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An American Airlines passenger found a bed bug on flight AA4412 from New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW). The Embraer 175 was operated by Republic Airways and the passenger’s rightful complaint around the bed bug seems to have done nothing as the plane continued flying after arriving in Detroit.
[LGA/DTW] Bed Bugged on Flight Today
byu/HaddawayThrowaway978 inamericanairlines
Reddit user @HaddawayThrowaway978 posted their gross discovery from the flight they took yesterday, October 7th. According to the poster, they told the flight attendant. Here is how they related the incident:
I told the FA (who told the Captain) and then logged a complaint via AA’s website with all the flight info. I just checked and they turned the plane around on time… so I can’t believe they cleaned it properly. I saw the bug crawling on my pant leg while I was reading my book. It was a sharp contrast to the dark pant color. I was able to have it climb on my finger and then put it on the napkin to show the FA. Damn thing tried to bite my finger! SO GROSS!!”
The passenger reportedly washed their clothes to avoid infestation, but I can only imagine how many crawled into people’s bags and clothes on the flight. Pest control company, Orkin, writes that bed bugs are found in many hotels and other public places. Here is how to identify them:
Typically, bed bugs are 3/16 inch long, red to dark brown in color and are mostly nocturnal insects that come out of hiding to take blood meals from sleeping humans. These pests are hematophagous, which means blood is their only food source. They can travel from place to place with ease, clinging to items such as luggage, purses and other personal belongings.”
American responded to the passenger with the following boilerplate email:
Please accept my deepest apologies for the experience you’ve described. Our commitment to placing you at the center of all we do is unwavering, and your feedback underscores this commitment. Rest assured; your insights will be made available to our leadership team as we work to ensure we provide the high-quality customer experience you deserve.”
Anthony’s Take: I’m not sure what could reasonably be expected here. I can’t see Republic pulling the aircraft out of service to treat it for bed bugs, but this does pose a real risk of infestation and spreading. I have a new fear unlocked and will now be checking for bed bugs.
(Featured Image Credit: @HaddawayThrowaway978 via Reddit.)
(H/T: Johnny Jet.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
