airlines.

Tom Jones, Los Angles, California

I travel in First/Business Class numerously throughout the year, thankfully never having an experience like that before. There were many things that could have been handled in a more appropriate manner aboard that BA flight. First, there didn’t seem to have any necessary procedures implemented for a situation like this, which I discovered has happened in the past. BA cabin staff “upgraded” a dead passenger into First Class, without even notifying the premium passengers of this discomfort brought upon them. I understand that this was an unavoidable situation but, seriously BA you promise your First customers effortless travel, they get standards below any economy/coach and no compensation was given. From a business point of view, what do you prefer losing a 200,000 + miles customer (Gold Member) or losing 3000 quid? Maybe BA First Class passengers should rethink traveling on BA, and chose Virgin’s Upper Class Suite getting First Class Service at Business Class prices.

From A Business Point of View, Toronto , Canada

Living things die, it's the way of nature. It's also a freshly dead body, it takes more than just a few hours' flight to actually begin decomposing and becoming a health hazard - anyone with even a little education should know that. Perhaps the crew should have stuffed her body into an overhead bin instead? Or maybe tossed it out of the plane midair? Or maybe make an "emergency stop" in the middle of nowhere and drop the body off as well as the daughter... then what? How would you feel if you had just lost your mother? It's amazing to me how insensitive and selfish the "civilized world" has become, making such a mountain out of a molehill, when there are women and children dealing with this and more horrifying situations on a daily basis, like in Darfur for example. BA was right, get over it.

Disgusted, Los Angeles, CA

No matter what, if you pay £3000 for a ticket you pay for extra services. To have a greving woman and a dead body next to you does NOT fall under extra services.

Yes it is a tragic that the women dies and that it happens on an airplane is not an easy situation. But nevertheless both the dead and the grieving women allready had a seat. So why move them?? And like so many others have allready said. Move some other passengers if there is a need to move people. Then the corpse and the grieving women had place and mister Trinder was still getting what he had payed to get.

And to all of you who think that he is a bad man who think more of the compensation and less the dead women. That is not the issue. The man have payed an extreme amount of money to get the service he expected. How many of you who talk low of him can say honestly. "Hey. I just paid £3000 to get to sit next to a corpse. It was the most exiting thing i have ever tried. And there is no way I will ever complain". NONE

Lars Pedersen, Holstebro, Denmark

In any job, it shows weakness to allow the distress caused by the situation of one passenger to show in your work, and to cause you to fail your duty to a passenger unrelated to the incident. Trinder was not, in fact, showing a lack of sympathy, he was in shock, and he was not being treated as he should have been, especially after paying the amount of money he did. An apology cannot fix something so disturbing, neither can money, but a refund would have been the appropriate way to handle it. Also, I'm quite certain there were others disturbed by it. The body and the family members should have been moved to the most secluded area possible, and those passengers in that area should have been moved as far away from the scene as possible. If that meant having to move a high-paying passenger to a lower class seat, so be it, and refund them for what they didn't receive. In my opinion, the only thing shown here from those employees on board is a lack of good training for chaos situations

Skye, Long Beach , Mississippi, United States

Though it is true that you shoud feel for the fam. and lady that passed away, how would you like to wake up next to a dead body? You may be ok with that, but some people are not. They should have kept the lady where she was and moved the other people in her row to first. Or put her in the last row near the rear exit.......Why would you upset the bread and butter of the company?

Justin, Seattle, Wa

As a physician having treated over 20 medical emergencies on board over the last 20 years and flying a lot more first and business class miles than Mr Trinder, I am puzzled by the fact that he cannot empathize at all with the death of the fellow passenger nor the grief of the relatives. As the CEO of a "Safety" manufacturer, he is well placed to know that all he sells is worthless when it comes to moving to the real side of eternity. I am amused by his arrogant reaction, not even having sympathy with the flight attendants who really did their best to behave according to very badly formulated SOPs, because airlines like to deny it could happen.
Mr Trinder may now please sell morgue fridges into every airplane so he can sleep in peace whilst fellow passengers die around him. When he keeps flying at 200.000 miles a year, he increases his bets to land into the one of the morgue fridges he sold to the airlines. Hopefully his relatives will not be around to reclaim the ticket price.

Dr Luc Opsomer, Frankfurt, Germany

He should have been transifered to Economy class and the case explained to him. Then the Air milage be refendered to his next travel

Olivia

Olivia, kampala, Uganda

Um...what were they supposed to do stick her in the fridge? Throw her out the door? Put her in the bathroom?

I believe they put her in first class because less people are there and it was closest to the cabin door so they could quickly get her off. I highly doubt they told him "get over it". Judging by this man's initial reaction he wasn't being all that sympathetic and he probably translated "there's nothing we can do" to mean "get over it".

KC, Yacama, Washington

I'd be really really pissed off. Having a dead body plopped next to him is disgusting.

He deserves compensation how could they dare say 'Get over it'

Taz, Mull,

Good thing this guy didn't come off selfish or anything. With a grieving family next to him, his priority should be to care about his first class ticket and his creature comforts. He's a real hero.

John, Akron, Ohio

I think the air line could have handled the situation better. they claimed not to have enough space in the rest of the plane, but the question is, didn't the woman have a seat she was sitted in before she passed away?
if the crews had "no choice", they could have explained the situation more politely to the passenger.
Paul Trinder paid for excellent services, so he had every right to complain if he gets something short of that.
the air line should be made to apologize to paul, they had no moral right to tell him to get over it.
if this is not well adressed it will happen time and time again.
BA shouldn't forget that safety and comfort are very important in the airline business.

Bunmi Thani, lagos, Nigeria

I think this guy should get a lawyer, and sue the airline. there is no reason he should have to put up with this. if the lady died back in coach, she needs to stay put. the man paid for a first class ride, which is supposed to be luxurious and relaxing. having a dead old nasty decaying body next you is the polar opposite of this. i hope this guy gets a big enough settlement so that he never has to work again, thus never having to fly again.

Dylan, newport beach,

loooooooooooooooool

Jasmine A, Geneva, Switzerland

I cannot believe the arroance of this man! He could at least understand that little could be done to move the poor old lady! And complaining about the grieving daughter? Surely he can allow her the right to grieve! The flight attendants were right to tell him to get over it! What were the supposed to do? Have some compassion you miserable uptight man!

Stefanie Stretton, Ipswich, UK

First Class is not what it used to be.

T, Austin, Texas, us

Sad to say, but flights from India are marked by very poorly trained flight attendants. They seem like they are fresh out of high school and only know how to dress and use makeup on themselves well.
Ironically many Indian flight attendants are extremely racist toward Indian passengers. I have personally observed South Asian flight attendants treat Caucasian passengers very differently than Indian ones.I have repeatedly witnessed their incompetence and inexperience when it comes to dealing with any out of the ordinary passenger situation. Be it a sick passenger, an upset child, you name it. Interestingly Indian flight attendants on flights originating from the West are much much more professional and considerate.

Ann Wilkes, NYC, USA

It was a flight to end all flights.
Full-service all the way.
The upgrade she'd but dreamed about
was offered her that day.

She took off in ECONOMY.
But, oh my gosh. Alas,
before she'd landed on the ground
her seat was in FIRST CLASS.

It seems she got quite cold back there.
The old girl couldn't breathe.
But she did not complain a bit
and neither did she grieve.

She left that to the baffled few
who looked at her and cried.
The news spread up and down through coach.
Miss 40-D had died.

The flight attendants rushed to help
and moved the lifeless lass.
They found a seat beside a man
asleep up in FIRST CLASS.

The moral of this true-life tale
may seem at first to be
"In time you'll get what you desire."
But more importantly.

"The trips you take may seem routine.
You board and then you fly.
But hey, you'd best be right with God.
In flight you just might die."

Greg Asimakoupoulos, Mercer Island, WA, USA

I am sorry, but I don't understand what the big deal is. Death is a fact and sometimes it happens on planes. Why was it necessary for Trinder to know what was going on considering that it didn't concern Trinder. Should flight attendants run through the aisle announcing that a passenger has died to create more problems or panic so that Trinder and others like Trinder have been satisfied with their supposed right to be involved? The answer is no.

DanielFTL, Pompano Beach, FL

you are right - it is an utter disgrace. the fact BA even let people on board who may have a predelection to die on board just makes commercial airlines even more repugnant than they already are.

Anne, London, GB

I recommend that everybody read the book "Air Babylon", and then just pray next time you get on a flight that most of what goes on doesn't happen to you........ Feel sorry for the guy on the plane, most unpleasant, but really it's just wrong time, wrong place.........

Tim, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Just what did the unfortunate lady die of? Exactly: none of the BA staff were qualified to perform a post mortem, so they had no idea what disease (if any) the corpse was carrying - which makes moving it around on a crowded aircraft an extremely stupid thing to do!

BA should consider themselves extremely lucky they aren't being sued for infecting other (living) passengers.

Mike Bibby, St Albans, England -not EU

was she charged for the upgrade?

paul, toronto,

While i think BA should have had some procedure in place i also strongly think this man needs to get over his GOLD CARD status and be a human being. I mean who here was really in bigger distress Mr GOLD Card or the poor lady who lost her mom.

Aviator, Houston, USA

I think Mr. Trinder was treated very badly.....Why couldn't the airline have moved some of the other passengers into first class and clear some area for the grieving family. It would have given the family more privacy. I think this could have been very traumatic for children if they had heard the commotion.....

Laura, N Augusta, SC

I wonder if the poor deceased lady still got her frequent flier miles?

Kim Righetti, Upland, Calif. USA

If it bothered him that much, Mr First Class traveller could have always requested a downgrade to tourist class. Evidently there were a couple of free seats down there.

Jonathan Lowenstein, Tel-Aviv, Israel

I had no idea that BA was so egalitarian. The nation's favourite airline treating its First Class customers with the same contempt it serves up to those in Economy. Amazing. Cattle Class we can rejoice. No longer need we feel inferior just because we're breathing putrid air, confined to a space 2ft x 3ft and forced to carry our most personal belongings in transparent plastic doggy bags.

Go for it BA!
ps: any chance of doing something about the food?

Thomas Martin, London,

It seems that some people want to keep their heads in the sand even at 30,000 feet - even if it costs them 3000 quid

I agree with BA. Fact is, people die. And it's an inconvenience. If the man wants complete separation with the rest of humanity, I suggest he charters his own flight next time. Then he can sit all alone in the plane with absolutely no risk of corpses.

Jack Lee, Austin, TX

Danila , an unsqueamish, grownup not in need of compensation would thoroughly enjoy first class. Specially now that BA First class is offering alternative viewing and new age sound attractions for 3000 pounds.

Kite flyer, Chexbres, Switzerland

I agree, why move her and if extra space was needed why not move another passenger to First Class to make room where she was sitting. Mr Trinder has been traeted very badly and I sincerely hope he can find a different airline that will treat him with the consideration that such a frquent flyer deserves. Nobody should be treated the way he has been, regardless of their class of travel.
I have been trying to convince BA that the bout of food poisoning my husband recently suffered, after a BA journey from Prague, was caused by egg sandwiches served on the plane, do we know what in fact did this lady died of??????????

Doreen, Crowthorne, UK

It seem alot of pple are been unfair 2 a passenger, just as death is a common thing , we all react differently.Allow him his right 2 react differently frm what u would do but i wonder how many pple here can stand confined with a dead body in a room talk less of a plane, I'm sure majority of the do-gooder here will fill very upset 2 have a dead body beside them.
Death is so common that i shouldnt have 2 be forced 2 grief with another if i dnt want 2
Jealous pple sholud pray 2 be rich enough 2 fly 1st class instead of condenming someone else.
I DN WANT A DEAD BODY BESIDE ME IN A PLANE even if its my family member, seeing will not make me grief more , lockin d body up will not inconvenience the dead
Seeing/seating besides a dead body doent add or take away frm one's grief
BA should apologise 2 ALL its passengers on that flight no matter the class

Oluseun Adewusi, Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria

It is quite clear there is something fundamentally wrong if our national carrier BA does not have appropriate procedures in place and staff that are fully trained. Clearly, a corpse leaking body fluids should be placed in an appropriate body bag and sealed – other airlines apparently have a storage closet for such unfortunate events. One would have thought common sense should have prevailed on the aircraft with the BA cabin service director simply activating the seatbelt sign during the corpse transfer to first class. This would have avoided the wailing woman relative problem and if the body had been placed on a first class seat in the bed position, belted and covered with blankets until landing. I would have thought that as this gentleman is a BA gold card holder the very least that BA’s customer service director should offer is a complementary first class fare – as these are effectively allocated to empty seats the gesture would be a zero cost to BA. Is it any wonder high revenue earning customers are leaving BA in droves and Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic is flourishing!

MAS, Cambridge, England

What was wrong with the seat she was in? Why did she have to be moved?

G Skinner, Aberdeen,

I feel sad for all parties here. As a nurse experienced in the care of the dead I am extremely shocked that there are no apparent contingency plans for sudden death on an aircraft. It should be an integral part of the cabins crew's training. I suggest that these measures be put in place.
During training cabin crew should be introduced to the concept of sudden death thoroughly. They should be made aware of the psychological consequences for relatives and other passengers. They must understand that sensitive handling of all parties is imperative.
They must be made aware that a corpse, by its very nature, is a dangerous thing. Cross infection is a real risk. They must be aware that some sort of infection may be present. At death muscle groups that control bladder and bowel function relax, causing problems of leakage. Odour can be a problem.The staff should have access to a specially designed body bag which is discreet and secure.
The airline need a policy for where to store this.

KE, Nottingham, UK

I don't think it would be a good thing to lock the body in a cupboard, just in case it is a false death in which the person is only apparently dead. I agree with Rosi; Mr Trinder should have been less squeamish and more sympathetic, after all he is a fully grown person. It could happen to anybody and he shouldn't use other people's disgrace to try and get compensation. That's absurd.

Danila, London,

I hope the crew made sure that her seat was in the upright position and her seat belt securely fastened for landing. This is an outrage - one wonders when it was that common sense, compassion and initiative were replaced by cold, blind adhesion to robot-like procedures.

O, Pinion, London, UK

Its not pleasant for anyone to have to be next to a corpse. But does anyone care to at least try to understand the position of the relatives of the old lady... instead of merely thinking about their 3000 pounds that went to waste. Because he's a first class passenger and spent 3000 pounds on his airfare, Trinder doesnt expect that sort of discomfort, perhaps that this is the type of discomfort he feels is more suitable for economy travellers? I would have been totally ashamed of voicing out those thoughts (about the 3000 pounds) as they seem totally selfish and self centered to me. Wouldnt showing some kind of support and understanding to the grieving family have been more appropriate than complaining about their wailing?

bella, bham,

2 words.... "Law Suit"!

Rosi, chicago,

The grandmother of a friend of mine died at her birthday dinner in a restaurant - threw her head back to laugh at a joke and died instantly.

Nobody in the restaurant had to pay for their meal that night.

Perhaps BA could follow the example of a simple restrateur and refund the first-class passengers' fares.

Damian Clarke, London, UK

This is yet another example of BA's lousy corporate paradigm.

'Stuff you' seems to be the mission statement.

If Emirates don't take them over, some one else should.

A truly rubbish airline.

'BA avoider'

g mann, mexico, mexico

Now, let's see: What ought to have happened here? Should BA have dumped the body overboard...or what? Hmmm.
Only he who bears the grief knows the grief.
We all need, on occasion, to be accommodating of each other.

Michele Clavery, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad

Mr Trinder has replied in this forum and stated that the journalist misinterpreted his reply. Give the chap some benefit of the doubt.! This has been blown up out of all proportion. The corpse should have been treated with more respect by BA ,BUT the wailing is out of order. No amount of grief entitles you to put hundreds of people at a level of discomfort that prevents them from relaxing on a long haul flight. Some may have further long distances on arrival at London. Surely BA could have explained this to the wailers and requested they shut up just as they said to Mr Trinder "Get over it"

Jean, Bedford, UK

To Alan Plym, (below) I would say:

I doubt the customer in question feels he "owns the aircraft". Although paying £3,000 for the privelidge of 5 hours next to a corpse might be considered less than value for money.

Perhaps Mr Plym would like to tell me when he's next in the Midlands (assuming he's allowed to travel) and I'll come and deposit a fresh corpse on his hotel bed. Let's see if he feels he warrants a refund. After all, he doesn't OWN the hotel!

Some people..

Mark, Birmingham, UK

If I'd paid 3000 pounds for seat on an Airplane, and had to listen to the wailing, AND sharing a row of seats with a corpse, I'd have wanted my money back. I think BA have a cheek telling him to 'get over it' and it doesn't matter who paid for the flight. I think anyone who flies 200,00 miles in a year in first class, deserves better than that. If I was Mr Trinder, I would be looking for another Airline who would value my business, and the money spent. It's obvious that the above people don't fly much, or if they do, fly economy.

Dave Robinson, Schuylkill Haven, USA

I don't care a damn if the whole damned family died - NO ONE has the right to wail and disturb other people on an international flight, if BA idiots dump their family's bodies next to strangers. There isn't a soul on the planet who isn't able to cry quietly in a public place no matter what their customs and habits are. This family should be compensating Mr. Trinder for their utterly selfish attitude towards others. How dare they wail in any class let alone first class, people buy first class tickets in order to get away from this sort of "I' have my rights and customs and I'll do as I like" person. These people should have thought of their mother's health before taking this flight.

Mr.Trinder you are a better man than I - I would have gone beserk and - not without very good cause. The bleeding hearts here should try flying with a corpse next them and having to listen to its family wailers. BA should offer you free flights for the rest of your life.

economy class flyer, Chexbres, Switzerland

I seriously hope this lady didn't die from anything contagious as the re circulated air throughout this long journey could have affected an awful lot of people whatever class they were travelling in

valerie kent, exeter, uk

What did Mr Trinder think BA were supposed to do? Throw her out the plane? So nice to think Mr Trinder sat there thinking "I paid £3k for this" rather than thinking how terrible to lose a loved one on a flight. And as for having to wear ear plugs so as not to hear the crying, you poor poor poor man, how on earth id you cope!!??!!

