There have been a lot of stories in the news lately that have reconfirmed to me why I don't fly and have done absolutely nothing to change my mind on the matter.

Regular readers (you know the score by now, hopefully there are some, if not just play along please!) will know that I haven't been on a plane since 9/11, due to a mixture of fear and environmental concerns.

Those recent crashes have done nothing to steady my nerves; unfortunately some have had fatalities, whereas fortunately with the jet in Canada which flipped upside down I believe everybody got out OK, but it must have been absolutely terrifying.

There's another story which caught my eye though and made me wonder how I would have reacted had it happened to me, and the answer is, probably not well.

An Australian couple on a 14 hour Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Doha had the body of a recently deceased passenger put in the seat next to them. Yep, you read that right - she was wrapped in a blanket, but even still.

Now, I don't know about you, but if you're already a bit of a nervous flyer, sitting next to a dead body for four hours isn't going to make you feel any more reassured is it?

Obviously, at this stage I'd like to offer condolences to the family of the deceased passenger, it's very sad that she passed away mid-flight.

But surely this isn't a good idea for anybody involved is it? Apart from anything else, I'd be freaking out wondering what she'd died from and if it was potentially contagious.

After that, I'd then also be concerned that I was sitting next to a dead person on their final journey - it's a bit sobering isn't it? There you are off on a jolly jaunt of a hollibob and before you know it, the fragility of human mortality is literally propped up next to you.

However, looking on the bright side - which I always try to do these days - I suppose they wouldn't be encroaching on your armrest, playing loud music, snoring, or getting up and down to the loo all the time...