Melbourne: You have heard, or maybe even had the misfortune of experiencing a flight being cancelled for technical glitches in the aircraft.
But what about bedbugs driving passengers crazy on a plane?
So much so that a Qantas flight from Italy to Australia had to be cancelled after passengers on the previous journey complained of being bitten by bedbugs.
A Boeing 787 Dreamliner was operating a nearly 17-hour flight from Perth to Rome on Friday when some passengers in the economy section repeatedly brought to the attention of the crew that they were disturbed by bedbug bites, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
The crew gave passengers antihistamines to ease the itching, but multiple complaints resulted in supplies running out.
Once the flight landed in Rome and the passengers disembarked, Quantas decided to ground the plane for a “deep clean”, leading to the cancellation of the return flight scheduled for Saturday.
“We sincerely apologise 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,” a Qantas spokesperson told the BBC.
All affected passengers were provided with accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure, the airline said.
Bedbug menace
Bedbugs are wingless parasitic insects which feed on blood. They are small, and can travel from one place to another on clothing, suitcases, furniture and bedding. Attracted to body heat and carbon dioxide, their bites are itchy but don’t normally cause more serious health problems.
It’s a big irritant, though, as getting rid of an infestation can be difficult and cumbersome. Clothes and bedding may need to be washed at high temperatures and have to be tumble-dried to get rid of them.
