BUGGED OUT

Flight Canceled After Gross Plane Infestation

Passengers on a 17-hour Qantas flight ran out of antihistamines after being bitten by bedbugs.

#1

Qantas was forced to cancel a weekend flight from Rome to Perth because of an infestation of bedbugs on the aircraft. Passengers on the previous leg, a nearly 17-hour trip from the West Australian city to the Italian capital on Friday, had complained they were being bitten, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. They were reportedly given antihistamines to ease the itching, but supplies ran out. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner was grounded for “a deep clean,” a spokesperson for the Australian carrier told the BBC. “We sincerely apologize to customers for the cancellation of Saturday’s Rome to Perth service.” The infestation only infected a small number of economy seats and the airline said it provided accommodation to all affected customers and rebooked them on other flights within 48 hours. It also pointed out that this was not the first time the pests have disrupted travel—earlier this month several Southeastern train services in England were canceled after drivers discovered bedbugs in their cabs.