Passengers on the flight on which a British grandmother was found dead have claimed the elderly woman’s carers propped up her head to allegedly try and conceal her passing.
Personal trainer and wellbeing expert Petra Boddington said that many of those on board thought the 89-year-old was already no longer alive when she was first wheeled onto the easyJet flight from Málaga, Spain to London‘s Gatwick Airport, The Sun reported.
The woman – described by passengers as looking ‘lifeless’ – is believed to have been helped on to the aircraft by relatives who, witnesses claim, told airline staff she was unwell and had fallen asleep.
But just before take off, cabin crew were alerted that the woman had passed away. The plane was turned around before it left the runway – and the flight was delayed by 12 hours.
The case has made headlines around the world, with many users online drawing parallels with the 1989 film Weekend At Bernies, in which two employees attempt to pass off their dead boss as alive in order to avoid being targeted by the mob.
EasyJet rejects the narrative put forward by some of the concerned passengers that the woman was deceased when brought on board.
The budget airline says the grandmother had a valid ‘fit to fly’ certificate – and that medical professionals travelling with her can confirm that she was alive when she entered the plane.
Ms Boddington said she first noticed the ‘fragile’ woman when she was still inside the airport.
Passenger Petra Boddington (pictured) took to Facebook to claim that the elderly British woman was ‘clearly not ok’ when she was wheeled on to the flight from Malaga to Gatwick – although easyJet insist the pensioner had a ‘fit to fly’ certificate and was still alive when she boarded the flight with her medical escorts
After boarding and taking her seat in the middle of the plane, she saw the pensioner arriving on to the aircaft in a wheelchair, pushed by a member of ground staff.
Hunched over in an uncomfortable-looking position, Ms Boddington and other fliers suspected the worst.
‘People turned in their seats and went, “Oh my god, she looks dead”,’ she said.
‘Anybody with eyes could see that she was not fit to fly and it wasn’t just me that thought it, it was everybody else that she went past.’
Ms Boddington even says that other passengers claimed to have seen the carers either side of the deceased woman propping her head up to disguise her death.
‘People sat in front of me even said they’d seen the people that were with her holding her head up. We all thought that she looked dead,’ she added.
The dead grandmother was reportedly sat in special assistance seat at the end of a row, flanked by her two carers.
The flight was due to take off at 11.15am, but as the airplane began to taxi along the runway, cabin crew carried out their final pre-flight checks and realized that the woman was unresponsive, witnesses said.
Noticing the grandmother’s condition, a doctor was called – who pronounced her dead while she was still on board.
The exact time of her death remains a mystery but easyJet is steadfast in its claim that the concerned passengers were wrong, the passenger had a fit to fly certificate – and was alive when she boarded the plane.
Another passenger Tracy-Ann Kitching (pictured) claimed that she believed that the woman, 89, was already dead when her family wheeled her onto the the plane
Another passenger, Tracy-Ann Kitching, took to social media to express her outrage about the incident.
She wrote on Facebook: ‘easyJet – you are unbelievable! Why did you let a dead person on our flight?!
‘Special assistance [the service for boarding passengers with a disability or reduced mobility] are responsible too; they should have raised the issue.’
‘I saw her wheeled onto the plane; someone was holding her head as they went past me! An actual doctor onboard [confirmed] she was already dead when they put her in her seat.’
She went on: ‘However I must show empathy for the poor person who died and the family as well as your cabin and ground crew; what a terrible situation for them.
‘I must also praise the First Officer [co-pilot] who came out and patiently answered our questions. He was professional and personable – thank you.’
She said, of the party who brought the dead woman onboard: ‘I hope the Spanish authorities throw the book at them!’
Ms Kitching continued: ‘We’ve just seen the family looking very sheepish as they b****y should. Should have been removed in handcuffs.’
She went on to explain that the co-pilot told passengers he would write a report on the events of the flight, using their testimonies.
A spokesperson for easyJet said: ‘Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the customer who sadly passed away and we are offering support and assistance at this difficult time.
‘She was permitted to fly because she had a medical ‘fit to fly’ certificate and was being supported by medical personal during her journey.
‘It was only after boarding the customer then required medical assistance and she sadly passed away.’
‘The wellbeing of our passengers and crew is always easyJet’s highest priority and we would ask customers for their understanding in these circumstances.’
