Rasp
Senior Editor
Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."
Woman Claims She Was Attacked by Bed Bugs on Flight from L.A.
Woman Claims She Was Attacked by Bed Bugs on Flight from L.A.
LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- Bed bugs are apparently not just found on beds anymore. Some have managed to infiltrate airplanes -- or so one passenger claims.
A woman says she was attacked by bed bugs last month while aboard a British Airways flight from L.A. to Bangalore.
28-year-old Zane Selkirk says she first noticed the bed bugs on her airline-provided blanket and her finger about three hours into the first leg of her flight, which was from L.A. to London's Heathrow Airport.
She claims she went to the airplane bathroom, and found bite marks on her back and several bugs hanging onto her shirt.
Zelkirk says she told flight attendants, who moved her and her seatmates from premium economy to business class.
Zelkirk posted pictures of her bitten body online on Tuesday.
On her site, she writes, "I left my 10-hour flight to find my body covered with 90 bug bites."
She also posted the text of a letter she wrote to British Airways about its customer service.
Zelkirk says she spoke to airline representatives when she arrived in Bangalore, but was told that nobody had the authority to help customers.
She writes, "Not only was the experience itself absolutely disgusting, but your staff (nearly without exception) were revolting to me personally throughout the ordeal."
Zelkirk says she isn't seeking any compensation, adding, "I did want to share my personal story with you, as well as other airline customers, in hopes that your airline would review and evolve their standards for aircraft cleanliness."
An airline spokeswoman said they sent Zelkirk a written apology, and that British Airways is conducting a thorough investigation.