Several organisations play a role in managing death on a plane.
Planes aren’t hospitals. How does the crew handle someone dying on a flight?
While death mid-flight is infrequent, it does happen.
This week, a woman, whose nationality has not yet been revealed by authorities, died on a long-haul flight from New York to Auckland.
When there’s a death on a plane, several organisations play a part in managing the situation. But first, crew members need to take charge.
Airlines are ultimately responsible for managing the situation while the body is still on board, a spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority told the Herald.
Protocols vary between airlines. When the Herald asked Air New Zealand about theirs, they declined to comment. However, international aviation bodies provide general step-by-step guidelines on what crew members should do when a medical emergency occurs.
If the person is not presumed dead, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may be performed by cabin crew. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) guidelines, CPR should be continued until one of the following occurs: breathing and resumption of blood circulation, it becomes unsafe to continue (for instance, there’s sudden turbulence), crew have become too exhausted, the plane has landed and emergency services have taken over, or the person is presumed dead.
If the person is presumed dead, the first action is to inform the captain, IATA states. This is because they need to inform the destination airport, so that the relevant authorities can be ready to meet upon landing.
Next, IATA advises the crew to move the person to a seat if available - “one with few other passengers nearby”.
“If the aircraft is full, put the person back into his/her own seat or, at the crew’s discretion, into another area not obstructing an aisle or exit.”
If the airline carries body bags, IATA recommends staff use them and zip the bag up to the neck. If body bags aren’t available or not part of the airline’s protocol, IATA recommends covering the body with a blanket.
Eyes should be closed and the seatbelt fastened. Crew will also request the contact information of any travel companions of the deceased.
Once the plane lands, IATA advises that passengers disembark first and family members to stay with the body.
“Do not disembark the body until the proper local authority has arrived to take care of the body and that the ground personnel is available to assist the family members,” the guidelines state.
Airport staff generally make themselves available to help where needed.
A spokesperson for Auckland Airport told the Herald it plays “a supporting role on arrival by facilitating access for police so they can attend the aircraft and take over as needed”.
Detective Inspector Felicity Cato, coronial investigations manager for the police, tells the Herald that by law, anyone who finds a body in New Zealand must report the death to the police.
“Police have a statutory obligation to carry out investigations on behalf of the coroner,” says Cato.
“Police may carry out a range of enquiries, including determining whether the death is one that must be reported under the Coroners Act or, if indicated that it may be natural causes, make enquiries to contact the deceased person’s medical practitioner who may be able to sign a Medical Certificate of Cause of Death.
“Even deaths that happen overseas but take place on NZ-registered aircraft must be reported to the police and/or coroner if all other criteria for reporting are satisfied. This is also the case where a death happens on a foreign aircraft whose next port is New Zealand.”
If somebody has died overseas and the body has to get back to New Zealand, the Government can provide support.
“NZ embassies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) can give local burial or cremation options, and advice on how you can bring back the body or ashes,” the Government states online. “Any costs must be paid for by the family.”
Many airlines also offer “compassionate fares” - flights offered at discounted prices - when a person has died, usually an immediate family member, and a passenger needs to travel urgently.
There are restrictions. With Air NZ, compassionate fares are offered for flights within New Zealand. The national carrier notes on its website that passengers must book and fly within 48 hours of the family member’s medical emergency, and within seven days of a bereavement.
Varsha Anjali is a journalist in the lifestyle team at the Herald. She is based in Auckland.