Jayne, London, London

I used to work in a BA office and know for a fact that the aircraft in question is equipped with several beds for long haul use by crew members.
So why couldn't the deceased and her family have used these and be given the privacy they desperately needed. The answer..........incompetent staff who only thought of themselves as usual!!!

Dean Munsey, Leicester, UK

surely the lady in question had a seat in economy, therefore the logical thing to do would have been to move her daughter and son in law either side of her, which i am sure is possible in a 747.
I think Mr Trinders statement regarding heath and safety is slightly rash given the length of the flight and the only problem would be prising the lady out of her seat due to the onset of rigor mortis.
British Airways suggestion to ''get over it'' is wholly inappropriate but comes as no surprise given the arrogance of this virtual monopoly.

chip grant, amersham , england

American Airliners always seem to be much more accomodating to frequent flyer's concerns and comments. Besides, the service is tenfold better. If many people decided to fly with one of the American carriers, maybe a message could be sent to the UK ones like BA and Virgin that they need to get their act together and start looking after their passengers and not treating them like animals.

I persoannly fly and recommend American Airlines, who are always very pleasant to deal with from check in to getting off the plane.

Dan Levy, London, UK

How is it that so many people have managed to spell the guy's name wrong??? It's repeated several times in the article at the top of this very page!

Tim, UK,

Why not save moving the dead woman forward so everyone can see, and instead move her and her family to the back of the aircraft and put a curtain across...They could have moved some passengers from this area to the spare seats in the front.. I saw this done on a flight when someone died.
If I had paid £3k for a seat I would have been upset as well. Not at being near to the poor old lady and her family, but at the attitude of the staff..I also fly many miles on business with BA and have often found staff to be arrogant...these days airlines cant afford to upset too many people in such a cutthroat business if they want to survive.

Alison, London, UK

I am a Purser with BA and have also been in the unfortunate position of having a customer die whilst on one of my aircraft just an hour or two after leaving Beijing. On that flight we, as I'm sure the crew on the Delhi flight had to, removed the person concerned from their seat and performed CPR for a minimum of 30 minutes before accepting that we were not going to be able to resusitate. In my case, after accepting that we were going to have to carry a corpse to LHR, I placed the lady into two large plastic bags and put her on the floor in the crew rest area at the rear of the aircraft and covered her with blankets. Her relatives were allowed to 'say goodbye' and then returned to their seats. This was very distressing all involved, although hopefully sensitively managed and contained. I agree with many of your commentators and think it is appalling that this unfortunate lady was dragged through the aircraft and displayed in First. It was absolutely not necessary.

A Holland, Reading, England

However uncaring it may seem, the body should have been isolated in a loo for infection control reasons, unless there is some alternate body storage capacity built in.

All travellers should know that this would happen to them in the case of them dying on board a plane and then we wouldn't be "shocked" at hearing of it.

The first-class passenger's reaction is very understandable and the airline's response sadly unsympathetic to him. He should certainly have been quickly and quietly refunded his fare without question and thanked for his understanding in a difficult circumstance.

Many of the shrill responses above are just based on prejudice against wealthy business passengers. I should point out I am not one and have only ever flown economy.

I also feel that the members of crew who had to deal with this difficult situation should have been rewarded with a token of thanks from their employers.

In other words - put the science first but retain compassion

C Allison, Brechin, Scotland

I think Alan Pym has somewhat missed the point. I don't think Mr. Trinder's comments related to the fact he was in first class, I'd be deeply concerned by the presence of a corpse sat near me regardless of what ticket I had opted for.

So Mr. Pym, would you be happy sat next to a dead body on the bus? No I didn't think so, you grow up and stop berating people for having the means to afford first class travel

Phil Dyson, Leeds,

I think if the Airline personnel would of been more compassionate to Mr. Trinder he would not of felt this way. Maybe..... wake him up and explain what had happened and what they intended to do instead of telling him to "Get over it". He may of been a little more understanding.

Roberta, Dexter, NY

Mr Trinder should be thankful that he was in first class. A particularly loopy B.A. hostess once told me that she had once propped up a dead person in economy between two other passengers!
The two passengers did at least , however, get an armrest each.

arnoldo, Coventry,

I can completely understand why the crew would not have considered placing the unfortunate passenger and her family in the crew's rest quarters – the crew might have had to stay out among the other passengers and actually work. I would be very upset to have a deceased person placed in a seat next to me and I think it ludicrous that BA’s management have taken the attitude they have.

Ronald Miller, St Louis, USA/MO

Why don't I find this story suprising? I resolved last year never to fly BA again unless they could prove a change in attitude and outlook. I had always chosen BA in the past as carrier of choice, more out of habit of its safety record and National carrier status than any real research. I was forced however to take a flight to LA on Virgin due to a mix up and found that their level of service was just so much better. I've now flown all classes on both airlines and can say I think the level of service in Virgin economy is at least the equal of that in BA business. You get the impression nothing is ever too much trouble for Virgin staff. BA by comparison seem to send their staff to somekind of finishing school that drills into their staff they are superior to and shouldn't have to do anything for the passengers. From mild indifference in Business class to outright couldn't care less in economy. Would be interesting to see how Virgin would have dealt with the complaint, think i know.

Jon, London,

I think Mr Trider should grow up and stop acting like a child. He needs to understand that by paying for a first class seat does not mean that he owns the aircraft.

How would he like to be treated if the roles were reversed?

Alan Pym, Exmouth, England

I think this is one of the most disgusting and disturbing things I have ever heard. It is unbelieveable and quite unnacceptable that BA have no strategies in place to deal with death. Certainly a body should not be in view of any member of the public - not even in an empty row of seats and the poor relatives should be able to grieve in a private area.
Judi Lincoln. UK

Judi, Lincoln, UK

As a BA Silver Card holder and frequent traveler, I believe that BA should have a procedure in force on all types of aircraft where an unrevivable corpse should be quietly stored out of sight of passengers. I believe that Mr. Tinder deserves 1 First Class round trip ticket of his choice in order to compensate him for the grief and upset in the 'First' cabin!

Haig Artan, London, UK

I thought it was only the people who travel in economy that
had to endure poor service on BA They have no respect for their top customers so what chance do we have in economy.Some attendants have a very arrogant attitude towards passengers & it had better change before the harder times come or there will not be any customers wiiling to travel on BA

C Smith, Burlington, Ontario /Canada

I understand both sides. Maybe BA couldnt do anything else. But at the end of the day, he paid 3000 so should be refunded most of that so he would have ended up paying same as economy.
I usually travel with virginatlantic in upper class and thats not because I am rich. I save hard for that because its a luxary I enjoy and I would be well annoyed if I didnt get what I paid for. Paul Trinder paid for a service that boasts of comfort and flat bed AND LUXARY FOOD.I can bet he lost his appetite and the sleep he paid for he didnt get, due to the family making the noise.I would expect a refund if that happened. Wouldnt expect compensation on top though. And I dont even believe thats what Paul Trinder was after.
I was tempted to try out BA first class but I wont unless I hear that Paul Trinder and indeed the other passengers in first class get refunded most of their cash back.

Donna O'Brien, London , uk

I would tell Mr. Trinder what the BA staff told him: "Get over it". I doubt very much, as he claims, that Mr. Trinder himself "paid more than £3,000 for this" (I suspect it might have been Capital Safety that footed the bill). Regardless, I am disappointed that Mr. Trinder feels that "his" money should have ensured that his avoidance of embarrassment and discomfort was seen as more important than the needs of a grieving daughter and son-in-law.

Jonny, London,

I can't help but feel that the people who feel the plane should have landed and alternative arrangements made for the transport of the corpse have not thought things thgouh enough... wasn't the flight on route from Delhi? If so then I think you'll find that to land and force the grieving family to make other arrangements would have been unfair and unjust.

If this man feels that he was unfairly treated that day then he needs a severe reailty check - there were far more important things to deal with that day than his comfort. Maybe at the very least he and others like him will realise that money can't buy you everything, sometimes you have to take a back seat regardless of how much you have paid for your ticket.

B.A. were right, this gentleman does need to 'get over it'.

N. Sorensen, Croydon, UK

BA needs to compansate Mr T. Its their fault, they must be prepared for these types of situations. Its amazing that they are aware of deaths on their flights for so long, but STILL have nothing in place. I feel for the poor old woman and family. For Mr T, please get your money back from these incompetent BA crew. Sitting next to a dead person for so long is no joke. When someone is dead, they are not part of the living. Therefore, we bury them, with respect. I am sure they could have landed at the next airport somewhere, but costs do matter to them as well?

L Zinyama, NYC, NYC

Please guys, the flight should have arrangements for these things. I am with Paul Trinder. Be it a first class or economy class , I wouldnt want to endure 10 hrs of journey like this.

Vinutha DS, Des Plaines, IL

So every time a person dies on a plane, the other passengers should be compensated? It's not the airline's fault. I'm yet to see anyone suggest a win-win situation.

Sara, Brisbane,

You would have thought such a clever man like Mr Trinder would have some commonsense as well. The obvious thing is surely to move to another seat and if nothing was available in first class then use the seat vacated by the deceased's relative. However with my jealous monster green eyes maybe to stay in his own seat was more favourable to joining the great unwashed!.

Andy, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

Surely long haul aircraft should carry a couple of body bags. Either a diversion to off-load the body and have it appropriately forwarded on ie. in a body bag and coffin in the hold or at least a body bag and stowage in the crew quarters would have been more appropriate.

kim, falmouth,

This is one way to get a free upgrade, I guess!!

Paul Borger, London,

Trinder does have a point in the sense that the airline should not have imposed this on him. I however feel that he is very insensitive, we are talking about a dead body here, no one planned for the poor old lady to die and for her family to grieve(its what humans do, hello?) .. I feel given the circumstances, that's all the flight crew could have done. But they could have gone to the passengers in 1st class and informed them of what had happened before moving the body..i would have been absolutely terrified to wake up and find a dead body near me, admittedly its a very uncomfortable sight especially if its a stranger. But given the fact that these sort of incidencies occur 10 times a year, BA should have a much better procedure in place. I believe that he may have exaggerated their reply to his complaint, i don't believe he really deserves compensation but perhaps a simply apology for the inconvenience caused but £3000 does not give him the right to lose his sense of humanity.

Esther, Coventry, UK

I think that the airlines should carry body bags too just as Nik from London said. As Airlines stewarts and pilots they already know that this can happen so why not take precautions in case of an event like this. One the poor elderly lady's body should have been treated with respect and I don't think that she would have wanted people she didn't even know staring at her and then the poor man should not have had to deal with this. Some people don't know how to cope with death and death is disturbing. I think that the Airline could have dealt with this a lot better.

Charlotte, New York

Charlotte, Watertown, NY

That's one way to get a free upgrade I guess. I hope they didn't charge the unfortunate woman given the unusual circumstances!!

Gordo, London, UK

I've been saying for a long time that service is dead in this country but BA has quite literally taken this too far! They have shown Mr Trinder that his loyalty to their airline means nothing.

Ian Nesbit, Newbury, UK

Every Airline should have procedures in place for an incident such as the one Mr Trinder experienced. Death will occur at any time any place. It has nothing to do with whether Mr Trinder has compassion and so on. BA should have shown some compassion by compensating all of the passengers in 1st class as the problem lies with them not having taken into account death whilst flying. If you pay for a service be it in economy or 1st class you should receive that service otherwise the company responsible should compensate as they failed to put procedure in place. It cannot be pleasant knowing that a dead body is within your reach and a grieving family whom you cannot help feet away from you. Having a BA representative telling you to get over it IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. BA need to improve on their staffs brusque attitude and stop manipulating their passengers. BA staff almost have a license to abuse their passengers no matter what the circumstances.

Mrs P Maclean, KENT, UK

It sounds to me like the most disturbing thing (other than the obvious one of waking up next to a corpse) was the wailing and crying of the relatives, which seems to have exacerbated the situation. OK, BA needed to put the body in 1st, but why did the relatives get an upgrade so they could sob? If they did need to be with the body for religious reasons, perhaps a gentle and comforting word asking them to restrain their ululating might have not gone amiss?

These were adults, not crying babies, and could have exercised some restraint. If any other passenger had screamed solidly for hours, either in 1st or economy, I am sure those diplomatic nannies on BA would have found a way to speak to them and get them to pipe down.

J Hynes, London,

My opinion is that Mr Trinder and other passengers affected should sue BA. I hope he does!! To expect any customer to sit next to a corpse that is propped up as a living patient is negligent, and totally unacceptable! It is also an insult to the living relatives of the dead woman, who rightly were brought to first class to grieve. Their handling of their response to Mr Trinder (as a first class passenger especially) makes me wonder why anyone would fly with this airline!

I stopped using BA years ago. They treat their staff and contractors badly and their customers with contempt. Their only concern is for their directors and shareholders.

The most sensible suggestion in this thread is by Gerry, from Kent. BA were not equipped with qualified staff to pronounce this woman dead. They should have removed the woman to the captain's quarters in lieu of anywhere else more private, or in lieu of a proper procedure, and landed the plane or turned around.

J Salisbury, Reigate,

Why should the 1st class passenger take the dead woman's economy seat?! Why should anyone, for that matter? What a ridiculous suggestion. Why didn't they just leave her "as is" in the seat in which she died and ask those around her to move to the seats of the "living" daughter and son-in-law so they could be with her? He has a right to be upset. I would be too. What did putting her into an open 1st class seat accomplish? Nothing. It's not his problem and the airline shouldn't have made it his problem.

Curtis Calvert, Kansas City,

My condolances to the family of the lady who died.

Some commenters have suggested that Mr Trinder should have offered to take the dead woman's seat.

Have you seen what happens to a body after it dies? It oozes body fluids. Airlines have to replace the seat covers after someone dies on one of their planes. It would be completely unreasonable to expect anybody to sit on a seat vacated by a corpse.

And for the airline not to at least carry a body bag, in order to contain the body and any of its, er, emissions, is grossly unhygenic.

I hope the staff who moved the body washed their hands before food service!

Damian Clarke, London, UK

Is David from Dublin really suggesting that Mr. Trinder should have volunteered to go and sit for several hours in a seat in which a woman had just died? Wouldn't that have been even more unpleasant? Poor man.

Nik, London, England

How can someone behave in such a self- centered manner! I'm sure it must have been a somewhat uncomfortable experience, but he should get over himself and think of those who lost their loved one instead of himself.
I think that BA did absolutely the right thing, and certainly did nothing in my view to disrespect their customers.

Anne Christine Dean, Zürich, Switzerland

Mr Trinder should not have been thinking about himself at all at this time. If he wasn't able to offer a kindly word or deed, he should have kept himself to himself. How stressful it must have been for the airline staff. How upsetting is it for a person to lose their mother at any time, let alone in such difficult circumstances as on an aeroplane. Compensation for Mr Trinder? Get over it, and get over your own ego!

Mary Davies, Milton Keynes, Bucks

They should have locked the body in a toilet space.

It's out of respect for the living.

Roland, London,

I mean how inconvenient! Really other passengers should not be allowed to die on planes. We pay money to be shielded from the nasties of life and I think BA have failed terribly in this regard. He should demand his money back! And as for grief being a private thing - it obviously is where he comes from but certainly not where they come from. You would have throught somebody who travels that much would possibly be slightly more open to the vague differences that exist between cultures in this beautiful world of ours.

Jason M, Glasgow,

I do understand, there are about 10 deaths a year during the BA flights and there can't be a contingency plan and an extra body bag on each aircraft, an extra storage space, just if someone dies. But, I do understand First Class passengers worries, it's not pleasant to sit with a corpse, it's awful to listen to wailings, I have enough when there are small babies who can't stop wailing during the flight. These things happen 10 times a year, Mr Trinder was unfortunate, so why not compensate him with a free First Class flight (they go empty anyway and are used to upgrade their own BA staff and relatives). BA is unreasonable, I do agree, I have experienced it so many times. Horrible customer service attitude.

Telma, London, England

BA's reaction to Mr Trinder is appalling but totally predictable in my experience. After flying extensively across the Atlantic for several years I have learned to avoid BA at all costs - poor service and an arrogant attitude being the main reasons.

John Turner, Barrow Upon Soar, Leicestershire

With the statistics BA has given us (those being that 10 people die each year on board), some sort of plan surely should be implemented. Putting a dead body in the "nearest empty seat" doesnt really sound quite good enough for a multi-million pound organisation.

Stewat Bell, Manchester,

How disgusting! The poor man should definately be compensated. I hope his own health hasn't suffered too much because of this. How shameful of BA to allow this!

Caroline A, Manchester, United Kingdom

This is a good example of why I travel private. Commercial airlines (in any class) do not really respect their customers.

Mark Watkins, London, United Kingdom

Mr. Trinder should grow up. Anyone with a sense of decency would have excused himself and offered to take the dead woman´s seat. His gold card status has clearly distorted his sense of his own importance !

david, dublin , ireland

If BA are going to promote first class travel as the way to fly in a civilised manner, they cannot expect to dump dead bodies in First Class next to paying passenger. They should have diverted and landed allowing the body of the dead woman and her family to make proper arrangements.
They would have been able to grieve in private instead of disturbing a plane-full of passengers. No one likes to be sat next to a screaming baby for hours on end, why should they want to listen to a wailing woman? It's not a question of compassion or lack of it. It's a question of BA honouring their contract of flying their passengers according to what they can expect to receive by flight class.
If you pay £3000, you can expect peace and being treated properly, with due respect to your well-being.

Sarah Hague, Montpellier, France

trinder should definatley get over this, what a selfish statemet to make a passenger had lost their life and trinder is worried about the cost of his ticket?
I would like to know does trinder have any other suggesetions what the crew could of done other than place the corpse in first class? It sound s to me like they used their initiative and was likely to be more of an unplesant experience for thge crew than it was for poor trinder.

molly, bristol, england

I know Mr Trinder personally as an acquaintance. I can assure you all he is a caring and loyal person. He is very successful, works all hours and runs a global business employing thousands of people. From my understanding his point was that the way BA acted was not professional, was not caring for the family of the deceased woman and did not show any kind of concern for the other BA customers on the plane. He DID not ask for compensation from BA - you must all know surely, not to believe everything you read in the papers! i have read every comment below - it strikes me that the majority of people out to "get" Mr Trinder are victims of the green eyed jealousy monster - no we cannot all afford to fly first class (me included) - thats life - may i sugest that you "get over" that fact as well. If you were all the deep caring humans you claim to be then just maybe you would show some of it in less vitriolic personal insults to somebody you have not met - except thro the pages of a paper

Martin, Milton Keynes, UK

It is not something that happens everyday. It is however hard to find the proper answer when the aircraft is full. Whilst I would hate to be the captain of the aircraft that has this dilema I would use the crew rest module which is fitted to the B747's. There is one in the ecy class as well as the actual sleeping compartment just aft of the captains seat (first floor) which is used for the longhaul technical crew.

