Imagine this scenario: You and your boyfriend are about to take a nice vacation overseas where you’ll meet his parents for the first time. You are excited but nervous at the same time. Then, by some cruel twist of fate, he passes away mid-flight.

This was what happened to Vanessa Preechakul, a 27-year old architect.

Preechakul and her 31-year old boyfriend, Robert Rippingale, were on the way to New Zealand. Mr Rippingale was bringing Miss Preechakul to New Zealand to introduce her to his parents during his parents’ 50th birthday.

Tragedy struck when the attendants of Jetstar, a budget subsidiary of Qantas, began serving dinner.

Mr Rippingale chose a beef dish and was eating it while watching an in-flight movie when he started choking.

'I thought he was laughing very hard; then I looked at his face and his eyes were rolling and he couldn't talk. His lips were turning purple,' she told The New Zealand Herald. She was very quick to act once she realized that he was in distress.

A doctor and two nurses who happened to be passengers onboard rushed to help after hearing Miss Preechakul’s screams. They performed CPR, but were unable to save him.

Mr Rippingale’s body was moved to the crew rest area and covered with a blanket. Miss Preechakul wanted to stay with him and was allowed to sit with him for the remaining nine hours of the light.

His body was then moved to the crew rest area, where it was covered with a blanket. Miss Preechakul did not want to leave him and was given permission to sit with him for the remaining nine hours of the flight.

“He was so excited about the trip that we arrived at the airport six hours early for the 8pm flight,” she said. “One minute we were sitting next to each other kissing, holding hands and the next minute he was choking”.

Mr Andrew McGinnes, a spokesman for Jetstar, expressed his condolences to the family and thanked the doctor and nurses who had tried to save Mr Rippingale.

'This was a very difficult and sad event and our sympathies are with the passenger's family,' he said.

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