Passengers who die at airport terminals are an inconvenience. There is nothing harsh about the statement. There are complications of all sorts because of nationality, the passport held, the insurance liabilities and the apportioning of responsibility between the airline, the airports authority and, at a later stage, the casualty's embassy. There is also a question of security of the stricken person's belongings, his money, tickets and other personal assets.

Also, the circumstances under which he died. Was an escalator not working? Was he asked to climb stairs? Did the authorities not produce a wheelchair although it had been asked for? Was medical assistance sought for and promptly provided? What was the delay factor? A clever lawyer can make a case out of most anything and the aviation world deeply regrets loss of life on its shift for more reasons than mere sympathy. Usually, there is a fair amount of passing the buck especially if the dead person is of a certain status. But the death of a passenger inflight has another dimension entirely. Airline crew are taught never to announce or indicate that a person has died on board. 

The customary procedure is to initiate damage control. If there are accompanying passengers they are requested to move to a less crowded area of the aircraft and gently isolated. Of course, in cases where families are traveling it is sometimes impossible to stop the shock waves and that is why, in a moment of black humour, airline crew usually say that if someone intends to die on them let him at least be single. Then, it is very easy. A blanket is tucked around the propped up person to give the impression of slumber. An eyeshade is placed over the head and sometimes a magazine is left opened in the lap. The stranger sitting next to the dead person may be lured away by an upgrade so that the seat is kept empty. One artistic crew member put a glass in one such victim's hand. It became legendary as the scotchtaped incident.

Airlines are very PR conscious. They do not like to acknowledge negatives. Death is the big N for them. However, logically, there is no need to exacerbate a situation where nothing can be done that will help. Passengers do fly under controlled panic conditions and the morbid revelation that somewhere in the cabin someone has died is not likely to provide any comfort. But there is more to it than just appearances. There are legal complications. At what point did the passenger die? Over which country's airspace? What are the rules of compensation? Again, the type of ticket, the routing, the passenger's nationality, they all come into play. 

Reports have to be made, forms filled, next of kin informed, but most important, the insurance ramifications interest airlines the most. What if the passenger died over the ocean? Whose law does one follow? When was death noticed? Did he die suddenly or was there suffering? If the latter what action was taken by the crew? Could he have, been saved or was there negligence? There are no hard and fast rules and this is why midair deaths are seldom reported as such. 

There is an unspoken arrangement not to recognize the occurrence and treat it much as an illness requiring treatment rather than a terminal situation. Sometimes, even as the camouflage is being constructed a pilot will fly to the nearest alternate. In case of seizures or cardiac arrests the passenger can be reasonably assured of prompt first aid and the shortest haul to an airport. A doctor may be called for on the PA system but often doctors are reluctant to get involved.