Peter J CESNIK, LJUBLJANA , SLOVENIA (EU)

Poor woman- she may well have been scared of flying but trusting her daughter to look after her.

Daniel, London, UK

Surely after all the years of flying experience that BA have under their belt with all manner of difficult situations, you would assume that they have a set routine for deaths in flight.
One dead body and a plane load of people is a situation that should be handled with great care, not only for the passengers but also the bereaved relatives that may be onboard. To prop this poor lady up in a seat in full view of other passengers is just not good enough (not to mention very unhealthy). The least they could have done was to discuss the situation with Mr Trinder and give him an option to move away from the body.
All planes should have a suitable "body" storage cupboard/area where the deceased can be placed out of sight and away from other passengers.
BA has shown once again that it's not thinking enough if at all.

David Farnham, Maidstone, England

I feel BA had a real problem here. Mr. McGee's suggestion of moving the people from the dead woman's row sounds reasonable but presumably that would have led to the situation becoming more obvious and half the second class passengers wanting to move.

I assume they pretended the woman was ill and needed medical treatment at the front of the plane - possibly the best thing they could do in the circumstances. I assume there was no access to the cargo hold in flight - I assume this is not pressurised - but there should be some facility to carry polythene body bags and ice in the event of this happening and the corpse somehow transferred to the hold.

Brian Fargher, Birmingham, England

I was on a Luxair flight to Morocco a few years ago when a man unfortunately died of a heart attack. The captain immediately asked for clearance to land and bought the plane to ground somewhere in Southern France. We were asked to leave the plane quietly and were detained for about four hours while they carried out their inquiries, calmly and swiftly. We then carried on to our destination.

The whole episope was carried out with thought for the corpse, his family and the passengers.

Although I feel some of Mr T's opinions sound harsh and unreasonable, I think it must have been a truly unpleasant experience for all concerned and can not believe a 'world renowned' (?) company such as BA could handle the situation with such lack of consideration for all parties. They really should get their act together.

Allison, Luxembourg,

Somehow I see Basil and Sybil Fawlty, as the cabin crew ably assisted perhaps by Arkwright . With Rowan Atkinson as Mr Tinder you have the makings of a new comedy

adrian, Burnley, England

Just to add my voice. It is not a questions of sympathy for for the bereaved! Yes people do die. But surely he didn't board the plane to be sympathetice to others or sit with dead people espeicially considering that he was never alerted or asked if he'd like to change seats. I'm sure they could have found another empty seat.

But again, that is BA for you. Sympathy or no sympathy death or no death, it simply isn't the flight to choice. Period!

Edmond Asare, Kampala, Uganda

This is yet another example of BA not doing enough to resolve a situation. Do they know nothing about good PR ? Agreed it's not their fault that this poor lady "expired" on the flight but it is in their best interests to look after their best customers. It is this sort of attitude from British Airways and their staff which has forced me to switch airlines. I suggest Mr Trinder follows suit.

Simon Clough, Dubai, UAE

They should have vacated the row where the lady was originally seated, and moved those people to first class. DUH!

Ben McGee, Sydney, Australia

Its delightful, comical. All good things come to he who waits. I decided long ago never to fly BA again after a minor dispute with a call centre representative of theirs ( that is if you cna even reach someone). Of ocurse, my dispute pails into insignificance with the grievance of Mr. Trinder. I only hope he can find an enterprising lawyer to sue and donate the money to charity.
And now for something completely different!

Peter, London, England

If I died on a flight, I would rather be put in the hold with the luggage, than inflict my ROTTING CARCASS upon anybody else. Surely any unselfish person would feel this way? What is the benefit in having the corpse sitting with the passengers?

The man should be compensated, even if he had been sitting in economy. A dead corpse need not be inflicted upon anyone in this situation. BA should carry bodybags in future, and stick the dead in the hold.

nicko, sydney,

Peter's comments (with detailed analysis) miss one rather obvious point.

If the cabin crew didn't want their space occupied by a corpse (and this is clearly the wicked truth of the matter) surely a passenger, whether first class or not, faced with sharing the flight with a stranger's dead body has, at the very least, the right to a full refund and some warning of the dead body about to be dumped next to him!

Why not put the deceased lady and her grieving family in the private crew area where they can have some privacy and dignity and let the crew sit in the seats vacated by the grieving family?

Or are BA conceeding that seats in economy are unsuitable for resting crew members, but fine for paying passengers? And in any case, they don't give a damn about their passengers, even when they fly 200,000 miles a year with them!

Mark, Birmingham, UK

It's a hard one, I think it's selfish to look at a woman mourning the loss of her mother and complain about "the noise". sure you wont sleep for the very long trip, and yes, you can't say anything to make it better but have a little sympathy, Trinder is a very, very cold man if he think he wouldn't cry out loud in the same situation.

The airline staff had little other option, sure, the toilet sounds like a good idea, but how would the daughter have reacted knowing her very recently dead mother was already cast aside as a burden.

But the reply, "get over it" is very harsh, that is a shock, I've never flown with BA and seeing a nasty snap of a reply like that doesn't encourage me ever to, denying a refund is their decision but they could have given a reason or apology, no one wants to see a dead body.

Derenger, Drouin, Victoria

If you read Air Babylon it gives you a amazing insight into the world of travel including what they do with the dead . There is no point knocking airlines - from a customer´s point of view it is best "shifting" the body so everyone can get to the destination. Entirely fair to me.

Mushtaq, Nottingham, England

The issue isnt about life and death, first class versus economy or even the empathy one can feel for a family in this situation. It is about an airline, who advertises itself in a certain way and then does not deliver most of its promises. It is also about keeping your customers happy even if that means having to give tickets or refunds when warranted. To attack Mr Trinder's character reflects badly only on those who are doing so. British Airways might not have had control over what occurred on that flight but they certainly have control over how to make amends now, and it is their attitude to their customers which is most alarming. I suggest flying Qantas in future, they seem to offer a few "very special perks" to their first class passengers

Anna, sydney, australia

As a student doctor - and thus used to dealing with death, had this have been me who woke to find this event happening around me, I too would have been horrified.

Is it dignified to haul this poor lady past all the other travellers?

Good on you Mr Trinder - manners cost nothing.....take heed BA.

Student doc, staffordshire, England

It's Karma. Mr Trinder's 200,000+ 1st class air miles carbon foot print has come back to haunt him.

Mark Davis, London, England

I just wonder how Mr. Tinder would have reacted if it were his mother or wife that had passed away and the only other location to move the body was to the first class? If he were to accompany the body, would he rather be in an area that is cramped with many eyes focusing on his grief or would he rather be in a more isolated area to grieve without as many eyes? I think he should have been more sympathetic and realize that after many flights he has taken, that this one incident has happened only once on a flight he was on. It is not a routine practice. Airlines have many policies, but sometimes thing happen that there is no way of helping. They can do only so much at 40,000 feet in the air. Some respect and dignity must be shown to the deceased also.

TRACEY LOPES, Boston, USA, MA

I can't believe Mr. Trinder wasn't asked - or didn't offer - to move back into the economy area of the plane in order to allow the grieving relatives some privacy. If my mother were to die in such circumstances, I too would be unlikely to contain my grief!
His me, me, me attitude seems to reflect what's wrong with society today. Yes, £3,000 is A LOT of money to spend on a flight, and the airline needs to revise their approach, but it's probably true that in life we have more choice about how we are transported around the world than in, er, death shall we say?
My advice to Mr. Trinder and anyone else that finds the lofty price tags they pay unreflected in the service is to opt for economy next time. If more people were to talk with their feet then airline bosses might get the message: in this day and age, people actually do expect more - whether that's the stress-free space that £3,000 should buy, or a dignity zone for the dead! Also spare a thought for the staff; touching a dead body..

Trudy Harlem, London,

Wow, it doesn't take much to kick the class warriors into action, does it?

Whilst it is deeply regrettable that the lady died this first class customer didn't know her from Eve and I for one think that his shock at having to sit next to a cadaver for five hours is totally understandable. I would also agree with anyone sitting in an economy seat who felt a little aggrieved at their lot.

Surely the bad guy here ain't Mr Trinder (and remember he hasn't exactly been beatified in this article has he?) but BA. This story would probably not have come out if they had treated the situation - and yes, the first class passenger - with some decency.

Bobby, London,

With all due respect Mr Trinder, stop complaining and have a little compassion for the family who lost their loved one. We are turning into a nation just wanting to reap benefits out of others misfortunes.

Richard Eve, Plymouth, UK

How truly disgusting this man is to complain that his rest was disturbed by a grief stricken daughter - he should be ashamed of himself - I really thought I had heard it all. I travel Club World and on occasions First, I am also a gold card holder. As I sit there in my seat I cant help but notice these fat cats, getting on board and winging straight away - It's almost like a hobby to some business passengers.
Thank god that the crew had the sense and awareness of dignity to move the lady. Could we imagine the headline if she had been left in economy surrounded by hundereds of passengers?

andy, Manchester, UK

I would be appalled if someone had put my deceased mother in a toilet! Not an option one has to be sensitive to the relatives even if Mr Trinder is not.
However the staff were unprofessional and should have informed passengers before relocting the cadaver to first class. Surely they could have relocated a few first class passengers to economy and given privacy to the family by allowing them connecting seats in first.

elaine, Dubai,

Since this may be the only way I may once again fly first class, I am all for this post mortem perk.

Robert Fox, Dallas, Texas

Of course Mr Trinder is within his rights to complain. If there is any evidence of a lack of sensitivity on display here, surely it is, (assuming, that is, the report is accurate), on the part of the staff of British Airways for not choosing to recognise a legitimate cause for complaint. I would have thought that one of the reasons for paying such a large sum of money to travel first class, is that it allows you to arrive at your destination completely free of any stress or worries that a lengthy flight may incur. Isn't that just the very theme of the advertisements BA themselves ran for their first class travellers, in recent years. The hygene problem is also a concern and this is a clear example that BA's contingency plans for an event such as this, are woefully inadequate. BA should do the decent thing and pay compensation to anyome on that flight who was at least inconvenienced and possibly even traumatised by this unfortunate incident.

Roger Barrington, Longkou City, Shandong, China

Even though having a dead body sit with other passengers is obviously unacceptable, and they should have done more to keep it quiet, how do you think the airline workers and the family felt? Would you want your mother shoved in a closet after watching her die? The other passengers need to deal with it and get over it, because they know if they were in the same situation they wouldnt know how to handle it. Stuff happens and things dont always turn out how you want them do, and money doesnt fix that. Money doesnt guarintee a safe trip or that the plane wont crash, and it doesnt guarintee that a corpse wont sit by you, and that lesson was now learned. How were the flight attendants suppised to handle it, "sory for the inconvience?" they had to carry it! in this situation, everyone is thinking only for themselves. Its no different than having a dead body in front of you at a funeral. Get over it. Imagine how the family feels. The passengers could have looked away.

Christina, Glen Burnie, MD

When I get on a plane I don't expect to sit in an airtight conditioned room with a corpse. BA IS at fault and should have a proceedure in place which also doesn't have grieving people watched by disturbed passengers.

How can you defend BA's response... "get over it"? Absolutely disgusting.

Louise Beard, Iida, Japan

To D Cook, London, UK:

Thanks! My comment was not intended as a comprehensive history.

John Snow certainly deserves mention in any serious history of disproving the miasma theory. However, he merely showed that cholera was somehow related to the water supply, without proving that there was anything fundamentally wrong with the idea that bad smells caused disease. Proof only came with the establishment of microorganisms as the real cause of diseases. Others who made major contributions include Joseph Lister, Robert Koch, Ronald Ross, and Walter Reed, but it was Louis Pasteur who first recognized the connection between disease and living organisms!

Dr. Shank, Lima, Ohio

Surely the BA crew could have put the dead body in a toilet and put an out of order sign on the door and locked it. I would be appalled, like Mr. Trinder ,if I had a first class ticket and was subjected to a dead body and weeping and wailing. British Airways should have been more sensitive and used a little diplomacy. I would think that Mr. Trinder is entitled to a refund.

Penny Dawe, Wantage, Oxfordshire

"The crew I am sure behaved admirably as they have been trained to do. "

If that's behaving admirably, then that explains a lot about British service.

Yes, Mr Tinders is being extremely insensitive, but not telling him about what was going on, and then telling him to "get over it" was plain rude.

Starling, Lancaster,

The whole thing is very unfortunate and of course the family of the deceased have presumably been further distressed by the press coverage. However, why is the complaining passenger being criticised at all?

If I was paying either £300 for economy or £3,000 - £4,000 for first class travel I would expect the provider to have a reasonable policy that isolated any dead bodies from the living passengers. Hardly unreasonable! BA have said they lose a large number of customers every year 'in-flight'.

Death is bound to happen, from time to time, but not having a policy to deal with it or the decency to recognise that a refund is due in such circumstances is just cynical profiteering and highlights a very poor attitude to customer service. If there was a BA exec in 1st Class would the cabin crew have sat him next to the corpse I wonder..

Mark, Birmingham, UK

It is unbelievable that anyone would find it wrong for Mr. Trinder to complain, I guess there are many in the world that still have an us and them attitude. We are all capable of taking the benefits of 1st class if work hard enough in the free world. If I had paid £3k for a flight and it ended up like that I would at least expect my money back, I hope he gets some compensation.

Mark Randall, Kings Hill, Kent

Having a dead body sit with the other passengers during flight is totally unacceptable and disrespectful to both the passengers and the departed. The body should have been placed in a private storage area away from other passengers or at least have been covered with a blanket. If my mother were to die on a plane, I wouldn't want her body left out with the other passengers for everyone to look and stare at. Also, the passengers pay good money for a comfortable air line trip, but when a deceased corpse is brought within several feet away from the passenger accompanied by her wailing daughter, then the comfort in the trip is kind of sucked away from the passenger, especially when that passenger realizes that there are still more then five hours to go on this flight. The departed and the passengers were all treated with great disrespect and should be compensated by the BA for the incident to help the passenger “get over it” because getting over an airplane trip with a corpse sitting beside you isn’t exactly something everyone gets over so easily.

Bob, Mississauga, Canada

I personally think it is outrageous how BA treat their passengers I think Mr Trinder has every right to be very upset I myself would be extremely angry. I think both parties concerned have been very badly treated.

Esme Fleming, Worthing,

I wonder how many people realize that on most flights theres are deceased individuals in the "cargo area " of most planes. As a funeral director, this is very common on many flights. This person should have had more respect for the deceased indivdiual and there family then just concern over his money. This just confirms where humanity is headed, my sympathy to the family and my lack of belief in society to the "inconvienced passanger"

William, New York, USA

To Dr Shank , Lima Ohio

It was John Snow who disproved miasma theory not Louis Pasteur. He discovered Cholera was water based from the Broad St pump in Soho

D Cook, London, UK

I agree with D-M, NW, UK. This has nothing to do with class or money. I personally would not like to wake up next to a corpse. Where is the consideration for the him as passenger. He should have been told what was going on first and given the chance to move if he would like. He woke up to find the body at the end of his row. What was he to do, tell them to move it so he could move or jump over the woman. First of all when people die, everything kind of goes. Body fluids to do not stay within the body as the muscles do not function anymore. Who knows what the lady died of? Who knows what illness she might have had? I understand it is a tragic situation, however I don't want to be exposed to that. The gentleman should not have been told to get over it. He was exposed to a decomposing corpse. Yes it was a tragic situation, but respect goes both way. He deserved his as well as the corpse.

MD, TN,

The response from BA to the passenger was typical, I gave up flying British Airways years ago because of the insensitivity of the staff on board. Staff comes first,and the passengers are not to be considered

Marguerite Saling, Grass Valley, CA USA

For those worried about the lady getting medical attention and being professionally delared dead, my experience as a doctor on long haul fights is that a minimum of 2 doctors usually respond to the call for a doctor. Illness on long haul flights is relatively common, usually brought on by lower oxygen in the cabin and dehydration, especially in the elderly.

You have much more chance of getting an infection from other living passengers than a dead one.

CBP, Yorkshire, UK

The most important thing to consider in this debate is this:Compare your own feelings faced with the loss of a loved one to the feelings you would have at being inconvenienced as Mr Trinder has by an event such as this.
The answer is obvious.
I have no doubt that Mr Trinder did find the situation deeply disturbing and he lost out on some sleep and the comfort he normally expects with 1st class travel, but 5 hours is a long time and the fact that Trinder has failed to contemplate the bigger picture of life, death and loss during this time is more than deeply disturbing.
Modern society normally protects us from having to deal with a situation such as this. Dead people are whisked away in a flash.You don't have to deal with it. This time Mr Trinder did have to deal with it.
The crew I am sure behaved admirably as they have been trained to do.
And what of the other 1st class passengers? Unlike Mr Trinder,it seems they understood.
Compassion is the issue here not compensation.

Jamie Lee, Oslo, Norway

I agree that most posters seem to have more of a problem with Mr Trinder being able to afford business class than anything else (and no, I have never flown business class so am not protecting my own interests).

Why on earth didn't the BA crew seat the body and family, three of them I believe, in the window seats and put up in-flight blankets as drapes to prevent other passengers 1) viewing a grieving family who require privacy, and 2) allow other passengers a peaceful flight.

Of course a fresh corpse will move around with turbulence which could be quite disturbing. In the past I have worked with several people who have been absolutely terrified of dead bodies due to their cultural beliefs re spirits leaving the body etc.

Mr Trinder should be reimbursed the price of his flight, and mainly for the "get over it" comment so rudely and typically supplied by BA.

