Qantas grounds plane after bed bug attack on passengers during 17-hour journey
· Toronto Sun
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In what sounds like a nightmare scenario, a 17-hour Qantas flight from Perth to Rome was cancelled on Saturday after passengers on the previous flight found themselves in the middle of a bed bug outbreak.
Passengers complained they were being bitten by bugs, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, and were given antihistamines to help with the itch but supplies ran out, reports BBC News .
A Qantas spokesperson told the BBC the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in question had to be grounded for “a deep clean.”
“We sincerely apologize to customers for the cancellation of Saturday’s Rome to Perth service, which allowed our engineers and maintenance teams to carry out a deep clean of the aircraft after an issue was identified on a small number of economy seats,” the spokesperson said.
Affected customers given accommodation, rebooked flights
Qantas said all of those customers affected by the bed bugs were given accommodation and rebooked on flights within 48 hours of their original departure.
Less than two weeks ago, several Southeastern train services in England were cancelled after drivers discovered the presence of bed bugs.
Turkish Airlines found itself in the middle of horrible PR last year after the New York Times reported several examples of bedbugs on its planes and allegations that the airline did nothing about it.
British Airways had to apologize to a family travelling from Vancouver to London after they suffered bug bites from an overnight flight in 2017.
Bed bugs are small parasites that can live on clothes, furniture and bedding that can be difficult and expensive to get rid of.
Home treatment includes washing all bedding, clothing, and curtains on a hot wash and tumble dry, or putting them in plastic bags in a freezer for three to four days.