When Per-Erik Jonsson went into a cardiac arrest on a RyanAir flight from the U.K. to Sweden on Sunday, all the airline staff did was offer him a sandwich.
Jonsson, 63, broke into a cold sweat and asked his wife for some water roughly one hour into the flight, Sweden'sThe Local reports.
His wife soon realized that Jonsson had lost consciousness and alerted plane staff as Jonsson's stepdaughter, Billie Appleton, tried to rouse him. "He didn't respond when I tried to shake him. But after I slapped him in the chest, he began breathing again," Appleton, who happens to be a nurse, told The Local. Appleton said she shouted for a doctor and told flight crew that Jonsson needed oxygen.
But the flight crew, Appleton claims, was ill-equipped to handle the situation. Instead, she says, the airline "said he had low blood pressure and gave him a sandwich and a soda."
Appleton slapped Jonsson on the chest to get him to breath again, news.com.au reports.
Once Jonsson had recovered slightly, the flight crew came to the family asking for payment for the sandwich and soda.
EU regulations mandate that cabin crew be trained in first-aid and pilots should alert air traffic control about a seriously ill passenger.
In a statement to The Local, Ryanair defended the cabin crew, saying they had acted appropriately.