Maya, dubai,

Mr Tindra, you're a selfish man. All you kept thinking was how much you paid for a seat? Is that more important than the respect and hostility you should show others in times of distress? What did you expect BA to do, keep the corpse in economy class where space is cramped? Rather than complaining you should have put yourself in the shoes of the woman's daughter. It's really sad to see you complaining about others misfortune coming in the way of your enjoyment.

vs, london, uk,

First class passengers have no more or less rights than an economy passenger, all they are paying for is more space, better service, and wider selection of food and entertainment options.

If somebody died in first class should their body be shifted back to economy? No of course not.

The issue here is that BA did not have any proper procedure to deal with this.

In this situation the staff did what they thought was best given the options open to them.

Mr T, has shown a complete disregard for the relatives of the deceased and the unfortunate staff who had to deal with this - they will clearly be MUCH more disturbed than him.

MIke, london,

I travelled with Qantas a year ago and very sadly an older woman who joined the flight in Singapore died despite attempts to revive her. The staff took the passengers from the back row of the plane and laid her body out. I was left in the row in front of the corpse with my three year old and asked to be moved so I did not have to explain to my child what was in the row behind us. The qantas staff resisted but I kept asking and eventually I got moved. When I called qantas after my arrival to ask that I not be sat at the back of the plane again on my return trip they told me there was nothing they could do about my seating and that there were no health risks from a dead body (which is just barmy). This must be incredibly distressing for the family involved and there must be some better place to store a body for everyone involved ( in first class or not). This whole incident was badly dealt wtih by Qantas in my example. The airlines need some better solution for when this happens.

john, london,

Very unfortunate turn of events. The crew could have moved people from the back rows of economy to first class to make room for the deceased and family members.

Ray, Okotoks, Canada

first class on British Airways: better food, free booze, more room and better service. Oh and in the event of a death: A corpse at your side with a wailing family member by theirs. Lets be honest, people in first class pay A LOT of money for their seats so they dont have to sit next to the ghouls behind them...especially not dead ones.

Everyone in first class should have their money refunded....while it is not the fault of the airline...it is prudent for them to resolve this issue diplomatically and to be sensitive to all of the living passengers on board.

Amirshnikov, McLean, Virginia, United States of America

I find it interesting that the staff chose to put the body in 1st Class, on all BA 747's the have a staff quarters at the back of the plane. This area is partitined with hard walls and a locked door, why would the staff not use this area to accomadate both the body and the grieving familly mambers? This option provided a solution that kept the disturbing site of a dead body away from the other passengers and allowed some privacy for the grieving family members. Could it be that the flight crew wanted to protect their own space to rest rather than provide approriate comfort to the family of the dead passenger?

Chris Price, Los Angeles, USA

If I could afford to fly first class, I would not expect to have a dead body sitting metres away from me, and to be told by staff to "get over it". You would want the air line to have procedures in place to deal with situations like this. I can't understand why people think Mr Tinder is the bad guy in this,we all have a right to complain.

Shame on you

ann, Bedford, uk

The real issue here is not whether or not Mr. Tinder should be granted a refund. He got where he was going afterall, though with some unfortunate unpleasantness en route. My question is this... will BA refund the deceased woman's ticket? She certainly was not in receipt of the entirety of the service for which she had paid. I suggest a prorated refund based upon the aircraft's actual location at the time of her demise - less the rental charge for the pillows of course.

Debra Halbig, Vancouver, Canada

Just think yourself lucky it wasn't the captain... show some humanity!

Mark Lorentzen, geddington, UK

Unlike some contributors, I do not think that the comments below exhibit "class envy" at all. I have frequently traveled first class, but, I would never expect that by so doing I could be isolated from life - or death - and would hopefully never let it interfere with my ability to respond with some kind of human compassion to such a tragic situation as occurred on that flight.

I am curious as to how this story was aired publicly in the first place.

A post-flight discussion between this passenger and BA about how the handling of such an awful and distressing situation might be improved - for the bereaved and passengers - would have been appropriate, as would some quiet and dignified reflection.

James , London,

I agree with the airline and Grady Holloway from Bar Harbor, Maine.
This is a special case and if he couldn't handle it, he should have moved to economy or find another seat in first class. I agree with the airlines, toughen up and Get Over it! Dead on a plane is never expected and passenagers should not expect a condition of such to be easily handled. Do you think the griving daughter would want to see her mother's body shoved in a closet? Would you want that to happen to you?

Dan Hoogland, Bolingbrook, Il. USA

As far as I can see, the article has little to do with money or compensation. There is clearly no set policy for dealing with a sudden death mid-flight and the cabin crew have to do what they see as best at the time. In this instance, they got it badly wrong.

To give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that there was a reason for moving the deceased lady and also that 1st class was the best place to move them to. Thats fine until you disregard the feelings of others, regardless of whether you pay £3000 or £30 for a flight. Yes, death is natural, but to wake up and find a dead person next to you, is very disturbing. It would have taken so little to have gently woke Mr Trinder and explained the situation, giving him the option of moving seats and at the very least keeping him informed.

As has already been said, this is about people, not how much a ticket was, or how natural death is.

Airlines have a responsibility to have policy set ready for such an event. BA are at fault.

D-M, NW, UK

The lady was not dead when the airplane left, she died in flight, so she had to be placed somewhere. I know that if it were my mother, I would be upset as well...... I wouldn't worry about someone sitting around me.

BH, Seattle, WA

Why didn't they just land dropped off the body and the grievers and continued on their way...it's not like they were over a body of ocean.

B, Salem, OR

I agree with Mr. T and do not think he was selfish in any way..Bristish Airways should have a better corpse procedure than just placing a dead person next to people..Its uncomfortable and eerie , at the least. I applaud Mr. T for saying what he did.

Betty, HOuston, USA

The point is here, that this man woke up like this! Why didn't anybody tap him on the shoulder, wake him up, and explain the situation? Had they collectively lost their tongues?

Starling, Lancaster,

If just ten people out of 36m die every year on flights, factor the expense with dealing with it properly into the price of a ticket. Either install a corpse cupboard on every long-haul flight, or expect to financially compensate passengers affected when this does happen, whichever solution is cheaper.

I agree that the cabin crew at the time dealt with it in the best way they could, but as it seems that this type of incident is far from unheard of, then BA management should have addressed it a long time ago.

BA should compensate both Mr Trinder and any other passengers affected, and make provision for this type of incident in the future.

Rob, Gtr Manchester, UK

Mr. T says in his comments " This flight had originated in India where contagious disease is comon, add in bird flu and not long ago SARS ".

Inspite of all the disease in India he could find no other flight through any other country ??

His comments show him as a non caring induvidual and him defending himself shows him more and more guilty.

HITEN A. RAJA, Nairobi, Kenya

I, for one, am always happy to take off and arrive still living and breathing normally. If the first-class passenger was so inconvenienced, perhaps he could have moved into economy class as it appears there was room.

grady holloway, bar harbor, maine USA

I find it odd that so many people are berating Mr. Trinder for having his own opinion. As someone who flies often for business myself, mostly in economy, I would find it terribly disturbing and unacceptable to have a dead body placed on the airplane for any duration. There must be a better way of dealing with this type of situation. Medivac, perhaps? At any rate, most people, I think, would be just as uncomfortable in this situation and probably less eloquent. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. Put yourself in his situation. I applaud Mr. Trinder for having his say.

JD, Indiana,

I think any of us here, if could afford it, would pay the extra to fly with a little extra leg room, reducing the risk of deep vein thrombosis and a broken nose when the person in front reclines their seat. So let's not miss the real issue here by focussing on the fact that this is first class. Would it be acceptable for a corpse to be placed next to the Queen on a flight, and when she complains accuse her of snobbery? No it would not. It is unsanitary in any situation to be with a corpse for a prolonged period of time, let alone in such a confined environment as a plane. The issue isn't that she was in first class, the issue is the way the situation was handled. Why was she not placed in the crew area? This would have eliminated customer distress, and the womans relatives could have grieved in private. Customer comes first, but in this day and age, it doesn't matter whether it's the hospitals, schools, anywhere, we always seem to be getting a bum deal while somebody else rakes it in.

Hayley, London, UK

Why didn't he move down to economy class. There was definitely at least one seat free down there.

Peter Foulds, Bielsk, Poland

"He has the right to expect certain things with his ticket purchase and one of them is not a dead corpse." - Anna Preece

As opposed to a live corpse?

N Butler, London, UK

No thought for either the relatives or the families that would have been waiting at the airport- nor any thought for the BA cabin crew themselves, who hopefully will get time off to recover from this upsetting incident, but I doubt if they will get compensation.
No thought for anyone but yourself, Mr Trindler.

Andrew, London, UK

Yes- luckily Mr Trinder still has a life to get- so go get one! I He is fortunate to have been witness to raw grief in this increasingly sanitised life of ours, all the more so in first class.- The poor daughter had to grieve in front of total strangers, in the wake of sudden shock. What a hideous feeling of exposure for her. And what a blessing too to be in a position to be able to pay over 3 grand for a flight anyway. I hope the deceased lady and her daughter had a most wonderful experience in India before her 'final' flight.

su, brighton,uk,

I think both the passenger and the airline are at fault.

Mr trinder should be more sympathetic, how would he react if someone near and dear to him that he was travelling with met the unfortunate fate as this poor woman. In any event considering the modern comforts during flights he could have easily have distracted himself with the entertainment system.

Whilst I am sure the staff did what they think best I think BA should explain why if the staff quarters were not used. If a death during flight happens so infrequently, why did the staff not give up their comforts for a greiving family who should have had privacy at this difficult time.

I think people and companies are too selfish, this will never change and I wouldnt expect to recieve any other service. If your expectations are high the you are bound to be dissappointed. However if you start with expecting little you will be more happy with the service that you get!!!

darshna, Harrow, london,

No space anywhere else? Was she standing up when she died?

They could've left her where she was and then we would've seen how people in economy (like those who have berated Mr Trinder for being in first class here (there are more chips in these comments than in a branch of Harry Ramsden's)) would have liked it.

Simon, Newcastle upon Tyne,

BA did the right thing. Let's analyse this:

1. BA get less than 20 deaths in flight per year. Spread across all their services, that's a tiny number; certainly not enough to make it feasible to have a coffin-sized space on every aircraft.
2. Put the body in a toilet: ok so your mother's just died on your flight - do you really want her stuffed in a lav?
3. Crew rest is for the crew, to ensure that they're adequately rested if they need to evacuate the (alive) passengers. Or better, to be awake enough to ensure that an evacuation isn't necessary. Human factors (especially fatigue) have been major contributors to aircraft crashes over the years.
4. Land the aircraft. So: crew goes out of hours & can no longer operate the flight that day; bereaved family has to deal with unfamiliar authorities; all other (alive) punters now very angry.

Why pick on BA? I'd say their death-in-flight policy is no 'worse' than other carriers'.

Death happens, people. It's part of life. Deal with it

Peter, London, UK

It appears that BA showed respect for the dead lady and her family. It also appears that the cabin staff put the lady and her grieving family before Mr Trinder - I think the BA staff were completely correct in their actions and showed humanity. There is no way they could have stuffed the body in a toilet or in a cupboard as some are suggesting - that would be a cold hearted thing to do - they'd be sued by the family! The problem with the corpse was all in Mr Trinders head. A freshly dead person would look as they are asleep, it would hardly be decaying. It wasn't pleasant for Mr Trinder just as I am sure it was upsetting for everyone else on the plane such as the staff who had to deal with the body and the grieving relatives. Its easy with hindsight to say they should have informed Mr Trinder/dealt with it differently etc.. but in the heat of the moment they seemed to do their best to look after the people that needed help the most. BA are right Mr Trinder should 'get over it'!

Sophie, London, UK

I am outraged by the way the article is printed.
You can find hundreeds of articles stating:
"oh my god, he paid 3500 pounds and was not even able to fly tranquily because of this corpse".
The information is: "somebody died. She was a person who obviously did not have enough money to fly on first class. However, the flying company had the decense of letting the family access a calmer area of the plane to mourn. One passenger do not even show some compation and was outraged by the fact that he spent money. Perhas the corpse should have been taken off the plane... Let's hope this person will soon or later realize how heartless he can be"
My regards go the the woman who died on this flight and to the family and my kindest respect to the flight company that has done the right thing giving the poor woman and her family some respect.
Note that I think most of us would even have let their sit for this poor family.
Dear sir, shame on you

Le GONIDEC, Middlesbrough, England

What a sterile life we lead. People die - indeed get over it.

Graham, London, UK

I think the gentleman complainant is a cold hearted selfish individual. I think the main point here is that a lady passed away. That is to say that her family will never see her alive again. The daughter and son-in-law did not plan for this inconvenience to your day. Nor did the deceased lady. When a person has a heart attack and requires CPR, do you complain and whinge about the disturbance ?

The lady is not a piece of cargo to be stuffed in a closet. She is still a human being who deserves a little dignity in the hours after her passing. She is not rotting and decomposing in front of you. She has a good day or two before becoming a problem. BA did the right thing in telling you to GET OVER it, buddy... only I would have added a few more colourful expletives.

john, sydney, australia

"I'd like to know how many of you people who are condemning him would actually have the compassion and presence of mind to behave calmly and selflessly should you find yourselves seated next to a dead person at 30,000 feet." (Frederick, Rockville, MD)

No, Mr. I would not freak out like you. If the comments from Mr Trindler here are pretty much all he could muster, then I think he does not deserve the compensation for being just self-centred and callous. It would be the case that the crew had assessed the deceased and the alternatives, before a decision was made that it was.

I fly first-class regularly, and had it been myself in his place I would have offered my assistance to that crew, and family of the deceased.

VL, London, UK

I am the person named in the article.I wish to respond to the comment from K Guest.
I did NOT mention compensation to BA. This has come about through some misinterpretation in the discussion with the journalist. He asked was I offered compensation and I said no, the question was not framed to elicit had I asked for it. My comments to BA revolved around a)
is this a dignified process for the family? Deceased memeber being carried unceremoniously some 50 rows. and b) the potential health hazard to other passengers.
This flight had originated in India where contagious disease is comon, add in bird flu and not long ago SARS and there might be an issue here.
Other airlines have much more dignified process where deceased is left as undisturbed as possible and adjacent passengers relocated.

paul trinder, brackley, uk

I agree with BA, this guy obviously has too much money and no heart, Mr "first class so I should be hidden from the reality of the world" Chill out and shut up!

Peter Reeves, London, England

I happen to know that there is a secret sleeping area upstairs for non flying pilots on long haul Jumbo jets - this is private.
Why wasn't this area used? - or didn't the staff like the idea?

Andrew, London, UK

Up until recently, I use to fly BA as much as possible, and held them in high regard. However the above article does not surprise me. I really feel for this person, being placed in to this situation, and receiving no understanding from the airline seems to be becoming the norm!

I personally have had numerous issues with BA recently, and have now ensured that all my business and personal trips are booked with alternative airlines when ever possible.

Tony Gaspar, St Helier, Jersey

A word to many of those who wrote re: the corpse in First Class'.
The present participle of the verb 'to sit' is 'sitting' or 'seated' - not 'sat'.
He was sat .... they were sat .... Oh dear.

Adam Sargent, Malaga, Spain

Some Points that I would like to make are:
!. Was there anyone in the Medical Profession on board the plane?
2. Why wasn't any announcement made by the crew to ask if there were any menbers of the Medical Profession on board?
3. How was it determined that the person was deceased?
4. What was the cause of death? Was it natural causes? If it was not natural causes, could it have been an infectious disease?
5. Why don't airlines have a standard policy for a situation of this nature?
6. If a passenger had given birth, would the airline have charged the passenger for extra tickets?
7. If an airline cannot handle someone from dying from natural causes, can anyone really expect an airline to do anything at all about terrorism?
8. If Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson had been on board, the situation would have been taken care of.

Sherlock Holmes, London,

I feel very sad for the family with this tragic loss, I do understand the passengers concern but do not agree with him at all for compensation.
I was on this flight Concerned and I can tell you the staff on the flight had worked so hard to try and save this old lady,they were Brilliant.
It was a Emotional time for the Crew but they coped.
I spoke to them personally and they said the only place to put the lady was in First Class, purely because of the space.

HSP, Crawley, West Sussex

It comes as no surprise to read this!
20 years ago,having been the victim of an arrogant check-in clerk,
I vowed never to fly with the airline again-I never have.
If that is first class service,I shudder to think how BA is treating the economy class unfortunates.

Chris Haran, Osaka,Japan, Japan

I am astounded that so many of the comments have been negative towards Mr Trinder. I feel there is a little of the tall poppy syndrome here because he was flying first class. I really feel for Mr Trinder because exactly the same thing happened to me on a Qantas flight many years ago(also in first class) and I had exactly the same response from staff. If anyone bothered to check on who Mr Trinder is they would see that he is a very busy man indeed and far from a selfish arrogant human being. He has the right to expect certain things with his ticket purchase and one of them is not a dead corpse. He should get an apology , and a refund at the very least. British Airways recognizes it has some deaths every year so it is their job to make room for a corpse and a grieving relative in a specially designated area of the plane. I note that the cabin crew didnt take the body into their quarters, which I can assure you has plenty of room.

anna preece, sydney, australia

Despite the various moral views of everybody here, I think having a corpe sat near you for the duration of a flight is a deeply weird and disturbing situation. Given the millions that BA rake in every year, surely it's not much to ask for some compansation, given the unpleasent circumstances.

Rob, Croydon, London

Health and safety risks? Come on! Louis Pasteur disproved the miasma theory 150 years ago, and this kind of nonsense STILL gets recited without comment!

Yes, death is a very personal and private matter in Western societies--except when it occurs very publicly. The woman's death was a tragic loss for her family. It may have forced some passengers to face the unpleasant awareness of their own mortality, but they lost nothing more than a little sleep that easily can be replaced! The passenger may not have had any words to offer, but none were needed. It is too bad that he could not offer respect for the dead woman and her traumatized family.

Thankfully, the airline was more sensitive to those who had suffered a real loss

Dr. Shank, Lima, Ohio

sounds like a monty python skit !! Or better yet Fawlty Towers lol


Couldnt they just store her in one of the numerous bathrooms and lock the door?

Bill Chateauguay, Montreal, Canada

HALF WAY TO HEAVEN

Well, at least the dear lady was already half way to Heaven,
flying on British Airways!

