There’s no shortage of flight horror stories, but a bed bug infestation sounds particularly unsettling.
The Albuquerque’s, a family of four from Virginia, filed a lawsuit against Delta and KLM on December 18 after they said they experienced a “bed bug infestation” on a flight from March 21.
“While aboard a Delta and KLM flight across the Atlantic, the entire Albuquerque Family was bitten and injured by bed bugs that had infested the cabin of the plane,” the lawsuit said.
The family claimed in the lawsuit that the bites led to “raised and itchy welts, lesions, and rashes across their torsos and extremities.”
The lawsuit said the family wishes to be compensated for the incident, which “ruined their family vacation” and caused “embarrassment, anxiety, discomfort, inconvenience, medical expenses, and loss of clothing and personal items.”
The Albuquerque’s took a Delta flight from Roanoke to Atlanta, then a KLM flight to Amsterdam, and then to Belgrade, Serbia, according to the lawsuit. The family had planned a vacation to Serbia to visit family and friends, the lawsuit stated.
In a statement to Business Insider, Delta said that “the allegations at issue relate to flights not operated by Delta Air Lines.” The airline added that it will “review the complaint and respond accordingly in due course.”
The filing states the flights were round-trip and business class, purchased through Delta’s SkyMiles program, and operated by KLM. The four tickets were worth $8,800 at the time, according to the suit.
Roughly two hours into the flight to Amsterdam, one of the plaintiffs started to feel like she was being bitten by bugs crawling on her, according to the filing. She then realized that bugs were “crawling on her light-colored sweater,” the filing stated.
The lawsuit claims the couple “immediately” notified the flight staff and were told to keep their voices down to avoid causing “panic” on the plane. The couple took photos and videos of the bugs crawling on the sweater and in the creases of their seats, which were included in the lawsuit.
Prior to landing, the flight attendants urged the couple again not to tell anyone about the infestation because they would miss their connecting flight to Serbia if they did, the filing stated.
A little over a week after the incident, the couple took their children to doctors in Roanoke, Virginia, where it was confirmed that the bites were caused by bed bugs, the lawsuit said. The family was recommended to employ “bug bombs” in their home and car, and wash their clothing in hot water, the filing said.
While bed bugs are an unusual complaint, this isn’t the first time passengers have turned to the courts after a bad flight experience. In September, 16 passengers sued American Airlines after their flight caught fire. Last year, a passenger sued Delta for $1 million, alleging a faulty armrest broke his rib.
KLM did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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