Posted: September 4th, 2011 - 10:04pm by Doug Powell

 Choking on food is a well-recognized, if underdocumented, hazard.

And although daughter Courtlynn had her Los Angeles wait time extended from a scheduled five hours to 12 hours, she didn’t have to endure a dead body.

Jetstar passengers were offered a $100 travel voucher after a man died on a flight from Singapore to Auckland, N.Z. last week.

Hamilton city councillor Ewan Wilson, a former pilot and Kiwi Air founder, said he watched in horror as Robert Rippingale's body was carried away and put in a crew restarea for the remainder of the long-haul flight.

What caused his death is now the subject of a coronial inquest, but reports have said Rippingale choked to death on a meal.

His girlfriend, Vanessa Preechakul, 27, told the New Zealand Herald how she sat next to his body for the duration of the flight.

A doctor on board pronounced Mr Rippingale dead 90 minutes after take-off.
"One minute we were sitting next to each other kissing, holding hands and the next minute he was choking," Ms Preechakul said at his funeral, yesterday.