Let's hope that British Airways at least gave Mr. Trinder a couple of stiff drinks. That's the least that they could have done to keep his spirits up.

Let's also hope that the poor guy did not have the window seat: "Ahm...er..M'am, be an angel and excuse me please.
I need to go pee!"

That was not BA's finest hour, but at least they can now boast that they handle Departures as well as Arrivals!

TONY GUMBS, Glendale Heights, IL., USA

Well, at least she got to travel first class.

D. Robson, CapeTown, South Africa

One of the stewardesses should have given up one of their seats away from the passengers. And the family should have stayed in economy class.

timbulb, Alberta,

What's the matter with BA? They could have and SHOULD have landed the plane as soon as possible, removed the corpse, and either let the poor grieving daughter off the deal with the situation wherever they happened to be, or put the corpse in a proper, suitable container and loaded it in the cargo hold before continuing with the flight. It's very unsanitary to be around a corpse for any length of time. It and makes people unclean for at least 7 days thereafter. I find it shocking their lack of professionalism or any sort of game for a scenario like this. Really Appalling. And I thought the British were supposed to be paragons of protocol? I see that's just an illusion.

Brian G, New York, NY, USA

Who would want to be seated next to a fresh corpse for 9 hours when you have no idea what the person may have died from? I wonder what kind of "compensation" BA would offer when you land in London with an infectious disease you caught from the corpse on the plane.

Philip, London,

Yet another example of BA's arogant attitude towards its passengers.
NO ONE should have to sit beside a dead body on a plane. it is unacceptable.
my advice to Mr. Trinder to never fly with the airline again as only lost of profits makes them think.

hugh harte, london, UK

I work in the funeral industry and I am appalled. The airplane should have made an emergency landing at the closest airport and moved him to a different seat at minimum. There are health risks of being around an unembalmed dead person without taking precautions for extended periods due to decomposition and health factors from when the person was living. While it is unlikely that he could contract anything, the deceased can expell air when being moved and simply because a person is dead does not mean that the viruses or bacteria inside them are as well - in fact, bacteria go crazy reproducing after a person dies.

While it is an unfortunante event, the airlines acted with a complete disregard and disrepect for their living passengers - and in the end, it is the living you care for by caring for the dead.

Lauren, Atlanta, Ga

Many of the people criticising Mr. Trinder seem to resent him as much because he can afford to travel First Class as for his response to finding himself travelling with a corpse. I think that the least the cabin crew could have done would have been to explain to him what had happened and offer him the opportunity to move if he so chose. In this day and age of communicable diseases, my main concern would have been about what the woman had died of - to catch a cold from a fellow passenger is one thing, but there are a lot worse things than colds floating around these days.

While I sympathise with the family of the dead woman, I think that BA's treatment of Mr. Trinder - a loyal client - was inexcusable and that he deserves a refund. As for the people who resent the fact that he travels First Class - get over it!

Grocky, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

1)3K or less: any (living) person on long flight - in First or Economy- would complain about a corpse being placed in the next seat (with or without an explanation). More economy passengers = more complainers, so corpse et al not left in Economy -> Trinder taken for granted by endemically obtuse BA staff (own seats too clean for corpse).2)The BA captain should have called the BA CEO (yes, woken him from his sleep) for guidance if there is no policy- (maybe he did). The plane was not landed (flight from India to Heathrow is almost entirely overland - so mucho opportunities to land- for cost reasons.3) Trinder very lucky he was not on a US airline: eg American, United, NW, Continental (the service on these is as bad almost as bad as on BA) : flying to or from the US; had he complained on one of these he would have been taken down for aggresive behaviour/ or been accused of being a "t.....t" and taken in by FBI on landing.
4)Advice re service:best on non BA European/ Far East line.

Ditto, Houston, TX US

It could have been worse MrT, you could have been sat next to a person who snores loudly for a whole flight or, like me, have been seated next to a well known, corpulent film director whose constant gaseous emissions would have put even a rotting corpse to shame. Give me the stiff anytime....at least you will most likely get a free flight or a refund, all I got was to throw up in a first class toilet.

Chopper, Dublin, Ireland

I would be interested to know if the cause of death was professionally diagnosed before moving the body? Did someone decide that the unfortunate lady had not died of an infectious disease or even foul play. It seemed insensitive for BA staff to move the body to another populated area of the plane, 1st, business or economy, without at least notifying the other passengers before doing so.
Folk are making too much of the fact that the complainant was in first class. I'm sure most economy passengers would have protested just as loudly had the lady been moved from first to economy.
BA need to have a better plan in place for this contingency which was obviously distressing for all concerned.

Steve Allen, Calne, UK

Better there in first class then in the loo!

Ray, Brentwood, CA

BA should be ashamed of itself, why didnt they leave the lady in the same seat where she passed away, it wouldnt be so hard to cover the poor lady and let her be until they got to London. If i paid $3000 for a flight then i expect $3000 worth of service. It is not about the woman dying it is about how BA treated Mr. Trinder, telling him to "get over it" is extremely rude. Mr Trinder, sue them if you have to...make them give you your money back or travel vouchers, this is no way to treat a passenger.

Lola, NYC, USA

BA gives the dead better service than the living.

lou capetown, cape toen, south africa

My sympathies lie with the poor lady and her daughter. I'm not sure what BA were to do in this situation - eject the woman from the plane!. It sounds like the crew tried to make an impossible situation slightly more bearable for the daughter who had lost her mother. The fact it inconvenienced a first class passenger - big deal. I echo BA's comment 'Get over it' You're still alive.

Lee W, Canterbury, UK

I would suggest that waking up on a flight and finding a corpse next to you must be like waking up in the middle of a horror film. Having said that, waking up and finding yourself still on a BA flight is a bit of a horror in itself...

howard parkinson, Perth, Australia

Who was the clown who dubbed BA 'The world's favourite airline"? Were they ever and is there any evidence for the boast? In my experience they have long been arrogant and often lacking basic civility. I once saw Lord King publically bawling out a subordinate in public. Corporate bad manners start at the top and once established are almost impossible to stamp out.

David J Filsell, Kingston upon Times ,

I'm not entirely sure whether Mr Trinder deserves such a ridiculous sum as compensation, but to everyone who is bashing him for being somewhat alarmed: would you really want to sit next to a corpse? Would you like it even more if the cabin crew neglected to tell you that you were sat next to a corpse? Don't think so. Please, get off your high horses: people do go and sit in first class for reasons other than to avoid fraternising with the commoners in economy, and a long haul flight is generally not much fun as it is.

Leanne, Manchester,

I believe British Airways, did the best for the other passengers,and the greiving family.You can not hold the air line responsible, for this unfornunate event.I also would tell Mr. Trinder, also to get over it.I also have to say,he did not mention anything about asking to move his seat, even if it ment to move to Business class,if he felt so uncomfortable.I work in a nursing Home and giving,the family to sit and be with there dying family member,or say there good-byes after there family member passed away is common and is the most dignifing thing you can do.

Shawna, Boston ,mass, United States

For those of you who state that ten corpses per year warrants some type of special storage, I will say this. Do you know how many hundreds of planes British Airways owns and how much it would cost to have to refit each one of them? Also the situation described was handled the same way it would be on most other airlines. To insult the staff who simply moved the body into the least occupied part of the aircraft is simply ridiculous. As far as emergency landings go, they can cost upwards of $250,000, not even including compensation for the delayed passengers. I also sincerely doubt that he was told "Get Over it" as in the many times I have flown on this airline the staff have been nothing but polite and professional. This sounds like yet another situation entirely blown out of proportion so that a spoiled opportunistic man can try and get something out of a company.

Jennifer, Glasgow , Scotland

what would trinder have the airline do? throw the body out of the plane? clearly, this was an unexpected situation and the airline did the best it could. i find it absolutely shocking and repulsive that trinder was more concerned with his own discomfort than feeling any sympathy for the real victims in this case, the deceased person and her family. one can only hope if any of trinder's relatives passes, that he make is as convenient as possible for other people.

salma, washington, dc, u.s.a.

To all those bashing BA for the reported "get over it" comment - reading between the lines, and going by what he has said in the article (boo hoo, my £3000), I would not be surprised if Mr Trinder was selfishly whingeing at the crew whilst they were in the midst of trying to deal with a truly nightmarish situation. The last thing I would need whilst dragging a corpse around the cabin and trying to console distraught relatives would be some selfish first class passenger whining about service. In such circumstances I would think they are fully justified in saying such a thing, if indeed they actually did say it at all. I somehow think we're missing a lot of context with that particular quote. I very much doubt they just came out with it the second he opened his mouth to speak to them.

Tim, London, UK

I don't think it's quite fair to be bashing Mr. Trinder here-- it sounds to me like he was quite reasonably shocked and horrified to awaken to find a corpse next to him.

I'd like to know how many of you people who are condemning him would actually have the compassion and presence of mind to behave calmly and selflessly should you find yourselves seated next to a dead person at 30,000 feet. I would have freaked out and I bet you would, too! Come on!

Frederick, Rockville, MD USA

I understand the shook of waking up to this situation and yes the empathy for all those involved, but come on, is this how shallow we have become. Thinking only of our
self centered well being? Why would you think he deserves compensation for the passing of another person’s life? Isn’t death time for reflection on how blessed and privileged
we are to life? After all we are at war, man and women over there experience death daily
and for what so this guy can continue to live his privileged life. Isn’t that compensation enough? I’m sure he could have moved to their sits at the back or was that just asking to much for a family that just lost a loved one. How does he wish to be treated when his privileged life is up?

Vince, Westminster,

I'm amazed at peoples comments.It is extremely thoughtless of B.A. staff not to speak with the passengers in first class before they put the body there.All they needed to do was inform Mr Trinder and others of their intentions first,to avoid the unnecessary shock of having passengers waking up next to a corpse .That's the sort of thing one might expect in a horror movie.But waking up next to a corpse is not in the normal range of activities.Seeing a body slipping out of its seat sounds a pretty horrendous thing to wake up to.I think Mr Trinder should be compensated for lack of concern and respect for others on the part of the staff.

Anna, Vancouver, Canada

this is all quite understandable and unfortunate... but being held for an hour?? and then being interviewed by police?? What an awful lot of stress for nothing. I think this is the worst part of the story.

me, vanderhood,

What amazes me is that there is no mention of how the woman died, who she is and how the family is coping with this tragedy. I understand Mr. Trinder's complaint is what is at issue but isn't the fact that a woman died after getting onto an airplane news as well? Why is all the attention going to Mr. Trinder and whether or not his complaint is legitimate without any mention of how the death even occurred? There are no details in any news article on the family or the woman or simply even how she died (if the family wants to maintain the privacy, it is understandable if names are not released). But still, I would expect to see how the death happened and how far into the flight it happened. It is unbelievable that everyone is discussing the "inconvenience" of Mr. Trinder and simply saying the death and the grief of the family are "besides the point". hat itself is very important and should be discussed rather than simply putting it aside. The writers just seem callous by ignoring this.

Smita, New York, USA

other airlines have special cargo space set aside for such eventualities. that seems infinitely more humane to me. I think this man has every right to complain and be uspet - this is a horrible situation, handled horribly. the airline should have had someplace to put her body, away from the passengers, and sealed off from the cabin so that any health risks are avoided. I mean, the guy has reason enough to be upset - what about the poor woman, who had to spend the rest of the flight next to her dead mother?!?! the body should have been cleared away and dealt with properly. how horrifying for everyone involved.

m. gibson, vancouver, canada

As a health care provider who has worked in geriatrics for the last 20+ years, I have to agree that Mr. 3000 pounds is lacking in the finer points of reality. I have sat beside the dead, and the dying, with wailing and grieving family beside me. I have also sat beside those who have died alone, unwept and unmourned save for paid professional caregivers.

Our Final Flight (so to speak) will be either economy or first class - but we pay for that with the coin of our days and how we spend them. Too many who feel they deserve a better experience will be left alone by those they taught to honour the cash rather than the living. Those who had family about to laugh, and cry, and yes even wail, were those who spent their lives engaged in living, not demanding the best of everything at the expense of everyone else.

Erika J., Madison WI, USA

Trinder Wimp. I AM sorry that you were delayed by the police and coroner. That seems totally needless and ridiculous.
No, you were not exposed to a health risk.
They should put the body in a body bag.
They should have another place to place the body
They know this can happen.
Get over it.

Robert Gift, Denver, Colorado

C'mon, his view is certainly NOT absurd! They say, perception IS reality: his, mine, YOURS, the other passengers, and the woman's family. The Captain is responsible for the safety & wellbeing of all onboard. For the comfort of the living, once the death was discovered by others, she needed to be removed to an isolated area. If First Class was the best choice, Mr. Trinder should have been awakened & informed of the emergency, and asked to relocate to another area (yes, coach if necessary & compensated) BEFORE she was moved there. The family should have been comforted, and then possibly sedated for everyone's comfort, including their own. Also, if the aircraft were not overwater near the half-way point, it should have diverted to the nearest landing facility that is safe & equipped for them. The pilot failed. He should have handled everyone differently. More compassion for everyone was necessary (I'd be equally upset if I were Mr. Trinder). This was a PEOPLE issue, NOT 1st class or $$$!

Bill, Traverse City, MI

I agree that BA did the wrong thing... if possible they should have moved the body and family to the back of the plane giving them the whole row if at all possible. I agree that Mr. Trindall could have been more sympathetic to the family member. The idea of having a special "locker" on the plane is not a bad one (especially, if there is no family with the deceased). I think BA's attitude of "get over it" is horrible. I can understand his distress of waking up next to a DB. This is a tough situation for all involved.

Anneka Bear, Sunnyvale, CA

Even considering that they clearly have no system in place, the crew completely mishandled this situation. The first-class passenger should have been informed at the very least. The immediate first-class area should have been closed, he should have been discounted to coach and asked to sit in the seat vacated by the corpse or family members.

Marc, New York CIty, USA

First of all, my sympathy for the family of the deceased.
B.A. have taken a commercial decision that it is not worth providing an area permanently in the plane should someone pass away during the flight i.e. their loss in revenue would be much greater than the benefit to them.
In the face of that decision, I don't see why Mr Trinder, M.D. of a building products company should pay £3,000 for the privilege of accompanying a dead body.
(I do not have much respect for the building industry as the cocky so-and-so's show very little respect for the rest of us and only respect money)
The second issue, is that placing a body in a seated position before rigor mortis set in would almost certainly mean that the bones would have to be broken to straighten the body after removal from the plane.
Not a respectful way to treat either passenger in this issue.
B.A. cannot cry ignorance.

K K K Urban, London, Blairs U.K. - the 51st state of the good old USA

I've got to say, I wouln't be too worried about a corpse in the next seat . But I would object to listening to 5 hours of wailing from the unfortunate woman's relatives.

And before anyone bites my head off - ask yourself if you would really feel so selflessly sympathetic after say the first hour or so ....

Carol, Reading, UK

GET OVER IT!
You have to be kidding,I feel the crew should have shown at least the same amount of compassion and respect for Mr. Kinder as they did the deceased. I would have freaked out to wake up with a corpse sitting beside me. Come on BA give the man a break...at least refund the price of the ticket. He will live with this trauma forever.

Jo Anne Keenan, Henderson, Nv

This is a highly entertaining article albeit about a rather unfortunate event! I'd happily fly with a plane-load of corpses if it meant a flight without babies or children..

Stu, Wirral,

Personally I'd be comforted to know that my corpse flies first class on BA, and I applaud the airline for showing respect for the departed. It seems Mr. Trinder would prefer they lock the corpse in the lavatory for the duration of the flight? His complete insensitivity to the situation relieves him of any "right" to compensation in my mind.

Brian Malone, Seattle, WA, USA

The dead woman is lucky it wasn't US Airways. They would have probably lost her body they way they loose their passengers' luggage.

Tom, Philadelphia, PA

As it was a flight from Delhi, I suspect that the deceased and her grieving relatives might have been from India. Understandably, the BA crew did not want to stop them from their intence howling and wailing for fear of repurcussions based on "racial discrimination". I say this from first hand experience.

Pete, Cov,

seriously, there is litle apace on an anicraft. What were they supposed to do, "throw the body outside?? Yes the incident was unfortunate for all involved. Maybe the L.3000 passsenger thinks he should be rewarded a large sum of money.

bob, bel air, california

Yikes! I agree with Mr Trinder's feelings. I think one of the worst things seems to have been the howling of the relatives, who clearly had no concern for Mr Trinder or the other passengers. With regard to decomposition, yes, it starts quite soon and remember that air in 'planes is recirculated, time and time again.

helen, NORWICH,

??? surely this would of been reason enough to divert the plane and land somewhere..... ?
unless the plane was transatlantic.....

mark, Inverness,

BA should give him an apology and his money back....if I was Singapore, Emirates or whichever competitor to BA, I would hurry up and get an equivalent card in the mail to Mr. Trinder.
The fact that the cabin staff had to improvise a response to the situation indicates a lack of planning and/or training...and the lack of an acceptable response to their status customer indicates that they would rather have this incident broadcast all over the world, than nipping it in the bud with an apology and a free ticket or two.

wenceslas, dallas, tx

Like Ms Constantine said, she should have been left in her seat, I think the whole matter was handle very badly, I do not think that any one would have want a dead person near them for that lenth of time, even if it was a family member. I know I would not!!!

m., san marcos,ca, usa

Don't they have a procedure to land and unload ailing and/or dead passengers?

MHS, New Jersey,

A number of comments here seem to suggest that the supposed 'wailing' was more the problem rather than the corpse itself. Given Mr Trinder's description of the body as "decaying" (really, a freshly deceased body, already putrifying? How long do your fattened pheasants hang at room temperature before being ready for eating, Trinder old boy?) i would not be surprised if the "wailing" he described was an over-exaggeration, a distortion of the deceased relatives' mourning caused by his selfish, myopic obsession that he should have paid 3000pounds to be inconvenienced by a poor little old lady's death. Making the situation seem worse than it really was, methinks, to support his compensation claim. Miser.

JB, sixth-former, London,

I was on a BA flight from San Francisco to London when a recording announced that we were going to make a crash landing in water. It took me about one minute (or less) to realize that no one would survive such a landing. About 20 minutes later a rude male voice said: Ignore that message.

