“Prior to landing in Amsterdam, the flight attendants again urged Dr. Albuquerque and Mrs. Garcia not to tell anyone about the infestation because, if they did so, they would miss their connecting flight to Serbia,” the lawsuit alleges.
A Virginia family has filed a lawsuit against Delta Air Lines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, claiming that their Amsterdam-bound flight was infested with bed bugs.
According to CBS News, the lawsuit was filed on December 18 in United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. In court documents, the family states that they planned travel from their home in Roanoke to the Serbian capital city of Belgrade. They flew from Virginia to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on March 21, then boarded a KLM-operated flight to Amsterdam.
CBS News notes that the flights were purchased using the Delta SkyMiles program.
Lisandra Garcia, a named plaintiff in the lawsuit, says that she felt a strange sensation—like “bugs were crawling on her and that she was being bitten”—shortly after taking her business-class seat. Garcia and her partner, identified as “Dr. Albuquerque” in court documents, then complained to flight attendants, who told them to “keep their voices down to avoid a ‘panic’ on the airplane.”
“Prior to landing in Amsterdam, the flight attendants again urged Dr. Albuquerque and Mrs. Garcia not to tell anyone about the infestation because, if they did so, they would miss their connecting flight to Serbia,” the lawsuit alleges.
After arriving in Amsterdam, the Albuquerques were allegedly given plastic bags to help seal their belongings. The lawsuit is accompanied by a series of photographic exhibits, some of which appear to show bed bugs on varied items of clothing as well as a napkin featuring KLM’s logo.
Bed bug bites can affect different people in different ways. Though some people do not react at all to bed bug bites, others may develop intense allergic reactions. Common symptoms include intense itching as well as highly-visible bitemarks and rashes. It can take weeks, or even longer, for symptoms to subside and for the marks to disappear.
“The marks did not begin to fade until after the Albuquerque Family returned to the United States,” the lawsuit reads. “To this day, Mrs. Garcia has scars on her lower back where she was bitten.”
The family is seeking at least $200,000, as well as any other relief deemed just and proper for their injuries, medical expenses, and other damages.
In response to the allegations, Delta Air Lines was quick to emphasize that it did not operate the infested flight.
“As this pending litigation eventually states, the allegations at issue relate to flights not operated by Delta Air Lines,” the airline said in a statement. “Delta will review the complaint and respond accordingly in due course.”
Sources
Family sues Delta and KLM for $200,000, claiming they were attacked by bed bug infestation on flight
Lawsuit claims family bitten by bed bugs on international flight from Atlanta
Roanoke family sues airlines after allegedly being attacked by bed bugs during flight
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