Bed bugs on planes
 

Just today I found bed bugs on an Air Tran flight from Dayton. How common is this? It's a first for me.

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Willie
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Did you get a picture?

Bed bugs on planes
 

I think I've been bitten on a plane TPAC. I forget if it was UA.

It's not that uncommon, there was a group of stories about it last year after people found them on BA and were bitten on UA. Anyplace there are people there can be hitch hiking bed bugs. Planes are great places for them, carpet, fabric seats, lots of people, hardly ever fumigated enough to kill them.

Actually fumigating wouldn't be the best way to eliminate bed bugs. I hear they are stubbornly resistant to pesticides. One thing they can never develop a resistance to is heat of course, would be the best way to go especially in a closed in tube just set up some giant heaters, close the doors, and fry them suckers. I have heard of people finally getting rid of them in their house that way.

Haven't personally noticed yet, but I can easily believe bugs are pretty much widespread on airplanes.
As pointed out, the environment seems perfect, plus the constant drop of crumbs, liquids and so on.
And, looking at some airline's seats, one wonder if underneath is not hidden a tarantula.

Flight cancelled after passenger sees tarantula

British Airways was forced to cancel a domestic flight after a passenger told cabin crew he had seen a tarantula spider crawling between his legs.

:)

FWIW, bedbugs prefer human blood http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...ile_tongue.gif

a flight was canceled because of a spider? What did they think it was going to do, commandeer the cockpit?? If I were the one seeing mr spider, your flight would have ascended as I would have scooped him up silently. No need to panic everyone for a harmless thing.

Always believed deeply that reality exceeds imagination. :D

I don't think it's that common at all. Never seen them in 26 years of flying.

Holy sh*t. I have to say if I'd seen that in an enclosed space I'd have freaked out. I have massive arachnophobia and the thought of not being able to flee gives me cold sweats thinking about it.

A friend of mine is a mechanic for Delta. He has escorted the bed bug beagles (plus handler of course) on their aircraft at times in search of them. I'm not sure if they detected any when he was there or not.

Or just route the aircraft through PHX or LAS and leave it closed up on the ground without an APU for a few hours.