An American Airlines passenger shared a photo of a bed bug on his flight 4412 from New York LaGuardia to Detroit. The first class passenger found the bug “crawling on [his leg mid flight” while seated in first class.
I put it on the cocktail napkin to show the FA who promptly informed the Captain using the phone/intercom. I had to change my clothes in the airport and bagged them. They are being washed right now. Hoping no stragglers got on my backpack or checked bag during the clothing swap. I already logged a complaint with AA.
Despite this, the aircraft – an Embraer E175 regional jet operated for American by Republic Airways – continued to fly as-scheduled.
The passenger added,
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!!
[LGA/DTW] Bed Bugged on Flight Today
byu/HaddawayThrowaway978 inamericanairlines
I’ve written about the American Airlines Roach Coach, a Boeing 777 that had to be taken out of service for more than two months because of an insect infestation. Today it flies mostly to London Heathrow and back.
American Airlines – like other carriers – flies to a wide variety of destinations, taking on a variety of passengers (and, internationally on widebodies, cargo) and people bring things on that they probably shouldn’t. Planes get infested with a variety of insects. American elevates treatment of cockroaches on widebodies, though that can be deferred, and other insects are treated on an ad hoc basis.
American Airlines treats bed bugs with a “single, ad-hoc treatment process.” Republic manages the planes it’s flying for American, and though Tulsa is an American Airlines maintenance base, they generally perform work in places like Indianapolis, Columbus and Pittsburgh. This plane is scheduled to operate to New York LaGuradia, Greenville Spartanburg, and Des Moines today.
(HT: JohnnyJet)
Not sure the proof is there from this version the bug came from the plane. Maybe it came on board attached to the passenger.
I wonder if treatment of bugs leaves a toxic residue.
No one should think about what lurks in the dark corners of planes. Never look under your seat.
There’s an old song about this!
https://youtu.be/Inpem_mwo2o
What’s the tail number of the infested plane?
Had a bedbug issue when I lived in LA. They are an absolute nightmare to rid yourself of and only heat kills not and of the sprays does anything….
Yes, taking the plane out of service would cost AA. However, when my office got bedbugs from one person, it was spread by the cleaning crew. Then people who accidentally & unknowingly took them home spent thousands of dollars to treat homes. It was many months before they stopped showing up in janitor closets.
My point is bedbugs on a plane may cost the airline to address, but NOT addressing it IMMEDIATELY could cost the customers of that a lot more, monetarily and in months of mental health stress.
@E-lectric
N413YX
Clearly AA needs to fumigate passengers before allowing them to board.
@David I’ve been on planes that fumigate everyone. I used to fly so many different international airlines every week that I can’t remember which one did it, but it’s definitely has been done.
When the quality of passengers goes down, then you get these bug problems. They bring them with them from their homes with no concern for others.
Oh lord!! It’s a freaking bug!! No wonder there are so entitled snowflakes living amongst us!! Find something better to bitch about or get tf off the plane!!
Gary you keep sinking lower and lower. You print this rubbish with zero proof that the bed bug was in fact on the aircraft before passengers boarded. You know very well bed bugs thrive more in hotels and this one was probably a hitchhiker from either the hotel or even the passengers home.
Shame on you. I’m really surprised the airlines don’t ban you from ever flying on them again.
Bed bugs can be picked up on the bottom sole of a shoe, they can be from an upper class home as well as from a modest home. They are equal opportunity insects.
I heard the New York area has a bigger bug problem. Bed bugs don’t care if they are in first class or coach
Could have got it from a Hotel room
Stop blaming American Airlines. Republic Airways was operating that E175 under contract from American. This is a Republic Airways problem.
JimC2 writes, “There’s an old song about this!” If American Airlines used the song “Out of my House, Roach” by the Shuffle Demons as boarding music, it might scare away all the aircraft roaches. To help keep aircraft vermin-free, forward-thinking premium airlines like American Airlines should consider offering their passengers a bounty for rat heads in exchange for valuable AAdvantage miles. For example, in Michigan, individuals would cut off a rat’s head and send it to the county treasurer to collect their bounty. Passengers could deposit their aircraft rat head in an air-sickness bag and, on landing, request the gate agent to send the rat head through company mail (COMAT) to American Airlines World Headquarters to receive an award bounty of 5,000 AAdvantage miles per collected rat head. Using AAdvantage miles collected from a rat head bounty could be a great and easy way to fund your next vacation trip to Hawaii, Cleveland, or Gary, Indiana while helping your fellow passengers travel in the luxury of vermin-free airspace. Hopefully, American Airlines will adopt a rat head and a widebody cockroach bounty soon.
Read more at: https://www.lenconnect.com/story/news/history/2022/05/10/dan-cherry-animal-bounty-laws-100-years-ago-broke-county-coffers/9701335002/
Gross. Anytime new money is exchanged there should be someone to ensure you are not paying for what someone else had.