I believe one person had a heart attack and who knows what others suffered, but I've never experienced such a cold and unfeeling flight crew. They did nothing to make the passengers feel better--just the one rude message. Being American, I assumed that their attitude was typical Brit. But maybe it's typical BA. The event made the news in San Francisco long before I landed--and discovered frantic calls from my family.

My sympathies are with Mr. Trinder. I got a free roundtrip ticket anywhere in North America. They offered a gift basket of cosmetics which I refused as an insult. What's really needed is training in being human and compassionate for the BA flight crews.

Chris Strauss, San Francisco, California

Mr. Trinder sounds like a very heartless and callous person. Death is a fact of life, and it can happen at any time, including the cramped confines of a 747. I'd like to ask him what he'd do if his grandma died during a long flight. BA personnel are slightly at fault for telling him to "get over it," but the bulk of the blame is on Mr. Trinder. Maybe the pilot should have made a pit-stop in Baghdad and kicked him off!!

Jason Mayeroff, Winnemucca, Nevada, USA

Look out! There's a dead person at the end of your aisle! People like Mr Trinder need a serious reality check if something as silly as a corpse unnerves them. Death, after all, is the only certainty we have in life. Anyway, it's not like the body was placed on his lap or immediately next to him.

Kudos to the BA crew for their handling of the situation and their attitude towards the precious, innocent Mr Trinder.

JB, sixth-former, London,

I have a fair amount of sympathy with Paul Trinder, but mostly because I find it very hard to believe that he showed as little remorse and compassion as reported here. If, as stated, his only thought is for his own concern then certainly he deserves all the opprobrium laid upon him. However, if his true reaction was sympathy for the family mixed with disgust, of which only the disgust has been reported, then I think he can be accused of nothing worse than having a stomach as weak as most people's in the face of a close brush with mortality. I very much doubt we will, or can, ever know the full story.

I don't feel he has a case for compensation - a polite apology, a charity donation and perhaps some degree of recompense would be going above and beyond the call of duty by BA to a degree that a F traveller might expect - but tend to agree that to be told to "get over it" is far ruder than anyone deserves.

Chris D., Middlesbrough,

I am appalled at people's attitude. How would you like to wake up and find a dead body in the seat next to you?? I DO NOT believe that all the people who are criticising Mr Trinder would have accepted the situation calmly and happily, as they seem to think that he should have done. You would all ENJOY sitting next to a corpse would you??

What appalls me more is the lack of communication from the cabin crew. I understand the need to move the lady's body, and to give her family a bit more space and privacy, but why on earth did they not wake Mr Trinder and explain the situation before installing the corpse next to him? From his account it seems that he was not even told that she was dead until he drew attention to the fact that the lady was slipping in the seat!! This beggars belief!

The death on the flight, and the moving of the body were unavoidable, but the poor way in which the situation was handled was not, and for this Mr Trinder does deserve sympathy.

EJH, Southend, Essex

I think Mr Trinder is justified to complain about the treatment considering the amount of money he paid for his first class ticket. To me its rather surprising that a first class airline like BA has no measures at all to deal with such emergencies. Yet BA surely knows that out its 36million passengers annually, 10 die inflight! Mr Trinder, please claim your 3000 pounds and some compasation.

Cos, Zomba, Malawi

Wasn't there another airport between Heathrow and India they could have stopped at?

Jack Stepney, Adelaide, Australia

BA should have some form of proceedure to mitigate these unfortunate incidents, although they are infrequent. A similar event happenned to my wife and l on the Quantas flight from Singapore to Heathrow. The lady concerned was taken ill about 2 hours into the flight and was placed on oxygen, then after some twenty minutes she died after being given cpr on the aisle next to us. The lady was then placed in somekind of wheel chair and placed in a small curtained off area with an oxygen mask over her face. As there was about eleven hours remaining of the flight, the standard class cabin soon began to smell a little.

David, Teddington, Great Britain

I think 10 corpses a year warrants some sort of storage. Surely other passengers who have had to travel near a corpse have found it deeply disturbing. I would go out of my mind if in the same situation. It sounds like something from a horror film.

To avoid traumatic experiences in the future, I hope BA, and other airlines, will make some sort of provisions for bodies. I find it pathetic that they don't and it is another example of the contempt with which so many airlines treat their paying customers.

Laura, London, London

I am astonished that anyone can possibly think that Mr Trinder was wrong to react the way that he did. Sympathy for the dead woman and her relatives is quite beside the point. Regardless of what he paid for his ticket, or where he sat, he (and every other passenger) has the right to expect not to have to sit next to a corpse, or have to listen to wailing relatives all night!!! I think the whole situation is dreadful. Of course BA must make some sort of provision for when this happpens (10 times a year apparently) and to accommodate the relatives so they can grieve without disturbing other passengers. And as for telling him to 'get over it' - that was just the cherry on the top. At the very least they should reimburse him in full for the price of his ticket.

M.Shapcott, Lincoln, UK

Pity the poor cabin crew, not only having to deal with a dead body (which some may have never seen before, let alone had to handle), and grieving relatives (again, a very difficult situation for those not having experienced this before) but then they have to endure the complaints of Mr Trinder. I sympathise with him but to claim compensation is ridiculous. If the captian had decided to turn around and fly back to Delhi, or land the aircraft en-route, to deal with the situation, then I'm sure other passengers, including Mr Trinder, would have been even more unhappy.

TF, Lancashire, England

BA staff handled this situation incompetently and insensitively. It is amazing that they seem to have had no training to tackle such a delicate situation.

As far as Mr. Trindall is concerned, his reaction is callow in the extreme. How selfish and insensitive. In stating that "[I] put my earplugs in but couldn’t get away from the fact that there was a woman wailing at the top of her voice just yards away. It was a really intense, primal sound" he displayed unbelievable insensitity to grief. I am sure that if the dead person was a loved one of his he would not have liked to have heard such a comment from a fellow human being. Or may he would not care...

Carlos , LISBON, Portugal

The fact that the passengers were subjected to flying for several long hours with a corpse is disturbing. And while I really do sympatise with the deased and family of same, expecting you passengers to "keep a stiff upper lip" and deal with it is too much.
On a different note, I spent 18 hours on a Cathay Pacific flight with 10 count them ten screaming babies. The flight crew did nothing to help, relocate passengers or offer incentives to flight on the airline again. I understand that children especially infants can not be expected to behave like adults, but damn! If you have ever been stuck in a closed cabin for 18 hours and had to listen to screaming children, the parents never once moved their charges to the bathroom or did anything to quiet the little brats, then you can not possibly know the exhausting pain you would endure.
The solution, separate the corpse to baggage dept. in the second, separate the crying children from passengers.

WILLIAM JOHNSON, ANAHEIM, CA/USA

BA took a bad situation and made it worse.

They could have moved the people in the very last row of economy to first class and to the seats of the dead person and her two relatives.

The dead body and grieving relatives would then have had six vacant and relatively secluded seats

Those in first class would not have been disturbed by a corpse, wailing, and police interviews; the corpse and the relatives would have had some relative seclusion.

BA, as usual, chose the worst option.

SR, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

I find the first class passenger's comments appalling. For the sake of decency, the carrier moved the deceased passenger and family to a more accomodating section and away from the rest of the passengers. Certainly this first class passenger has travelled many miles and earned much credit with the carrier, but his disrepect to the family and to the dead is atrocious. How vain one must be to complain of the family's wailing. This is a single flight covering perhaps 4,000 flight miles at best for a person who travels 50 times as many miles per year. Does purchasing an economy ticket mean we should travel with the corpses or baggage by default? How would the other coach passengers be impacted? This First Class traveller cares not. He cares only for himself. Coach travellers certainly pay less, have narrower seats, lesser food, lesser service, fewer bathrooms and are more closely ensconced. I respect BA. I feel BA made the correct decision. It is one flight. Poor first class passenger.

Ryan Spach, Charlotte, USA/North Carolina

Grief, as Mr. Trinder says, is a personal thing. BA in this instance has not cared the least either for the corpse or for the passengers. A system should have been in place for BA to meet such situations.

Latheef Naha, Malappuram, India

Have you heard of respect for the dead? I would be proud to give up my seat in such a situation. Unfortunately it looks as if chivalry is dead too.

First class is too good for the dead - put her with the plebians or in a locker.

You people need to look in the mirror and begin growing a soul.

What about the poor woman in "primal" pain? Perhaps locking her away from everyone would be the right thing to do since death isn't part of life any more.

What horrible people you are. I can't imaginge the vapid lives you lead.

Mark Gibson, Dade City, USA/ FL

Unless the lady died of something contageous I can't believe there is any health and safety risk. If there were, the EEC would be doing their best to ban Irish wakes!

L Ivory, Norfolk, England

Completely bizarre!
I understand fully why the passenger would like compensation.
I am a nurse and may well have volunteered to sit near the corpse but to have had no choice is unacceptable.

Lucy, London,

What right do we have to judge Mr Trinder? Many people seem to be focussing on his attitude to the situation, and not realising that what he is really getting at is his disapproval of the airlines poor preparation in dealing with the situation. Why should anyone have to contend with what he had to face. I'm sure that he did show compassion, but mentioning that wouldn't exactly make for a good read would it... How could he possibly help the grieving relatives?He said himself that it wouldn't be appropriate. He is right to request his £3000 fare back. It irritates me that some of us are so quick to pass judgement about individuals of whom we know nothing.

Nim Sandhu, Nuneaton, Warwickshire

I guess in Trinder's line of thinking, it was dreadfully inconsiderate for the woman to do something so garish as to die on the plane. Hi should've put his energies toward consoling and maybe praying alongside the grieving daughter? How rich his life must be never having to experience the death of a loved one. Granted, the airline could have covered the deceased woman with a blanket and give the body a bit of concealment, but not much else could've been done. My advice to Trinder is: Get over it!

Scott Hyland, Hampton Roads, VA, USA

I don't think the fact that Trinder paid for first class is the issue he is trying to raise - I think he is really complaining about how the situation was handled. I mean, I would have been deeply disturbed to wake up to find a corpse just yards away from me too; but that does not mean to say that I would not empathise with the family.

Louise, Leeds, Uk

I don't think mister Trinder is selfish at all. I would just freak out (whatever I paid for the ticket) if somebody sat a corpse next to me, more so if they did that while a was taking a nap! and then let me find out myself that it was a dead-one because of the slipping...

I would certainly expect personnel to inform me of the plan to sit a dead body in my row and to re-locate me. I would just panic if it happened to me, more so because I didn't know what caused the death AND the emotical stuff of the relatives (whining etc); they could have shown some consideration also!.

For 3000 GBP I would also expect some service and not to 'get over it' (how rude!), perhaps a re-location, some information or some compensation (if not troubled by the fact of a dead person next to you) would have been in place. Come on: 3000 pounds is a lot of money!

N. van Delft, Amsterdam, Netherlands

How terribly inconsiderate of the other passenger to die and for her daughter to grieve. Surely, mother and daughter could have delayed the death - and the grieving - until arriving at the destination. It would have been so much more convenient for Mr Trinder if he could have stepped over the body quickly at Arrivals and, surely, a "quick step over" perk should be included in the price of a First Class airline ticket. Also, don't BA have a 'longer life' policy to ensure that people die only before departure or after arrival?

David Bruno, Brussels, Belgium

Forgive my ignorance here, but why were the First Class passengers that were kept on board for an hour to be questioned by the Police? If she died in Economy, surely they would be potential witnesses not those in First Class?

And while Mr Trinder may come across as a little inconsiderate, it's an incredibly awkward situation to be placed in, more so because he was not given any option. BA are absolutely wrong for putting the body next to Mr Trinder without at least talking to him and explaining the situation first, or giving him the option to move (heaven forbid) into economy to complete his journey there.

David, London,

Someone dies, a big tragidy, and all a fellow passenger can think is "I paid 3000 pounds for this"? That is very cold mentality. And how did the crew she was dead? Did a doctor formaly declare her dead? Otherwise I think they should have diverded and treated it as a medical emergency.

Bob, Bristol,

my sympathy goes out to both the family and Mr Trinder.
but BA's typical dont care attitude is appalling. it does not matter whether Mr Trinder is travelling 1st, Business or whatever.
if they have 10 deaths per year, that is a lot to take action about. onboard emergency defibrillator is hardly used but it is there. so why cannot simple steps be taken for a sensitive issue like this?
having the body in 1st class is not the answer.
BA is going down the drain and once, used to be proud travelling on it. But this sort of attitude is not getting them any brownie points, which they need desparately after all the recent debacles

Indranil, Ascot, Berks

Commercial arrogance of what was once a great airline, have respect for your customers and pehaps once again you may have the privilage to say you are the "Worlds favourite airline"

ALLAN HOWELLS, newport,

there should be an area on all planes fr ill or deceased people and their familes. I have seen a couple of corpses, one a relative and one a result of a tragic accident. it is NOT a pleasurable experience and is extremely upsetting, so if i feel like that, how would the woman's family be feeling, being shunted around and having try and take stock of the situation in public. BA should have had the common decency to at least explain to the passenger the situation and offered him an alternative seat, before just placing the body next to him. i call it sick

Jenny, Hereford, UK

How distorted have our values got that the slight inconvenience to a few fit, healthy passengers is more valuable than the human expression of grief for a loved one passing away. Maybe BA should have just tipped her out as a bit of old trash. Grow up and learn to take your part in the responsibility of helping those in sorrow and grief.

Karen Johnson, Barnsley, S Yorkshire

The usual procedure when someone dies on a plane (according to an ex-BA steward I once met) is that they prop him or her up in his/her original seat and pretend that nothing has happened. This seems to be preferable to causing a lot of fuss by moving the late passeneger to another part of the plane. The cabin staff are likely to be criticised whatever they do.

Frank Upton, solihull,

Any death is obviously a sad occasion but I agree with Mr Trinder. There are plenty of other options for storing a body in flight on long haul. The crew rest area for example, oh no can’t do that then the crew would have to encounter some discomfort. Upgrading the remainder of the dead woman’s row from economy to business, defiantly not then someone might get something free from BA.

The get over it attitude seems to be one that sums up the BA staff approach to customers these days.

Jack, Winchester, UK

Why is everyone insulting Mr. Trinder? He is possibly a selfish individual, but i think it rather inconvinient to subject anyone whether in 1st class or economy to sitting close to a dead body for hours.

Would it be too much to expect BA to make arangements for such unfortunate events? Yet BA had the effrontery to tell him to 'get over it'

A paying customer deserves better than to be told to 'get over it'.

Tim, London,

Why wasn't the corpse placed in the area reserved for the BA staff to relax ? There are areas on a 747 for the staff to rest + recouperate, perhaps they were the selfish ones?

I must admitt I would be slightly disturbed to find a corpse had been placed in a row adjacent to me. Not sure that the class of seat really comes into it.

thoughts go out to the family in Dehli

Neil Davies, Peterborough, UK

It may be different now, but BA First Class 'seats' used to actually be reclinable beds in mini-cubicles, positioned at an offset from the neighbouring cubicle with a feeling of virtual separation. Certainly distressing with the anguish of relatives so close by, but relatively discreet and not to be compared with a side-by-side seat situation in other cabins. I do find the alleged reaction of BA customer services to a request for compensation difficult to defend if true, and it should probably have been referred upwards for more considered treatment. Somehow I doubt that we know enough facts to be able to judge anyone involved.

Richard Winter, Surrey,

This story tells a deeper story about modern society: some people have become so cut-off from reality (even that of death...err... we all die) by the abstract of "perfect personal entitlement" that they no longer seem to have any ability to connect with other human beings on any other level other than "entitlement" in return for money.

It appears that the gentleman in question did not offer - or try to offer - any of the other people involved in this tragedy any help or comfort. And then he publicly moans and criticizes and thinks mainly about his compensation.

Perhaps he should check his own pulse just to remind himself that he still has a heart.

In the meantime, as his only concern appears to be money, I will ensure that I never spend any on his company's products.

David Jameson, London, UK

I don't really blame Trinder for wanting NOT to be seated next to a corpse. Some of us have never even seen a dead body in our lives so it can be quite traumatising. Also you don't know what she died of. Fair enough she was an elderly woman however what if the person was young - they could have been carrying some infectious disease and it could have been transmitted to the first class passengers who were in the vicinity.

My friend works for BA and she said that they usually wrap the body up but I guess in this case it was traumatic for the family and perhaps the situation was such that they could not wrap the body up.

BA are in need of a real shake up. They don't serve hot breakfast anymore what the hell is up with that?? I cannot sit 12 hours on a plane with no snacks (apart from those cream and chive pretzels) only to wake up to a cold, bap with fillings of stingy proportions. The new guy who has joined BA at a senior level is all about cost cutting and its hit staff hard too

Wendy, London,

With all due respect to the deceased and sympathy to her relatives one has to say that BA should have delivered what Mr. Trinder had paid for in the first class cabin - a peaceful and a comfortable journey which obviously BA failed to do. Despite all human concerns for the unfortunate people it must be said that such an experience could not be pleasant for an unconnected person for five hours in a very restricted space.

Arshed Mahmud, London,

As a Medical Doctor with an interest in emergencies onboard aircraft I have been called as such to help with several patients. I fly 100000+ miles a year in all classes. In my opinion BA has handled this incident badly inflight and afterwards.
I am aware from personal experience that some airlines have guidance for crew in respect of action to be taken if a passenger dies inflight. I do not know if BA has this but it surprises me that if they do the advice to the crew is to place the deceased in an F class seat.A good protocol is to move passengers in the first Bulkhead row of economy and place the body on the floor between the wall and seats; this way the body is unlikely to shift in turbulance/landing and is also hidden from other passengers.Crew are able to ask for voluteers such as Medical Staff, Firemen, Police etc to take seats near the body if necessary. The F passenger was not even informed as to what was happening and not quietly compensating him shows a lack of customer care

simon smith, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

Well, at least now I know what I need to do to get a free upgrade.

Jim Shelton, Searcy, Arkansas

I think this has been blown out ALL proportions! Of course Mr Trinder should have been informed of what was going on without having to ask. However, as anyone who has ever set foot in the First cabin would know (Eleanor from Southend obviously not being one of them), you do not have to climb over a seat to get out of your row, EVER... You practically have a seat row to yourself!!! If Mr Trinder was travelling with a family member who, God forbid, should pass away, then I'm sure he himself would appreciate any compassion and understanding from fellow passengers in such a difficult situation... Why this news even has made it into print is another question entirely!

