DOHA— Qatar Airways (QR) is facing a wrongful death lawsuit after a 16-year-old passenger died during an ultra-long-haul flight from Doha (DOH) to New York (JFK), allegedly after a flight attendant served him a sandwich containing an ingredient he was severely allergic to.
The family of Jason Hu, from Dresher, Pennsylvania, claims the crew member assured the teenager the snack was safe before he ate it. They also allege that onboard medical equipment failed during efforts to save his life, forcing relatives to spend the remainder of the flight from Hamad International Airport (DOH) with his body on the cabin floor.
Qatar Airways Lawsuit Over Teen Wrongful Death
The incident occurred on August 21, 2024, as Jason returned to the United States with his sister, Erica Hu, and his father, Eric Hu, after visiting relatives in China. The family flew from China to Doha and then boarded a connecting Qatar Airways service to New York JFK.
Flight QR701 departed Doha at around 8 am for the 13-hour journey to New York. Midway through the flight, while the aircraft was over the Atlantic, crew members passed through the cabin distributing sandwiches as a mid-flight snack.
Jason suffered severe allergies to peanuts, fish, and dairy products. Before accepting the sandwich, he asked the flight attendant which allergens it contained. According to the lawsuit filed in a Pennsylvania district court, the crew member advised him that the sandwich was safe to eat.
A Rapid Medical Emergency
Within moments of eating the sandwich, Jason began experiencing breathing difficulties. He used a nebulizer in an attempt to recover his breath, but it had no effect, and he soon collapsed.
Flight attendants rushed to assist him. One crew member is believed to have administered an EpiPen-style shot containing epinephrine, the primary first-line treatment for reversing a life-threatening anaphylactic reaction. The injection provided no relief, and Jason continued to struggle to breathe.
The crew then brought an oxygen cylinder and attached a mask to his face, but the family claims the oxygen tank was not working properly. Jason became lifeless within minutes, though he was not officially pronounced dead until the aircraft landed at New York JFK.
The Legal Claims Against Qatar Airways
The lawsuit states that Jason’s death resulted from the “affirmative misrepresentation and specific assurance by the flight crew member that the food product was safe for Jason to consume, which directly induced Jason to consume the allergen.”
The family further alleges that Qatar Airways failed to ensure the onboard medical equipment was operational, including the oxygen tank and the epinephrine injector administered during the emergency.
As reported by PYOK, the family is also suing MedAire, the Phoenix-based telemedicine vendor that provides international airlines with 24/7 emergency medical guidance via satellite phone, claiming it failed to deliver suitable treatment and diversion advice to the crew.
How The Montreal Convention Applies
The case is being brought against both Qatar Airways and MedAire under Article 17 of the Montreal Convention, a global treaty that holds airlines responsible for death or injury sustained by passengers during international travel.
Article 17 states that “the carrier is liable for damage sustained in case of death or bodily injury of a passenger upon condition only that the accident which caused the death or injury took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking.”
Airlines can often limit their liability under Article 17 to 128,821 Special Drawing Rights, a monetary instrument created by the IMF to represent a basket of currencies. That figure is currently equivalent to around $176,000.
Jason’s family is seeking a higher payout, arguing that his death was caused by the “negligence or other wrongful act or omission of the carrier or its servants or agents.”
Qatar Airways has yet to respond to the complaint. The case has been filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania under case number 2:26-cv-04882.
A Similar Complaint Last Year
The lawsuit follows another allergy-related complaint against the carrier. Last November, Swetha Neerukonda sued Qatar Airways for $5 million after a flight attendant fed her three-year-old daughter a KitKat bar during an ultra-long-haul flight from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Doha, despite being informed the child was severely allergic to dairy and nuts.
Swetha says her daughter suffered severe anaphylactic shock after eating the chocolate bar and required a life-saving shot of epinephrine. The flight attendant allegedly fed the KitKat to the child while the mother was in the bathroom, then dismissed and mocked her concerns. That lawsuit has not been settled.
Stay tuned with us. Further, follow us on social media for the latest updates.
Join us on Telegram Group for the Latest Aviation Updates. Subsequently, follow us on Google News
