Popular Airline Passenger Claims They Found Bed Bug in First Class

A horrified American Airlines passenger posted a photo to Reddit showing a bedbug which allegedly latched onto their leg in the middle of their journey from New York to Detroit.

On Tuesday, u/HaddwayThrowaway978 posted a photo of a minuscule, translucent bug captured on a napkin. “Found this bed bug crawling on my leg mid-flight,” they explained in the comments. “I was seated in First Class. I put it on the cocktail napkin to show the FA who promptly informed the Captain using the phone/intercom. I had to change my clothes in the airport and bagged them. They are being washed right now. Hoping no stragglers got on my backpack or checked bag during the clothing swap. I already logged a complaint with AA.”

In a later comment, they added a bit more context. “I saw the bug crawling on my pant leg while I was reading my book. It was a sharp contrast to the dark pant [sic] color. I was able to have it climb on my finger and then put it on the napkin to show the FA. Damn thing tried to bite my finger! SO GROSS!!”

They went on to question American Airlines ’ response to the incident. “I just checked and they turned the plane around on time,” they wrote in another comment, “so I can't believe they cleaned it properly.”

As if the situation couldn’t get more harrowing, another user popped in with a piece of unconfirmed but nauseating info. “That’s an adolescent bed bug, not yet an adult. Good chance there might be eggs on that plane,” u/apres_all_day wrote.

The Environmental Protection Agency considers bed bugs a “public health pest.” The parasitic bloodsuckers reproduce rapidly , and their bites can lead to many symptoms and side effects including rashes, anaphylaxis, and even psychological effects.

A few hours later, the poster returned to share the “extremely underwhelming” response he received from American Airlines after he emailed customer service regarding the incident. When he informed the airline that their initial response was “insufficient,” the company sent a more detailed apology and credited the passenger’s account 7,500 bonus miles. “I can certainly understand how uncomfortable it must have been for you when finding a bug on your seat,” the response read in part. “We want all our customers to have a pleasant flight when traveling with us. I am sorry to hear that was not your experience."

American Airlines did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Men’s Journal .

[LGA/DTW] Bed Bugged on Flight Today
by u/HaddawayThrowaway978 in americanairlines