BED BUGS!!!
Apr 23, 2019, 10:34 am
#211
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 48
Totally agree, my partner has been very rational about it, he flys a lot (well on his way to GFL and his dad is GGLFL) and doesn’t know anyone this has happened to on a flight.
He is more surprised that BA doesn’t want to fix this issue in a more productive way, as they mentioned he’s already moving his flexible f tickets away.
He is more surprised that BA doesn’t want to fix this issue in a more productive way, as they mentioned he’s already moving his flexible f tickets away.
OK, I'll bite. Yesterday BA shifted the equivalent of the population of Exeter from one place to another. Today they will do the same, and ditto tomorrow. I don't know how many bed bugs there are in Exeter but my suspicion is that it will be considerably more than there are on BA's aircraft. I have never seen a bed bug on a BA aircraft - or indeed any other airline - that I have travelled on, and that will be rather more than most people have travelled. It's not worth worrying about, you are more likely to be struck by lightning.
Apr 23, 2019, 11:21 am
#212
Join Date: Jul 2017
Programs: All the usual suspects
Posts: 342
Apr 24, 2019, 2:39 pm
#213
Join Date: Jan 2014
Programs: Amtrak Guest Rewards (SE), Virgin America Elevate, Hyatt Gold Passport (Platinum), VIA Preference
Posts: 3,134
I wasn't sleeping on BA yesterday, but on my LHR-IAD flight I caught and smashed this fellow:
Not sure if I should call BA and kvetch or not, but boy was that a surprise in First...
Not sure if I should call BA and kvetch or not, but boy was that a surprise in First...
Apr 24, 2019, 2:52 pm
#214
formerly smoaky
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 301
If that is a bed bug (is it? looks like it has wings though?) you should definitely tell BA. You should also be careful you didn't bring any home -- that's the real concern if encountering them on a plane/in a hotel...
Last edited by nycflyer17; Apr 24, 2019 at 3:07 pm
Apr 24, 2019, 3:20 pm
#218
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Home Counties, UK
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 539
I can ABSOLUTELY confirm that. My mother lives in sheltered accommodation and I have spent the last two
years trying to exterminate them from her flat. They are very hard to get rid of completely and if I did manage that then no doubt she’d bring the next lot up from their communal hall. Once home, I then have the task of ensuring I haven’t got any on me. It is a real pain. Watched a programme a few years ago on pest control and it seems the ONLY way to get rid of them is to seal up a room and pump hot air in up to 60 degrees and burn the buggers to death.
Bug sprays work to a degree but you always miss a few. The babies are little specks.
years trying to exterminate them from her flat. They are very hard to get rid of completely and if I did manage that then no doubt she’d bring the next lot up from their communal hall. Once home, I then have the task of ensuring I haven’t got any on me. It is a real pain. Watched a programme a few years ago on pest control and it seems the ONLY way to get rid of them is to seal up a room and pump hot air in up to 60 degrees and burn the buggers to death.
Bug sprays work to a degree but you always miss a few. The babies are little specks.
Apr 24, 2019, 4:18 pm
#219
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,821
May 3, 2019, 3:07 pm
#220
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 48
In the end they offered 40k Avios which was their final offer. He once again played DYKIA and Do you know who my father is, to no success.
Totally agree, my partner has been very rational about it, he flys a lot (well on his way to GFL and his dad is GGLFL) and doesn’t know anyone this has happened to on a flight.
He is more surprised that BA doesn’t want to fix this issue in a more productive way, as they mentioned he’s already moving his flexible f tickets away.
He is more surprised that BA doesn’t want to fix this issue in a more productive way, as they mentioned he’s already moving his flexible f tickets away.
May 3, 2019, 3:23 pm
#221
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Glasgow, UK
Programs: Seigneur des Tarifs Utils First Class Mucci with Honours :) - BA GGL / CCR
Posts: 1,551
Are you are the problem was bed bugs on the flight? Bed bugs don't cause 50 bites they usually bite on other extremities such as arms and legs. They also take 12 to 14 hours to appear usually. I was bitten 40 odd times by what I assumed was the same and was actually red ants from the country I was in Zimbabwe. 50 just seems excessive for being on a plane .
May 3, 2019, 3:41 pm
#222
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: PHL
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Diamond
Posts: 1,203
That could be a stink bug (or a variation) but it also could be a "kissing bug." I've never been great at spotting the difference to be honest. It has that name because they typically bite people and other animals in the face or lips because they are attracted by breath and feed on blood. Typically endemic to the southern USA, but they've been spotted as far north as Delaware and PA recently. They can carry diseases such as Chagas.
May 3, 2019, 4:17 pm
#223
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: U.K.
Programs: BA Exec Club Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 277
Not sure if this has been mentioned as this thread is now quite extensive and the search function isn’t always the best. BA long haul aircraft are inspected by ‘Merlin’ sniffer dogs every three months, regardless of whether or not there have been reported cases.
Edit: Merlin Environmental is a company that provides sniffer dogs for the purpose of bed bug detection. They’re used by, amongst others, a number of hospitality and transport companies.
Edit: Merlin Environmental is a company that provides sniffer dogs for the purpose of bed bug detection. They’re used by, amongst others, a number of hospitality and transport companies.
Last edited by Boeing77W; May 3, 2019 at 5:21 pm
May 3, 2019, 5:21 pm
#225
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: U.K.
Programs: BA Exec Club Gold, Hilton Honors Diamond
Posts: 277