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He believes that he and other passengers are entitled to some sort of compensation and counseling.
By Megan Quinn — Written on Apr 01, 2023
Air travel can be stressful with all of the security measures, bag checking, expenses and cramped airplanes that often experience delays and cancellations. It is no surprise that flying brings out the worst in people, especially if they have a miserable experience.
One passenger who recently embarked on a lengthy flight that had an unexpected turn of events is demanding a refund from the airline company. The passenger claims that they were left “traumatized” after the incident and asks the company how they plan to compensate others who were aboard the flight.
During the man’s flight, a passenger died unexpectedly a couple of rows behind him and his family.
The passenger originally shared his story in a Facebook post that was later deleted and later reposted on the online forum “Flyertalk.” In his lengthy post, he asked others if the matter was worth continuing pursuing or if he should drop it without receiving a refund.
He begins his post by revealing that he has been trying to contact British Airways for a couple of months with no luck except the generic "we'll look into the matter” email response.
The passenger’s nightmare plane ride took place on December 21, 2022 while he and his family were returning to London from a vacation in Jamaica. He claims that the flight was delayed a little more than two hours, which was difficult for his family considering that they were traveling with five children and his sister who is six months pregnant.
“Whilst we were given vouchers for food, it was a limited amount which just about got us a meal,” the man wrote. “It was also very late into the evening which meant that the children and my sister were very tired, frustrated, hungry, and ruined their routines.”
They later learned that the flight to Jamaica left the UK later than expected, causing delays in Jamaica which led to a chain reaction. When the plane finally arrived and the passengers were able to board, the man alleged that the entire process was rushed and stressful and that the plane itself was dirty.
“I’m not certain that it was even cleaned properly before we were asked to board,” he shared. The chaos did not end there and was in fact about to get even worse.
About three and a half hours into the flight, the man claimed that he was awoken by a commotion from flight attendants two rows behind him. They reported that there was a passenger losing consciousness.
“Whilst the airline staff responded quite quickly, it was extremely traumatic to witness,” he wrote. The flight attendants placed the unconscious passenger on the floor next to the man’s row and began performing life-saving efforts for over an hour before she was unfortunately declared dead.
“I’ve never in my life witnessed someone being shocked or having CPR performed and never would’ve expected that to happen on a flight returning home,” he admitted.
The ordeal left the man and his family feeling traumatized and sad.
In the days that followed the flight, he and his family struggled to come to terms with what they experienced, and it put a damper on their Christmas celebrations.
“It is something that neither myself and my immediate family, including the young children, have been able to stop talking or thinking about,” he wrote. “We have had many sleepless nights and stress and worries about the events that occurred during the course of the flight.”
The man claims that he was led to believe that had the flight not been delayed and the boarding process smoother, the woman would have been able to eat on time and not have to be rushed onto the plane and she would still be alive today.
The man claims that due to the unexpected death of the passenger, he did not receive food or a drink on the flight.
After the woman experienced the medical emergency and died, food and drink services were canceled so that flight attendants could handle the situation. “We did not receive a thorough flight experience that we had paid for,” the angry passenger wrote.
He is now demanding that British Airways issue a formal apology to the passengers aboard the flight, and offer counseling and compensation to them in some form.
He criticized the airline company for the amount of money he was forced to spend, the delayed flights, and the traumatic experience of witnessing someone die.
“I would like to hear from British Airways, what you plan to do in order to compensate your passengers that had to deal with this ordeal and what will be done to improve your services going forward,” the man wrote. “In no way is this acceptable and they should not be normalized or swept under the rug for the family that had to go through the audio of all the passengers that had to endure it.”
According to British Airways, refunds and compensation can be issued if a flight was delayed over five hours or canceled.
While passengers could meet the requirements for a refund if changes in flight schedules cost them additional money, it appears that the man will not be eligible since his flight was delayed only three and half hours.
As for the woman who passed away unexpectedly mid-flight, discontinuing the food and beverage services, it is unclear whether or not the airline company could issue counseling or refunds to other passengers aboard the flight since it was entirely out of anyone's control.
Although British Airways has yet to address the man’s story, many Internet users took it upon themselves to, and he did not receive the response he was hoping for. Many people criticized the man for his insensitivity.
“How very selfish and inconsiderate of someone to die and ruin someone's 'flight experience’” one person sarcastically commented. “I am sure if you contact the grieving family they would apologize for your inconvenience! And spare a thought for the flight attendants who tried to save this lady! Pity it wasn't you!”
“That poor person lost her life and all he was worried about was getting his breakfast before landing in London,” another person pointed out.
Others noted that the death of a passenger was not the fault of the airline and while it is no doubt traumatizing witnessing someone lose their life and having CPR performed on them, it was not up to British Airways to issue refunds and compensation.
The man and his family should consider taking a boat or train on their next vacation, hopefully with no delays or deaths.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.