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A family from Virginia is flying KLM Royal Dutch Airlines from the united states Europe Claims their expensive business-class seats were crawling BedbugsWho feasted with all four of them on the way and ruined their journey.
As soon as ophthalmologist Romulo Albuquerque and wife Lisandra Garcia realized what was happening, they immediately alerted. air hostesswho “urged them to keep their voices down to avoid ‘jittering’ on airplanes,” according to a federal lawsuit that has been reviewed Independent.
The family’s complaint said the bites “left large red spots on the children’s neck, torso, legs and arms.” “Mrs. Garcia also had similar rashes on her lower back and legs, and Mr. Albuquerque also had a rash on his neck and torso.”
“Due to visible marks on their skin and persistent itching,” Albuquerque, Garcia and her two sons “were unable to enjoy their vacation,” according to the complaint filed Thursday in Roanoke federal court.
It said the scars did not begin to fade “until the Albuquerque family returned home to Roanoke.”
“To this day,” the complaint states, “Mrs. Garcia still has wounds on her lower back, where she was bitten.”
The family booked their tickets deltaThis flight was a code-share operated by KLM on KLM aircraft. Both carriers are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Matt Broughton and Jared Tuck, attorneys representing Albuquerque, said Independent His company tried to resolve the issue without going to court but KLM and Delta have continued to ignore his efforts.
“So, we filed this lawsuit to assert the legal rights of this worthy family, and we will continue to move forward until the family is treated fairly for what happened to them,” he said.
In an email on Friday, delta Spokeswoman Morgan Durant emphasized that “the allegations at issue relate to flights not operated by Delta Airlines,” and said the airline “will review the complaint and respond accordingly at the appropriate time.”
A KLM spokesperson said the company was “unable to comment on specific allegations at this time,” but would pursue them through “appropriate legal channels.”
On March 21, Albuquerque departed Roanoke aboard Delta flight DL 5087 and returned about 90 minutes later. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International AirportThe complaint states. There, they will catch a KLM flight to Amsterdam, then connect to Belgrade, the family’s final destination.
The four were visiting family and friends in the Serbian capital, and Albuquerque, a frequent flyer with Delta, had booked tickets through the carrier’s SkyMiles program with a face value of $8,800. Complaint,
The first leg of the journey passed “without any problems”, the complaint continues. Further, it says, they boarded flight DL 9667 amsterdamAlbuquerque and Garcia were seated in seats 12H and 12K and their children were seated in the row directly behind them.
“Approximately two hours into the flight, Mrs. Garcia began to feel as if insects were crawling on her and that she was being bitten,” the complaint states. “It was at this moment that she realized there were insects crawling on her light-colored sweater.”
The complaint alleges that when they informed the cabin crew, they hushed the couple to avoid creating a ruckus. So, it goes on, the two photographed and made videos of insects “in the folds” of Garcia’s clothes and their seats.
“During the flight, the Albuquerque family was all bitten multiple times by insects present in the aircraft cabin,” according to the complaint, which specifies that the insects were actually bed bugs. “Before landing in Amsterdam, the flight attendant again urged Dr. Albuquerque and Mrs. Garcia not to tell anyone about the infection because, if they did, they would miss their connecting flight to Serbia.”
The flight attendant gave the family plastic bags for their personal belongings, and they boarded another KLM plane for the two-and-a-half hour flight. belgradeThe complaint says. According to the complaint, when they sat down, all four were “still feeling discomfort and constant itching from the insect bites.”
After arriving at his destination, Albuquerque washed all of his clothes in boiling water in an attempt to kill the remaining spores. BedbugsThe complaint says a doctor friend advised him how to treat the discomfort caused by the large number of bites that covered much of his skin, but “the healing process was slow” and the family trip was ruined,
A week later, Albuquerque took her children to a pediatric clinic, which prescribed topical steroids and an antihistamine, according to the complaint. It said a doctor there confirmed the bites were from bedbugs, and advised the family to plant “bug bombs” in their home and car to make sure they killed any remaining insects.
“The doctor also gave the children notes indicating they could return to school, stating that they were ‘not infectious’ despite visible bite marks and sores on their skin,” the complaint said. “As a direct and foreseeable result of bite marks and rashes, [the children] Had to face great embarrassment in school.”
The complaint said Albuquerque did not know whether the KLM crew ever told any other passengers about the alleged infection. However, it says, they later learned that the flight attendant had filed a formal complaint with KLM about it.
One expert said, “The problem of bed bugs on airplanes is more common than people admit.” told Luck After the beginning of this year Turkish Airlines passengers said They found bedbugs in their planes. “Just because people are sitting on clothes, you get a lot of bed bugs and dust mites. I mean, realistically, it’s heaven for them.”
Last year, a passenger was flying American Airlines from New York City to Detroit went viral on reddit after claiming them He discovered that a bedbug was crawling on his leg,
Nicole Carpenter, president of Black Pest Prevention, advises passengers to choose a window seat rather than an aisle seat, as there is less chance of being exposed to bed bugs from other passengers walking by.
“There’s very little traffic there,” she said Fodor’s journey told,
His complaint states that as a result of his own bites, Albuquerque has suffered “rash, discomfort, itching, pain and suffering, discomfort, anxiety, mental anguish, anger, fear, humiliation and embarrassment.” He “has also incurred medical expenses for the treatment of his injuries, and due to medical concerns… he has had to dispose of his infected clothing and personal items.”
The family is now seeking damages of $200,000 plus interest.