N Christiansen, Reading, Berkshire

So, this is what society produces now doesn’t? A passenger like Mr. Trinder who can only think of the 1st class fare he paid as he stares at the poor lady’s dead body. Naturally, his only concern and internal fury revolves around the fact that his 1st class quarter is invaded by a dead passenger!
This is how utterly insensitive, rock-like, coreless and obtuse passenger symbolises the elements produced by an empty society fuelled by greed and selfishness. Mr. Trinder did not think instead of what he would do if his own relative was lying there facing the final journey, for he is eternal perhaps.
Instead of comforting the relatives and contemplating the real final journey of a human body that he will face too, he is consumed with compensation and a potential free trip from BA. A society that produces such objects masquerading as human beings must examine its faulty principles, educational fundamentals and overall reasons for existence.

S. Adams, Sydney, Australia

Mr Trinder's appalling selfishness and lack of compassion and human decency in front of such a tragedy is depressing enough; but the number of people here that added similar comments criticizing what looks like the compassionate treatment of a grieving family, and the display of grief by a shocked daughter, that is even scarier. I, for one, would feel ashamed of complaining about my "bad experience", and be hugely grateful for not being the one in the shoes of the daughter who lost her mother; doing anything else would feel indecent, and almost tempting fate to teach me a lesson or two.

Paula, London,

It's tragic the old woman had died on the plane and the man is inconsiderate for complaining, but why didn't they just leave her in her seat where her family was originally seated. First class is kind of a stretch for placing a corpse.

Constantine, Toronto, Ontario

According to the article, the situation ocurs about ten times a year; Therefore, one could expect that there are guidelines for situations as this one, by the use of which both the deceased and grieving familiy could be accomodated properly and passenger discomfort could be minimised.

If one is to pay high fares for 'better comfort in the air', as one might expect when traveling first class, one might expect airlines either to be properly equiped to deliver what promised.

In my opinion, the point mr. Trinder is trying to make is that due to the lack of guidelines, an already uncomfortable situation could have been made more comfortable for all, if managed better.

Peter, utrecht, Netherlands

Now that this issue( we hardly thougt about ) has come on the lome light,British standards should take this on board and come up with regulations of how to hanle such calamities.

Benard Njoroge, london,

It´s very unfair to say he wasn´t aware of the feelings of the family. If you think about it you are sitting on a plane ( it doesnt´matter that he was in First Class) and then they sit next to you a person who has passed away with no explanation there would be very few people who wouldn´t complain. Imagine if it happened to you . He appears to be very understanding given the cabin crews lack of professionalism. The logical thing would have been to use the Cabin crews area and would have also allowed the family privacy for their grief.

Charles, London,

Of course Mr Tinder deserves compensation! nearby seats should have be evacuated before the dead body was placed. common courtsey and decency demands that.
BA should pay up!!!

Dylan Thomas, London UK,

What did the lady died of ? Typhoid, Ebolavirus? The British Airways people should at least ask first. What would happen if the chap woke up and then die of a shock at the sight of a dead person? Also, just out of interest, will the family of the deceased have to pay for the upgrade?

JEAN-FRANÇOIS, FIGEAC, FRANCE

As a frequent flyer, I would be sympathetic to having a dead person on the seat next to me, hopefully suitably covered up, but having wailing relatives is asking a bit much! Surely there has to be some sort of sytem in place so that weeping, wailing & beating of breasts is not in a main cabin.

I know there are very few in-flight deaths, but the onus is still on the airline to deal with it properly

Dee, Midlands, UK

Lets look at the real issue here! What are BA going to do about this type of situation?????

Carlos, Opal, UK

How many of the people who have attacked Mr Trinder can honestly say that they would like to spend 5 hours sitting next to a corpse - (especially as, from the description, it sounds as if he was in the window seat, and the corpse was placed in the aisle seat, so he would have had to climb over it in order to leave his seat)?

I bet that most of the unsympathetic, 'get over it' brigade would have been equally appalled if this had happened to them - i doubt they would be offering to sit next to the deceased - and that makes them hypocrites, in my book!!!

What appals me the most is that the BA cabin crew made no effort to tell Mr Trinder what was happening before installing the corpse next to him - indeed, they didn't even tell him then - he wasn't told that the lady was dead until he told the cabin crew that she was slipping in the seat!

Eleanor, Southend, Essex

Once again, another odd attempt by the British to do anything they can to bring down one of Britains most lucrative companies. Surely we need to help boost our economy leading up to the Olympics. Instead the media insists on writing a story every week on how bad the company is. I'm in no way saying the kind of behaviour mentioned is acceptable, but i dont think we all realise the effect that nit-picking has...

Alex Smith, Surrey,

Now i have figured out this is the best way to get a fee upgrade!

TOM, DUNDEE, scotland

Also, due to Anti Age-Discrimination laws, we are all better off flying with Singapore Airlines because the Cabin Crew are more pleasing to the eye.

Call me sexist, but i like what i like, and I suspect lots of men also like what i like.

Pete, Cov,

Unbelievable. How selfish and cash-oriented can you be MM. Holder and Tringer ? We are talking about life and death here, about the extreme pain of losing a beloved person. About an unexpected situation.

So, excuse me, but we don't give a damn about how much you paid your ticket, first class or not. The crew did the best they could do in those circumstances.

Next time, buy an economy ticket and keep the money for some "how to become a human being" lessons.

Martin Veillette, Montreal, Canada

Travelling over 200,000 miles a year is not exactly fun. Doesn't matter if you are in economy, business or 1st class (though that does ease the pain both of flying and of getting through airports). Most are up there not for the extra food or wine, but for the ability to sleep and get to their destination in at least some sort of a condition to do business. I have some empathy with Mr Trinder. BA staff -- who have increasingly become unsympathetic to anything lately -- should have understood that and reacted accordingly. I don't believe he is being "pompous" but is rightly outraged at the reaction of the staff. A body bag of some sort should be standard issue on every long haul flight -- perhaps the body should have been placed in the crew's quarters, or would that have been completely out of order!

Steve, St Maixent l'Ecole, France

Cabin staff have curtained off seating/beds where they can relax on long haul flights. I woud have thought it more appropriate to put the body there, and have a cabin staff sit in 1st class if it was that full.

Maybe a special location for bodies is a good idea, but how would that have been for the accompanying grieving family members?

If there were no other choice, then locating the body in the first class cabin makes more sense to me - the body will disturb fewer people and to a lesser degree (more space between seats). I don't think paying more for a ticket counts when we're dealing with death.

David, Gent, Belgium

Well if she had died on an Islamic Republic plane she could have been laid down in the 'Prayer Room'which they have, it is curtained and presumably the body could also be prayed over!also the wailing relatives would benefit.

olivebranch, brighton.Sussex,

I can kind of see the guys point, but why didn't he move?

Mind you, the way they dealt with this was incompetent. They should have offered him another seat. Maybe juggle people around a bit. They might have found someone more symphathetic who didn't mind sitting next to the poor woman.

Starling, Lancaster,

Leaving aside Mr. Trinder's attitude - and your commenters should not forget that many people have never seen a dead person and may well find the experience thoroughly unnerving - BA should surely make provision for this. For instance, there are curtained -off crew cubicles on long-haul flights, which would be far better places to put a corpse. In any event, a body should be covered as a mark of respect.

I recently travelled long-haul by BA and everyone found the service inexcusably poor, so I am not surprised that the airline cannot cope decently with an incident like this. Not the world's favourite airline, I'm afraid.

gillian, london, UK

Mr. Trinder says the experience disturbed his catnap. Of course it was disturbing, someone died. Mr. Trinder could have some sympathy and understanding. There was no reason to make an emergency landing, and immediate family of the deceased has were traumatised and shocked by the death. Incidents like that are rare, but can happen anytime, anywhere, to anyone. What disturbs me is that a person with Mr. Trinder's values is in a privileged position in society. Mr. Trinder could use some charm school. Good grief, someone's grandmother died and so Paul wants a refund....

Kyle Jones, Bend, USA

This person was obviously dying to get into first class.

Eugene, Heidelberg, germany

BA has, yet again, showed itself to be deplorable. Of course the guy should get compensation. I'd throw up over the incompetent BA staff that made me sit next to a corpse when I'd paid £3000 (or far less for a an economy seat for that matter) for a flight. I stopped flying BA a long time ago, and this story is just another one of a long line of deplorable stories coming from BA, and shows that I was right to boycott them in the first place. Disgusting! Of course it's very sad for the woman's family, but that's beside the point.

Monica, London,

While Mr. Tinder comes off poorly, so too does the BA crew. Granted there are limited options for dealing with this difficult situation. However, the attendents could have offered quiet support to the grieving daughter while also asking that she temper her voice in the small, crowded cabin of an airliner. Grief need not be wailed loudly to be heartfelt.

Nine hour flights are grueling enough in ordinary circumstances. Spending a significant portion of that time close to someone who is wailing loudly would be very difficult for me -- and I speak as someone who has lost both of her parents and grieved deeply for them.

rkb, NY, USA

People - aren't you forgetting the real danger here?

ZOMBIES!!!

What if the old dear had become one of the undead, and eaten the first class passengers?

What would Mr. Tinder have thought of THAT, one wonders...

dermot, miramichi, Canada

I think the living's feeliings should be taken into respect more so than the dead. I KNOW I would feel very uncomfortable with a dead body sitting up on a plane like a breathing living person. I've never flown, do they have an area for the crew members/flight attendants (such as a lounge or kitchen). Maybe they could have let the lady sit there. For her daughter to be allowed to sit with the other passengers to deal with her grief seems a little too much for me.

R. Sims, South , Georgia

If Mr Trinder had not mentioned the price of his ticket and its class and merely explained that he, like millions of other people around the world (including me) freaks out at the thought or the site of a corpse and also that he had bought his ticket with the expectation of a pleasant flight and curteoucy from BA staffs, no one would have blamed him for seeking compensation, as seen so far. I personally would have not only asked for the refund of my ticket cost but also some adamages for the extreme duress.
In 1994, when flying from Miami to London, I was so distressed by BA staffs' refusal to serve me with a bottle of mineral water which was needed for my troubled kidneys and their rude manner to the degree that I have not traveled since by air. I since suspect that some of the passengers' violence are provoked by the BA's staff.

Redpath, London, UK

Contrary to the views of the many, I do not think that Mr. Trinder is a selfish individual. If BA absolutely HAD to move a deceased person into his row, wouldn't one think that the very least that the flight crew could do would be to inform the surrounding passengers? Most people would agree that waking up to find oneself next to a deceased person and their distraught relatives might be expected to be traumatic. I would have thought that the staff of a world class airline like BA would be better trained.

Brian Collinson, Oakville, Canada

Why did they move the body to first class in the first place? Didn't the dead woman have her own seat they could have "propped" her up in? I don't blame anyone in first class for complaining.

CJ, Chicago, IL

if having a corpse in the adjacent seat is your worst flying story, consider yourself fortunate.

robert furlong, prescott, arizona

I've heard of some redneck ideas, but that takes the cake. It just goes to show that the British still have a sense of humor. Perhaps next time they should either land the plane or place sunglasses on the corpse and hand him/her a martini....shaken, not stirred.

N. Goluska, Las Cruces, NM

Most of the management of this airline seem to be brain-dead anyway. I'm surprised that they noticed.

Lezli Taubler, London, UK

Why can't the airlines reserve a relatively small area of these hugh planes, say 2 by 3 meters, so that an ill or deceased passenger could be laid out on a bed? The space could be used in normal periods for the passengers to stretch their legs.

Steve Salgo, Zürich, Switzerland

How would any of the bleeding hearts attacking Mr. Trinder like to have a dead person (cause of death unknown) placed in close proximity to them for five hours?

Did the person die of something contagious? BA did not know -- but apparently had no problem lugging the body around the plane before dumping it in a first class seat.

As for the wailing relative... puhleeze.

A crying child is bad enough, but that kind of display of "grief" from a grown person for a period of five hours? Ridiculous.

BA handled this incident badly.

RAS, Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA

What an awful thing to have happened. My thoughts are with Mr. Trinder. After paying £3000.00 he should not have had to face the realities of the real world… Although, I’m surprised that he did not volunteer to leave First class and give the family the privacy they deserved in this tragic situation, rather than prying on them.

Had the plane diverted to a nearby airport we would no doubt be hearing about the further inconvenience caused.

Alex, London,

Hence answering the question, "What does one have to do to get some service around here?".

Mark Twen, Tucson, Arizona, USA

As I see it, the passenger's flight was ruined by the wailing daughter and not her deceased mother.

BA should not have upgraded the lady if she was so distressed. Apart from the nuisance to other passengers, in her fragile emotional state it may not have been sensible to put her next to the slack, slumping body of her mother for a period of hours. Probably not the best way to grieve.

TW, London, UK

Richard Holder, that response is hilarious, thanks for that.

BA shouldn't be so insensitive, at least Trinder should not have to pay for the flight.

Suzanna, Yerevan, Armenia

If you have ever tried to complain to BA about anything at all, you will know that this is how they respond. I too fly about 200,000 miles a year, and will only ever use BA as an absolute last resort.

Nick, Seattle, USA

The very least the aircrew should have done was to inform the other passengers in First Class of the situation. Waking up to a corpse being placed near you is surprising to say the very least. What if he had coronary artery disease or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? The shock of the situation could have given him a heart attack or put him into shock--then the airline would have had 2 corspes or 2 wailing people on their hands.

BA should have had a procedure in place for such a scenario. Their lack of plannig was not Mr. Trindle's emergency.

Minh, Fort Worth,

One of the hallmarks of a civilised society is how that society treats its dead. Top marks to British Airways staff for doing the best they could in a difficult situation. It is unfortunate that paying passengers were inconvenienced, and perhaps some compensation is indeed called for. But if we are humans, not animals, we must accept that inconvenience and personal distress are the price we must pay for upholding the dignity of the dead and the bereaved in less than ideal circumstances.

Professor Trisha Greenhalgh OBE, London, UK

Most planes have a seat with a curtain for cabin crew to rest on long-haul flights. The body should have been placed there out of sight.

Denise, Baltimore, MD, USA

This is horrible -Most of these comments are about $ & the fact that someones flight was spoiled by an elderly person passing. Well think of it this way - If you received word that a friend or loved one passed right before you got on a flight would you say that they ruined your trip? Would you want compensation because that person passed at a bad time for you? People die all of the time (their problems are over) But it is normal & it is also normal for the ones left behind to cry or be upset. I feel bad for the family of the passing person. Noone knows what happened in this situation, as yet - but still - perhaps the reason the police detained these people is for good reason! Please remember - none of us are getting out of this life alive!!! If it had been YOUR family member what would you have done??? I think the grief would have had its place no matter if on a flight or in a hospital room or any other place on or above this Earth. Whats this world coming to?

DJ, stockton, mo

Paul sounds like a real winner.

Adam L Stanley, Chicago, USA

Compassion is nothing to do with it. The airline should simply compensate Mr Trinder for the level of service and comfort that they were unable to provide because of this unfortunate incident.

Mike Johnston, Sydney , Australia

Don't know about airplanes, but I recently had a tour of the medical facility on a large cruise ship just entering service. It has a proper morgue locker, complete with refrigeration, and three sliding corpse drawers. In each drawer was a body bag. In case you are curious, you get charged $135 if you occupy one of these drawers.

Bob Knob, Los Angeles, USA

As a former airport police inspector, I may be able to shed some light on the matter of why fresh corpses are not to be placed in the lavatories. On long flights it is always better to lay a body out in a location on the aircraft where it will be easier for the authorities to examine on arrival. I recall one incident in which a body could not be removed from the toilet of a 747 because it had moved during a bumpy flight, and rigor mortis had subsequently set in. Conducting a multi-agency (initial) death investigation on board is a legal requirement in many countries, and it's much easier to do in the space of the first class cabin, than in economy, as the passengers have to remain on board until it is determined that they are not required as witnesses. Placing the lady in a first class seat was a sensible and reasonable move by the crew. I don't think the first class passengers would have been any more inconvenienced than if a rich family had brought a screaming baby into the cabin.

Mark, HKG, China

The wailing bothers me. If my home custom condones rending my clothes, sprinkling my head with ashes and throwing myself onto a fire to mourn a death, that doesn't make it suitable behavior for an airplane. Save the wailing for later. The corpse is in no rush for it. If I had just died, I'd want a little peace and quiet.

Mitchell Clogg, Mendocino, California, U.S.A.

Being sat next to a corpse does sound pretty distressing. BA should have refunded the fares of all passengers sitting close by. Think of how much BA saved by not diverting the aircraft -- this would have been the responsible thing to do.

Mark Joshi, Melbourne,

Funny how noone has suggested that First Class should have been cleared to allow the deceased lady to be laid out with dignity on one of those nice roomy flat beds while her family members were allowed to grieve in peace and with the similar dignity that I think anyone would want for themselves or their loved ones.

Having cleared the class then the little First Class darlings would have been spared the 'trauma', and they would have been able to continue in their 'noone dies/nothing smells/babies don't scream' Utopia in WTP (World Traveller Plus to non-BA experienced hoi poloi).

Oh, by the way, frequent traveller, 3 deaths and counting, none of them mine (yet).

Richard, Walton on Thames, Surrey/UK

‘I’ve paid more than £3,000 for this’

@Paul Trinder
You poor thing.

Mich., Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Why did they not let the woman stay where she was? Was the flight so full it was standing room only? Why should someone who pays so much for a seat have to be subjected to that when then deceased should have already had a seat

g. Mack, Kempner, Texas USA

Is the food really getting that bad on BA flights now?

Phil Osopher, Oxford,

Mr Trinder should think himself lucky. 20 odd years ago on a flight I was on from Bulgaria, an elderly passenger died. The cabin crew laid her out in the aisle while they tried to resuscitate her. After that, they simply propped her up in a seat next to her husband and covered her with a blanket. You had to pass by to get to the loo. Needless to say, few went. Distressing as it was (especially for the woman's husband), I didn't think of claiming compensation. I just wrote it off as another life experience. Mr Trinder (no relation to Tommy, is he?) should do the same.

