How to avoid bed bugs on airplanes
Here's what you need to know before taking your seat
Here's what you need to know before taking your seat
Here's what you need to know before taking your seat
Traveling is stressful enough, but could you imagine finally getting to your airplane seat only to find bed bugs crawling on it? Heather Szilagyi claims that is exactly what happened to her, her 7-year-old daughter Molly, and her fiancé Eric Neilson on a British Airways flight from Vancouver to London in 2017, reports .
"I hoped that one was a flax seed or an apple seed. Then it started crawling," Szilagyi at the time. "That was the bug I gave to the flight attendant."
Unfortunately, Szilagyi says a flight attendant told her that the flight was full and there were no other seats for her family to move to.
Szilagyi explained to , "It was nine hours of knowing that I was probably going to get bit, but not being sure. But there wasn't really anything I could do about it. I was surprised I was able to relax, but what can you do?"
The couple claim they struggled to get through to a customer service representative at BA to ensure they weren't on the same flight home again, and so of their bites to try and get their attention.
By the time the group arrived in arrived in London, Molly already had several bites on her body. "You almost never feel them biting," Szilagyi told Metro UK. "They're very small. You don't know you got bit until later, sometimes a couple days later."
Thankfully, on the return flight home, Szilagyi and her family received upgraded seats and "kind and very empathetic" customer service from British Airways, she said. The airline has also apologized to the family and investigated the incident, reports .
"British Airways operates more than 280,000 flights every year, and reports of bed bugs onboard are extremely rare," an airline spokesperson told Travel + Leisure. "Nevertheless, we are vigilant and continually monitor our aircraft. The presence of bed bugs is an issue faced occasionally by hotels and airlines all over the world."
While reported bed bug cases on airplanes are rare, Sara Crain, an account manager for WestPoint Hospitality who is certified with the said that bed bugs can easily spread throughout an airplane's cabin due to close proximity with fellow travelers and their belongings. Additionally, the frequent turnover of people creates an environment where the critters can thrive.
Apart from bites bed bugs can become a bigger issue if they travel home with you and start multiplying. "All it takes is one stowaway bed bug hitching a ride on your luggage to transplant and begin creating your own person bed bug infestation," Crain tells CountryLiving.com.
When it comes to bed bugs on airplanes, here's what you need to be aware of before you get in your seat:
- To protect yourself from potentials bugs (and more), bring your own plastic seat cover like the .
- Stay vigilant by packing your own and in lieu of using the ones provided by the airplane.
- To spot a bed bug, look for small, flat oval-shaped body crawling around. Also keep a look out for rusty or reddish stains on your seat that are left behind when the insect is crushed, .
- If you do spot bed bugs, immediately inform a flight attendant and try to switch seats.
- Know that airlines will take a for fumigation and deep cleaning, if bed bugs are found after an initial report.
(h/t , additional reporting from )