World · East Asia & Pacific · 2 hrs ago
Bed bugs prompt cancellation of Qantas Rome-to-Perth flight
Passengers on a Qantas flight from Perth to Rome on October 9 said they had been bitten by bed bugs.
Qantas then cancelled the return flight from Rome to Perth, which was due to operate on Saturday, and took the Boeing 787 Dreamliner out of service for a deep clean.
The airline said the problem was identified on a small number of economy seats.
Some passengers were delayed by as much as two days; Qantas provided accommodation and rebooked them on other flights within 48 hours of their original departure.
The non-stop Perth-to-Rome service is popular with travellers from Australia’s east coast and was extended for the season, adding 40 flights and nearly 10,000 seats.
Bed bug bites can be itchy and upsetting, but health authorities say transmission of disease to people is highly unlikely.
Qantas said its aircraft are disinfected every 50 days as a precaution, and the affected plane required a deep clean before returning to service.
Qantas cancelled its Rome-to-Perth flight after bed bugs were reported on the aircraft.
The cancellation allowed engineers and maintenance teams to deep-clean the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Passengers were offered accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights within 48 hours of their original departure.
The bed bug complaints came from passengers on the Perth-to-Rome flight on October 9.
- Who
- Qantas passengers and the airline.
- What
- Qantas cancelled its Rome-to-Perth flight after bed bugs were reported on the aircraft.
- When
- The complaints were made on October 9; the return flight was cancelled on Saturday.
- Where
- On Qantas flights between Perth and Rome.
- Why
- The aircraft was taken out of service for a deep clean after bed bugs were reported on a small number of economy seats.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
We sincerely apologise to customers for the cancellation of Saturday’s Rome to Perth service, which allowed our engineers and maintenance teams to carry out a deep clean of the aircraft after an issue was identified on a small number of economy seats.
Passengers on QF5 travelling from Perth to Rome complained of being bitten by bugs.
Qantas cancelled the return QF6 flight from Rome to Perth and booked the aircraft for cleaning.
Qantas said passengers were rebooked on alternative flights and given accommodation.
- Flight
- QF6, Rome to Perth
- Aircraft
- Boeing 787 Dreamliner
- Reported issue
- Bed bugs on a small number of economy seats
- Passenger arrangements
- Accommodation and alternative flights within 48 hours of original departure
Sources
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