By Emily King

The airline industry often appears to be a mature, streamlined process, but a few strange events this week give us another idea.

DEAD MAN FLYING

Lena Patterson, a Swedish radio broadcaster, was partially reimbursed by Kenya Air for being seated next to a dead man.

While boarding the plane, Patterson noticed a man in his 30s who was shaking and sweating profusely. Although flight attendants on Patterson’s flight were aware that the male passenger appeared to be very ill and seemed to be having seizures prior to take-off, the plane continued with the flight.

Attendants asked for doctors on board to assist the sick man once in the air, but the 30-year-old passenger died on the plane about three hours into the flight. His body was laid out in an empty row across the aisle from Patterson’s seat on the long flight to Tanzania.

Once arriving home, Patterson contacted the airline for compensation. After months of exchanging emails, she received about $713--half the cost of her Kenya Air ticket.

EVACUATIONS AT JFK OVER WORKER ERROR

A terminal at JKF airport was evacuated for two hours and planes recalled from the runway for re-screening after a TSA employees metal detector was discovered to be unplugged. Two jumbo jets had to return to the terminal and unload so that passengers could be screened again.

The TSA employee was unaware that his metal detector was not plugged in as he screened passengers at the terminal, endangering hundreds of flyers. The terminal was closed immediately after realizing that many travelers were boarding planes who had not been properly screened.