Bed bugs found in economy seats force major airlines to cancel flights

A Qantas passenger on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flying from Perth to Rome described bed bugs crawling on his luggage and blankets. The next flight was cancelled.

screams the airline passenger, then opens the emergency exit with a dramatic delay

The pilots called for security and returned to the gate after a passenger frantically tried to open the emergency door during the hour-long delay on the Atlanta tarmac, according to an ATC voiceover heard here. (source: )

An international flight from Italy to Australia was abruptly canceled last week after a bed bug infestation was discovered in the cabin during the previous flight - with the airline apologizing for the incident.

As The Sydney Morning Herald reported, the grounding came after passengers on the nearly 17-hour Qantas journey from Perth to Rome reported being bitten by the bugs on Friday, October 9.

The major airline dropped 3 key cities as passengers

Passenger Hayley Bagnall told TV news program 9News Sydney that the bedbugs were "crawling on our stuff, our clothes, our Qantas blankets - and even crawling along the window."

The plane involved in this accident was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

A long-haul flight last week was canceled (not pictured) when a bed bug infestation was discovered in the cabin. The airline ordered deep cleaning and apologized to passengers. (iStock)

Other passengers recounted their experiences to 9News, with one passenger claiming to have "woke up screaming," while another noted that the "bugs just keep going."

As they packed their bags, the passengers noticed that the pests were inside their shoes and crawling on their clothes.

The bedbugs "were crawling on our stuff, our clothes, our Qantas blankets - and they were even crawling by the window."

According to "9News", passengers first warned the flight crew about bed bugs during the initial trip from Sydney to Perth.

The airline said that before departing on the next long route to Rome, staff took several precautionary measures, including deep cleaning the cabin, removing seat covers and soft furnishings and cordoning off affected seats.

Qantas also noted that its aircraft are regularly cleaned to a high standard and undergo a precautionary disinfection operation every 50 days.

Passengers on the flight were given antihistamines to ease the itching, although the crew eventually ran out, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Affected passengers were given hotel accommodation and booked onto alternative flights within 48 hours after the return flight, which was scheduled to depart from Rome to Perth on Saturday, October 10, was canceled to complete the deep clean-up.

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Measuring between one and five millimeters, these insects feed on human blood.

However, health officials note that while their bites cause itching and swelling, bed bugs are not known to spread disease and are not considered a public health risk.

Hotel noted that travelers can unknowingly carry bed bugs into airplanes, hotels, and finally home.

The hotel recommends checking luggage and clothing after travel, and if exposure is suspected, put travel clothing in a dryer on high heat for about 30 to 45 minutes.

This can help kill insects before they spread indoors, he said.

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