These people disgust me.
When a bed bug is found on a patient in the hospital, immediate isolation procedures are instituted and the room is then closed until specially cleaned. It doesn’t matter if the bug came in on the patient or was in the room already. Seems like airlines should do the same thing.
I’m with Kelly Steward, the bugs are here only to annoy us & challenge people to a fight, so battle the little pest & move on ♂️
To all the people saying the bedbug probably came from outside on the passenger. Airplanes are infested with bugs, too, you fools.
U V lights will kill bed bugs. The only thing found to do the job. The IV light is used in hospitals, offices, etc to kill germs, bug, etc. Look it up online.
Kelly Steward-
I can’t tell if it is a bed bug, but bed bugs are NOT just bugs.
If one of them comes home with you (or to your hotel with you), it can lead to an immense infestation that is very changing and expensive to be rid of.
Bed bugs are not “just a bug” as Kelly Stewart claims.
Bed bugs can cause serious rashes. They are extremely difficult and very expensive to get rid of. They must be treated with very high heat forced through the home with large industrial fans. Companies bring in heaters that heat your house so hot that you must stay out of the home for hours . They remove wall outlets, the underside material coverings of mattresses snd upholstered furniture so that the heat penetrates into every crevice. Bed bugs are much more than a nuisance.
You can pick them up anywhere you come in contact with upholstered furniture or carpet (theaters, movies, waiting rooms etc etc) or if they are transported on objects or persons.
Planes are so dirty now anyway.not surprising
David,
I remember getting sprayed before deplaning in Montego Bay back in the 80’s
Apparently he knew what type of bug it was. He named it without examining it! Hmmmm.
So THAT’S what a bed bug looks like! Thanks Gary!
American Airlines are crooks
To allsaying it’s just a bug. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Tell us you never had to deal with a bedbug without saying so.
I brought one home once. I had to seal off the room I was renting for 2 months to protect the rest of the house. The fkn bites were so horrible I could not stay in the house. I went homeless for 2 months. Stayed with homeless friends up behind UC Berkeley. It was that bad.
Once I stayed a night at a friend’s apartment. The whole bldg was infested. I didn’t know. My friend isn’t allergic. So no tell tale signs of anything wrong to him.
I saw the dawn bug. I immediately fumigated (which does not stop the infestation, just makes the bugs move to other apartments…long enough to get me n my stuff out of there). I had to go thru a whole process like I was stepping into outer space, with changing clothes n showering and getting new clothes on, making sure none hitched a ride on my backpack.
$200 is the cost to de-infest me n my things if I step into a home that has them.
To de-infest a home, especially if you are responsible for the costs…. you are looking at 3 heat treatments over a 2 month period that will run several hundred to maybe a thousand or more.
Oh and I got rid of 90% of my things. I literally only kept fresh clothes i bought, clothes I bagged n washed, music cds, photographs, and ids n important paperwork. All other belongings I tossed. All in the effort to never be bit by the fkrs again
All airlines are crooks, Tara.
Bedbugs are serious no matter where they came from- and all types of people can get bedbugs, even the pompous, stuck up people like Al.
if bed bugs on a plane bother you, don’t go to a movie theater. You never know what the living condition is of the person before you.
“Heat is the only thing that effectively kills bed bugs”? That’s funny. Not true. If your tech really knows what he/she is doing and you actually prepare your place 100%, which most customers refuse to do, you can,effectively treat bed bugs without heat.
Toxic residue? Naw. Once it’s dry you’re fine. No smell. Not sticky.
$200 to treat for bed bugs? You get what you paid for. ”
Stayed with homeless friends up behind the campus? Gee, I wonder why you had bed bugs.
Recently got bit by bedbugs on an AA flight from LHR-ORD. I reported it to the flight attendant after the flight when I noticed it. Unfortunately, rhe reporting system was down. She told me to follow up with customer service, who sent me the boiler plate response and 7,500 miles. They don’t seem to care. Stay safe.
I rented a car once that was infested with roaches. They got on my luggage and when I brought it into the timeshare we had Critters crawling in the place. The exterminator helped us figure it out. Always check the trunk spare tire hatch.
This is not that uncommon. Flights are turned around immediately and there is no time for fumigation of any kind.. unfortunately. My daughter picked up scabies while flying home from an airline interview.
Bed bugs off course can be picked up in hotels and are ruthless hitchhikers. There are many non toxic sprays and treatments that can be used between flights, and airline need to get in board with this!!
Never had bedbugs thank God. Supposedly boric acid will kill them. It comes in a powder and is cheap. Can rub it into the edges of Matresses, along walls & every place you can think of if you have them. There is a bedbug registry for hotels or motels that have had them.. It’s either Australia or New Zealand that fumigates everyone on the flight before they de-board. & That would not be fun. Don’t know if it’s true that the only way to get rid of them is with heat. We have a huge high-rise in my city that supposedly has an infestation that cannot be controlled.