- Passengers say they were offered 10 francs after returning to Bangkok airport
Shocked airline passengers screamed and were left ‘traumatised’ yesterday when a German husband began coughing up ‘gallons of blood’ in front of his wife before collapsing and dying mid-flight.
The 63-year-old traveler, who has not been named, is said to have boarded the Lufthansa flight from Bangkok to Munich visibly ill before his condition rapidly deteriorated.
“It was absolute horror, everyone was screaming,” fellow passenger Karin Missfelder, a nurse practitioner from Switzerland, told the Swiss-German outlet Look.
The man suffered from “cold sweats” and was “breathing way too fast” before passengers rushed to help him, offering tea and taking his pulse, Missfelder explained.
But when the plane took off, things went downhill quickly. The man is said to have spat into a bag as a ‘stream of blood’ came out of his mouth and nose, splashing the walls of the Airbus A380 plane.
Illustrative image of an Airbus A380. A man died during the flight from Bangkok to Munich on Thursday
Passengers shared vivid memories, telling the broadcaster how flight attendants rushed to resuscitate the man after the tragic outburst.
Ms Missfelder said staff continued their efforts for about half an hour, but it was clear the man could not be saved.
She said she blamed herself for not speaking out before leaving when she realized the man was sick.
The man was being carried to the plane’s galley when the captain announced the death.
The flight was then forced to turn around and return to Bangkok airport, where passengers complained about having to wait unescorted for two hours.
Travelers on board said the deceased man’s wife had to walk through customs alone as they were rebooked on another flight via Hong Kong.
“She stood there all alone and apathetic and had to go through all the formalities,” Mr Martin Missfelder told Blick.
He said it was ‘unacceptable’ that Lufthansa’s ’30 traumatized passengers’ had to wait without directions – and said he hopes for an apology to the group and the deceased’s wife.
Passengers also claim they were given a 10 franc (£9.06) voucher. It was not clear from local reports what the voucher was intended for.
MailOnline contacted Lufthansa for comment.
In January 2024, a passenger was found dead in an airplane toilet during a flight from Tenerife, Spain to Manchester, England.
Travelers on board the Jet2 flight alerted staff after noticing that the onboard bathroom had been occupied for some time.
The crew discovered that the man, whose name was not given, had died, prompting the plane to divert to Cork, Ireland.
Lufthansa confirmed that a man had died during a flight to the Swiss-German outlet center Blick
“Flight LS918 from Tenerife to Manchester was diverted to Cork Airport on Tuesday 2 January as a customer required medical attention,” a Jet2 spokesperson told MailOnline.
‘We can unfortunately confirm that the customer has sadly passed away, despite the best efforts of our highly trained crew, who intervened as soon as they became aware of this.
‘This was an extremely difficult situation for our crew and we would like to thank them for their efforts.
“Our thoughts are with the customer’s family and friends at this very difficult time.”