CF, Glasgow, UK

What a selfish individual. What, precisely, would he have the airline do? Throw the corpse overboard? I don't think so. First class was the logical place to put the body for the remainder of the flight, as there was obviously more space available and fewer people around. I'm glad they put the woman in a seat rather than stuffing her into some cupboard. If it were my relative that had died, I'd prefer that, as I'm sure would Mr Trinder if it was his family member involved. This quote sums it up for me - "I just kept thinking to myself: ‘I’ve paid more than £3,000 for this’” - Yes, and someone just died. Grow up, get over yourself, and be thankful you weren't in the shoes of the distraught relatives.

Tim, London,

I find him to be a little lacking in compassion as well, but I think he does have a legitimate grievance in that he was held for an hour afterward before being cleared by the police. If there was anyone that would be able to testify to the circumstances of death, it would be the few economy passengers near her when she died and the flight attendents- not the first class passengers who were kept in the dark about the death anyway.

Ken, Durham, NC, US

I am not fortunate enough to travel first class and have endured many economy long haul flights. But if I ever did have that opportunity, I would be really pissed off, not at the poor family who had suffered a loss, but at the airline who are happy to take an amazing amount of money in return for a luxury flight - but unwilling to compensate a traveller whose flight is spoiled.

Rosie Ashton, London,

My thought is that BA should refund his ticket, but only on the basis of the wailing.

If the person who died didn't use all of their ticket for a return journey say, I hope that BA would refund the difference..

BA's response is typical of customer service in todays world and only harms their image of customer satisfaction.

Its interesting how peoples responses appear to be wealth/class based, I'm sure if the same story was based in ecomany class with an unemployed person going on holiday that people would have been more symapthetic towards the complaining passenger.

Poor Person, London, UK

When I die, I'd like can I have an upgrade to First Class too!

Anthony Jelley, London,

I'm a writer, a circumstance that would tend to keep me out of first-class altogether, but if I found myself sitting near a corpse on an airplane, whether we were in first-class or economy, I'd thank the universe for putting me in proximity to such real-life intensity. What an opportunity! I would have done what I could to offer comfort, or at least some sympathy, to the bereaved, and later, I would have written about the close encounter with all the truth I could muster. Mr. Trinder sounds like someone too accustomed to privilege, and sorely in need of a little in-flight "turbulence." And by the way, bodies don't get offensive at room temperature in a mere five hours. I think it's the idea of death itself that offends him.

E. Cooney, Mendocino, California, USA

Trinder could have moved to one of the three vacated seats in economy if he was overwhelmed by the wailing family member. I wonder why he felt the need to tell everyone how much he spent on his ticket?
Hell, why not refund EVERYBODY on that flight since I am sure Mr Tinder is not the only one who was inconvenienced. He really ought to have devised a better means of achieving his 15 minutes of fame and promoting his financial success and expense account (which as proud as he is of it, he feels the need for reimbursement).

Steven, NJ, USA

It's awful that the woman died, but the reason the flight stewards moved the body and the mourners was to discomfit the least number of people, so rather than have a bunch of complaints from people in economy, they had one upset person in 1st class.

What the flight stewards should have done, however, is to have asked the man in 1st class to move to another row, or, if no seats were available in 1st class, offer to let him go back to coach where there were three free seats but no mourners and no corpse. And offered to comp his flight.

A corpse locker is a practical thing, but barring that, it's also possible to have shut the body in one of the restrooms or at least in the crew area.

The worst thing, however, is that the airline didn't immediately find a place to land. Death and a coma might be indistinguishable, so having the poor woman taken to a hospital first thing would seem the proper course of action.

Kevin Murphy, San Jose, California

Just one more reason not to fly with B.A. ......as if I needed another one.

Neil McAlester, Hillsborough, N. Ireland

Actually, beyond the story of someone who was justifiably distressed - after all, who wouldn't pay £3000 to avoid the worst bits of flying if they could afford it - I am dreadfully worried about the decision not to divert. As another commentator below has said, who certified death? The lady may have seemed dead, but still been alive. I used to be a registered psychiatric nurse, and because of old legislation, I was able to certify "absence of life signs" until a doctor arrived to do the death certificate. I believe that only a doctor can do this, though that might only apply within the UK, though the point still remains - do you really want your chances of survival after a stroke being determined by airline cabin crew? The plane should have immediately landed as soon as it was cleared to do so - that is respectful of the living but serious ill, and the dead.

Jeremy Wickins, Sheffield,

We ought to respect both the living beings and those who are no longer so. That means that proper arrangements should be made in planes for such exigencies. It is not morally right to have a person who has died to be placed on a chair and in close proximity to other passengers, first, business or economy class.

Of course, we have to accept that without such arrangements the BA crew did the best, under the circumstance.

I have never been a first class customer but i do feel it is right to compensate the first class passenger for dis-comfort. After al, he paid for that comfort. However, no-one wants to benefit from someone-else's misery and i would merely suggest that the compensation be given to a charity.

Munaf Zeena, London, England

This man's selfish attitude defies belief. Health risk!! - do bodies rot and smell instantly? How long has the steak we buy been dead? A dead person near to you might not be too pleasant, but it should not be too distressing if it 's not someone you know.

Stewart in Piacenza, Piacenza, Italy

The point isn't the price of the ticket, the point is the crap service & lack of procedure or policy. If you paid even just 50 bucks for your ticket, dropping a corpse near you & not even SAYING anything is appalling. It sounds like they didn't even cover the body.

I don't care how much or how little a person paid for their ticket, they should definitely be compensated for that crap service & rudeness, & the airline should budget for this compensation if thats the way it intends to "deal" with these situations.

Saying its life n death is like well, yeah, sure it is - so why don't you go say that to the wailing relatives as well? and then maybe they'll shut the hell up.

cath, san fran, cali

People should really get a reality check! I have worked as Cabin Crew at 30,000ft ++ if an unfortunate individual takes poorly and passes away there is very little Cabin Crew can actually do with the corpse. You can hardly expect us to throw it out of an emergency door, or down a shoot into the baggage department or hold. So we do the decent thing say a quiet prayer for the departing soul and make the body comfortable. Either that means taking it somewhere discreet or lying the body flat and covering with a blanket. If there are not seats we 'prop' the body up and deal with the situation on landing. It is very distressing for both cabin crew and members of the family also other passengers. I have sadly had to deal with a similar incident but luckily the old lady recovered just upon landing. It took me ages to get over the matter. It is what is known as the Circle of Life.

MRS. S. MEHO, LONDON, UK

I'm utterly appalled by Mr Trinder's selfish attitude, detached of any sense of empathy or compassion. I'm even more appalled by some of the bile spewed forth by others posting here. I feel BA acted in an entirely appropriate manner; were i ever in the same unfortunate position i should not want to have to grieve whilst squashed into economy with a hundred other people.

And to Gerry, in Kent, it is possible for stroke or a heart attack to result in sudden death. Heart attack and stroke with the prospect of survival do not produce a state of pulseless, breathless unconsciousness. Clearly the BA staff had a little more medical common sense and compassion, rather than being driven by fear of litigation to attempt a resuscitation.

Andreas Bliudzius, London,

Unusual service on BA. How will Richard Branson possibly top this?

Mustafa, Elk Grove, California, USA

I agree with Mr Trinder, BA's customer service is appaling. I know of several other incidents in which they have dealt appallingly with complaints, its the sign of a business in deep trouble. BA is the most expensive airline to travel with and its first class passengers contribute a huge amount of its profits, and when their are problems its treatment is shabby.

I would also have been very cheesed off, however sorry I felt for relatives, BA should either provide refund the full cost or at the least the difference between a first class ticket and the economy fare.

If any of the moaners above had bought a product and it did not do what it was meant too, would they not ask for their money back?

Steven Katirai, Newcastle, England

Why not leave her where she was? More room for what? She doesn't need to stretch out or anything. And if they didnt have any other choice, its understandable, but then they SHOULD give any affected passengers (i.e. the guy they sat the body next to) some kind of compensation or a refund or something.

As for the wailing, they should have left the family members back in their own seats, unless they paid to upgrade to First Class

Brian, Chicago, USA

I agree with BA - get over it

Bill, Hastings, UK

Why didn't they put the dead body in a toilet with an "Out Of Order" sign placed on the door?

Why did a corpse need an upgrade to First Class?

It's useful to know that BA has so little regard for its paying First Class customers .

It also helps to explain why BA ranks so far behind airlines like Singapore and Cathay Pacific.

RAS, Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA

'My 3000 pounds, My 3000 pounds!!!!'

Mr. Trinder is to be pitied. What a sad, sad little person.

Gwyllm, Edinburgh, Scotland

To say "get over it" is just rude. All airlines need to make some kind of policy. I mean nobody would plan to die on a plane, but things like this do happen. Whatever happened to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It was a bad situation all around. But surely, they had to realize that this might make the man uncomfortable. At least they could have woken the dude up when the placed the old lady in his row.

theresa, boise , idaho, usa

Isn't the point that according to international aviation regulations if there is a death on board BA (or any airline) is supposed to divert to the nearest appropriately equipped airport. Yet another example of BA disregarding the safety of its passengers and crew for economic reasons. Unfortunately this practice is rife in the airline industry as the cost of diverting a flight is significant. Question I'd have to ask however is that for just 10 such incidents a year I'd rather be diverted than potentially being exposed to airborne pathogens. The security services should take note, this would be a great way of exposing large numbers of people with something airborne. Forget the inconvenience of taking no fluids onto a flight or having to remove your shoes for screening - this should be more of a concern.

Steve, Crawley, UK

I don't envy the task the BA staff had. I also sympathise with Trinder (even if his attitude errs on the side of cold-heartedness). That incident would have been extremely disturbing for me and I'm surprised they couldn't place the corpse in a better location. Don't long haul planes have private sleeping compartments for stewards or isn't there room in the luggage area?
There are however a number of scenarios that would highlight the inadequacies of plane design. What does one do if there's an outbreak of food poisoning causing involuntary expelling of fluids for hundreds of passengers for example?

James, London, UK

I wonder how many people here have flown with corpse on board sitting on the same row ?

That's not an experience any passenger should experience.

It would've been logical that the plane landed and gotten the body out to take care of the matter that way, but to fly on for another 5 hours is not very tactfull.

Laurens, 't Harde, Netherlands

It's highly unlikely that BA aircraft staff would have sufficient medical training or the equipment to certify that a passenger was dead. The unfortunate lady might have suffered a stroke or heart attack and have still been alive.

The aircraft should have made an emergency landing at the nearest airport so that the lady could have received treatment if still alive or have been officially pronounced dead. I'm amazed that this procedure is not mandatory: I hate to think that anyone's life might be lost if staff following BA's penny pinching "fly on regardless" policy confused unconsciousness with death.

Not only should Mr. Trinder receive compensation, BA should have to pay punitive damages to the lady's relatives.

Gerry, Kent, UK

Surely the obvious thing to do with the corpse would be to place it in a "shotgun" seat in the cockpit. That way, passengers will not be distressed (relatives excluded, obviously) and only a couple of highly-trained aircrew will be "inconvenienced".

D. Zeesed, london,

I agree with Mr. Trinder. If you pay for 1st Class you should expect 1st. class service. That does not include having to share your row with a dead person sitting next to you. I like the idea of a "corpse cupboard". Another idea would be to have a small trap door so the body could be dropped into the luggage bay below the passenger compartment, or an extra large overhead bin where the carcass could be stashed temporarily, or maybe the cadaver could be folded neatly and put in the refrigerated compartment where meals are kept frozen until they are served. Any of these would work, I believe. Oh and a special area for wailers would be needed.

Richard Holder , Potstown, MA, USA

Air travel is only going ot get more difficult in the future -- not easier. Already in the last 5 - 10 years it has become increasingly tiring to make your way through the maze of regulations only to find yourself on an overcrowded, often delayed plane. The passengers have it tough, the airlines have it tough too because of their financial pinch. What is the answer? This situation, while unfortunate for everyone involved (the man, the deceased and family, the airline) is somehow a result of a growing travel problem that will only get worse. If you can follow this line back to it's origins, you can say that there are more people flying now than ever before. Why is this? There are more people (PERIOD) than ever before, and fewer natural resources. Overpopulation is the next big thing, and it's going to get very serious very soon.

hh, new york, new york

Mr. Trinder's comments were deplorable. He will die one day, as well. Learning to be considerate of the suffering of others is a valuable lesson that all of us should learn. If Mr. Trinder has to spend only £3,000 to learn this, he has gotten off very cheaply.

As for British Airways, the company should be better prepared for such emergencies in the future.

Watts Taylor, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Compensation culture - you bet. Trinder is selfish and money grabbing. No compasion for the family nor the many more people in economy who would have been affected had the body not been moved. How would he expect to be treated if it were his relative who had passed away I wonder. If the body was so offensive why did he not move into economy for the remaining leg of the flight. I guess that if he had his way she would have been thrown out the door.

John Smith, Bristol, Uk

So did this gentleman expect her to be strapped to the wing so he could sip his G&T in peace?

jowo, london, uk

Arrogant and uncaring attitude from someone who spends too much time cocooned in their fist class lifestyle to bother about others .What would his suggestion be to the unfortunate relatives about what to do ?.He could have course have gone and sat in economy seating (god-forbid) in the seats vacated by the "wailing " and so inconsiderate relatives.As a chief executive I very much doubt if the £300 came out of his own very deep pockets anyway ."Get over it" would be far too polite if I was BA.

ANDREW WARD, leeds, uk

This does not sound like the BA I worked for.
If a passenger buys a First Class ticket they are entitled to expect First Class service.

Siting a corpes a few feet away from you and then allowing relatives to wail is not the way to do things.

To say "Get over it" is an insult.

Peter , Glasgow, UK

If you gotta go, at least go first class. Can I have her drinks?

John F. Kotch, Newark, NJ, USA

I was absolutely asonished that this ridiculous, self important man should consider himself 'inconvenienced' by the death of someone else

I think BA were quite right to tell him to GET OVER IT

What exactly did he think they were going to do given the circumstances and why should he be compensated?

Mr Paul Trinder should take a look at the article on page 7 written by Jon Osgood-Thomas and Michael Smith about the 18 year old soldiers in Iraq and consider himself damned lucky he only had to deal with the natrual death of an elderly lady
Oh - and her wailing relatives *rollie eyed smilie*

Gloria Capocci, London, England

What matters is who is going to sit on the chair where the corpse was and pay 3000 on the next flight and asking himself what that smell is.

Fact is that British Airways has become worse than China Airlines and their onboard personel is as competent as any bartender in a cheap pub. It doesn't take too much intelligence to carry one airtight body bag per airplane, some formaldehyde and a small vacuumpump.

The people who travelled with BA on this flight will surely get over it some day. The question is when BA will get over their ingorance.

Rabarberke, Groningen, Netherlands

His complaint seems to be that he should not expect to have to experience this as a first class passenger who has paid £3,000.00 for the ticket. Instead this should be something that an economy passenger should have to deal with.

On the contrary, this deceased would be far too well behaved and considerate for economy class. The cabin crew's decision was the obvious one - but what on earth were they up to allowing the grieving family into first class without a ticket. Couldn't they see that this gentleman was trying to enjoy a quiet pina colada?

On a different note - I've always wondered what I had to do to get an upgrade...?

Andrew, Oxon,

A difficult situation. I do think, though, that there should be a designated place for the deceased. I mean, what do they do if a plane is full? Imagine the situtation on a flight to, say, Australia. Expensive as it may be for airlines and ticket-buyers, there should be a designated place .

Marco, bhm, uk

This mans view of life, and death, is absurd. The poor woman died and he wants compensation.. His attitude to the whole episode disgusts me.

K Guest, Tocane St Apre, France

I agree with Vikram and John Davies above. I'm sure it was not a particularly enjoyable flight for Mr Trinder however his flight must have been much better than the deceased woman and her grieving family. Not just because of the circumstances but also knowing that they would also have to fly all the way back to Delhi after they arrived.....

Ruth, cheshire,

Well obviously the cabin crew should have just opened the door and chucked the body into the sky to save any embarassment and distress to a first class passenger who had paid 3000 pounds for his flight but the airline should also have compensated the poor dead passenger for the unconsumed meals.

John Burrows, Cobble Hill, BC Canada

Well, what can one say, it is obviously one of the downsides of travelling first class on BA. Up cattle-class, I say!

Alice, Moskva,

If she was "sparrow-like" surely they could have squeezed her in the overhead lockers.

No, seriously. as Boeing and Airbus are spending so much money on designing new aircraft maybe they could build in some sort of "dead body ejector shute". This will also save on funeral expenses for the family and if there is too much wailing for the first class passengers, perhaps the wailers can be ejected too.

This would also reduce fuel consumption due to a lighter plane thus also satisfying the environmentalists.

So it seems everybody ends up happy.

Greg Morgan, Swansea, Ell ofa State

What sort of world do we live in where somebody dies and Mr Trinder feels he ought to be compensated. Have some compassion and get over it!

Chris, Northampton, UK

BA seem to have lost the plot, once again. I wonder if 'customer service' is in their dictionary. If you carry 36m passengers a year, some are bound to die in-flight, and you need a procedure to handle it. Plonking the whole family in 1st class is crazy. Better to clear space by moving well-dressed, living passengers to first class, so that corpse and family are alone in one row, preferably a bulkhead row. Also there is a security aspect, first class is closer to the cockpit, and a faked death could be a ruse to get to that position.

andrew, swindon,

Which has more weight a grieving family or a business man putting 200K miles per year ? Seriously I support BA and Mr.Trinder should get over it. Is being humane not in vogue any more ?

Vikram, San Jose,

What an insensitive man!

John Davies, Durham, UK

It is perhaps Mr Trinder who should reflect on his own self centered attitude. "I just kept thinking to myself I have paid more than £3,000 for this" appears to be his main concern when a poor fellow passenger died on his flight. Would he be first into a lifeboat on a sinking ship ahead of the women and children because he is such an important person? Like the airline said... get over it.

Ian Wheaton, southampton, UK

She paid the ultimate price for an upgrade!

David Ellis, Shekou, China