An airline traveler has spoken of his shock after cabin staff sat him next to the body of a fellow passenger who had died during the flight.

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were initially pleased to find empty seats on their Qatar Airways flight. However, their relief quickly turned to horror when a woman collapsed shortly after leaving the bathroom.

An Australian couple have criticised Qatar Airways after a blanket-draped corpse was seated next to them during a long-haul flight. Mitchell Ring said a passenger died part-way through the 14-hour flight from Melbourne to Doha last week.