BED BUGS!!!

Old Jan 4, 2018, 7:48 am
  #16  
 
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Am I the only one feeling very itchy while reading this...?
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 7:50 am
  #17  
 
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They should put plastic sheets over the seats like some hotels do with the mattesses. Saves cleaning them and assuming they don't get torn, eliminates a bug problem.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 7:56 am
  #18  
 
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Originally Posted by Worcester
I wonder what BA (and other airlines do) when a seat becomes infested. I have never heard of an aircraft being taken out of service due to bugs.
Call Vamonos pest, fumigate the place and have Heisenberg cook a batch of crystal meth to make up lost revenue?
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 8:34 am
  #19  
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Throw a pizza on the roof for good measure, too
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 8:41 am
  #20  
 
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They remain an issue in hotels including in the aforementioned cities and yes I agree we don't know when they boarded, presumably if they were only confined to one chair the chances are recently.

I agree with the majority here, it is not the airlines fault that this is a problem, but the way they deal with is what we should judge the airline by; 48 hours I'm afraid is unrealistic at such times of the year but I hope they contact you soon and you get the resolution you are looking for.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 8:43 am
  #21  
 
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Whatever the infestation may be, it is not bed bugs. These are microscopic and present in most bedding and mattresses. They are a part of everyday life in the same way as bacteria.

in this case it seems to be some form of insect infestation that may or may not be malevolent. I agree BA should be prompt in addressing concerns, but may also be overwhelmed at the moment rerouting people.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 8:48 am
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by FrancisA
Whatever the infestation may be, it is not bed bugs. These are microscopic and present in most bedding and mattresses.
This is flat-out wrong. From Wikipedia: "Adults grow to 45 mm (0.160.20 in) long and 1.53 mm (0.0590.118 in) wide."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_bug
SW7London, T8191 and truncated like this.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 9:05 am
  #23  
 
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I would have exactly the same expectations of an airline as Id have of a hotel.

Convince me its an isolated incident that Im unlikely to encounter in the near future and what the organisation is doing to limit the occurrence. Compensation is a nice gesture but ultimately secondary to the above.

i dont think its unreasonable to expect an answer relatively quickly and in the absence of one, take your business elsewhere.

Theres sometimes an underlying expectation on here of poor customer service, driven presumably by a combination of Stockholm syndrome/conditioning and a mistaken belief driven by lack of experience of truly great customer service, that just because its been the way it is for a long period of time there is no other option other than bad customer service.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 9:08 am
  #24  
 
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I had a similar issue with a BA flight to from LHR to JFK a few months ago with bites on my neck and back. I spoke to BA after the flight and they said that engineers checked area around my seat and that they found no evidence of bed bugs. I had no choice but to believe them.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 9:13 am
  #25  
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Lolbert, they are not easy to find. Otherwise, they would be easily exterminated.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 9:28 am
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by Lolbert
I had a similar issue with a BA flight to from LHR to JFK a few months ago with bites on my neck and back. I spoke to BA after the flight and they said that engineers checked area around my seat and that they found no evidence of bed bugs. I had no choice but to believe them.
It is worth noting that the incubation time for bite reactions can be up to weeks.

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/...dbugs#symptoms

It's a bit like food poisoning - it's easy to believe it's the last meal that got you - but it's really not always the case.

In my case when it happened to me, I only traced it to the Argentinian hotel I stayed in once I thought about the clothing and such I'd slept in and where the bites had occurred because in the time after that I had 2 other hotel stays after that one. Once I understood the timings and thought about the sleepwear - it all made sense and fitted with my bite locations.

Not saying it wasn't the plane - and certainly in our OP's case (since they could see the bugs) it was - but the emergence of a bite doesn't mean the bugs were right there and then.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 9:31 am
  #27  
 
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Just a thought; i think the best way to deal with this is to have leather seating, as it is much easier to keep clean and 'wipe off the contaminants'.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 9:33 am
  #28  
 
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BA has been in the news on few occasions due to bed bugs. BA has not excuse to address the problem. every flyer has the same expectation when taking a flight, a clean airplane and a clean seat. Bed bugs on an airplane seat is an indication that the plane has not been clean in a long time.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 9:43 am
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by RolfD
BA has been in the news on few occasions due to bed bugs. BA has not excuse to address the problem. every flyer has the same expectation when taking a flight, a clean airplane and a clean seat. Bed bugs on an airplane seat is an indication that the plane has not been clean in a long time.
I'll quote you from this link:

https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/...dbugs#overview

Bedbugs can be a problem in the cleanest of homes. These insects need only human blood to survive, so having an immaculate home will not keep them away. And its easy to bring bedbugs home. They can crawl into luggage, clothing, and even furniture, unnoticed.
You can clean all you like, but if the bugs are hiding under the seat material, you're only going to get them by fumigating them out and possibly simply replacing the seat.

It doesn't excuse the fact that they had bedbugs and it's not nice, but it's also not a 'oh my god BA's seats must be flithy' situation. Of course, BA's cleaning leaves a lot to be desired, but it's not the cause.
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Old Jan 4, 2018, 9:46 am
  #30  
 
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Hmm. The famous "on board report".

I'm afraid any customer focused organisation that takes 3-4 weeks (as someone suggested) to follow this up has a serious problem.

Give it a week and then take to the media and twitter with your photos. You will then find BA is able to produce a response within 24 hours.
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