Flight attendant shares details on what really happens to passengers if they die on board

A flight attendant has revealed the truth of what happens when a passenger dies on a flight. You can see her explanation in the video below.

Death is a fact of life, and something that we’re all going to have to deal with at some point.

Although most of us can only hope for a peaceful death at a ripe old age, people do sometimes die unexpectedly, and that includes whilst taking flights.

It probably happens more than you think, too.

Anyway, the first thing to note is that if someone is taken seriously ill on a flight, the crew of whichever airline it is will try to get them immediate help.

If that means diverting the flight and performing first aid in mid-air, that’s what they’ll do.

However, if someone dies unexpectedly and without anyone noticing, there are a number of things that can happen.

Flight attendant and TikTok user @danidboyy1 explained the situation to her followers.

TikTok/@danidboyy1

She said: “Do you know what happens to somebody if they die on a flight?

“Luckily this has never happened on any of my flights where I have been operating as crew, but I do have some friends who have found themselves in this sad situation.

“Cabin crew cannot legally declare someone dead, so if the captain decides to not divert the plane, the body will remain on the aircraft until they have reached their final destination.

“If there is space the body may be moved to an empty row of seats or to a different galley or cabin,

“But if the flight is full, the passenger will stay in their original seat until they have reached their destination.”

This isn’t the first time that a flight attendant has spoken about the protocols in place for situations like this.

Another attendant told Business Insider: “I would probably put a blanket over the person so it would become less of something to look at.

“You want to maintain dignity and respect for someone who passed away.

"You don't want anyone staring at them...that would be really sad."

TikTok/@danidboyy1

Passengers have also had their say on what happens in these tragic circumstances, with one explaining: “A woman sitting two rows behind me on an 11-hour flight from Frankfurt to Singapore had stopped breathing on the last leg of the trip.

"The woman's immediate neighbours were allocated new seats as they lay her across the row of seats.

"Once it was determined that there was nothing else they could do, they covered her body with a sheet (but not her face) and the flight carried on as per normal.”

There you have it.